Legal Assistant

CAPITAL HABEAS UNIT

LEGAL ASSISTANT

(One Position)

Open Date: August 26, 2026

Close Date: When Filled

The Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has one opening it its Capital Habeas Unit for an experienced Legal Assistant. The Unit represents death-sentenced prisoners in all stages of federal habeas corpus proceedings. Our office is located in Philadelphia’s vibrant Center City district, in the historic Curtis Center in Philadelphia, close to the federal courthouse and across from Independence Mall, the Liberty Bell and Washington Square Park.

The Legal Assistant provides a full range of legal and administrative support services to a team of approximately fifteen legal staff. These include, but are not limited to: producing legal documents, appellate briefs, and correspondence in final form; proofreading and editing materials; assembling and attaching supplemental material to filings as required; filing documents with the courts via the electronic case filing (ECF) system; communicating with clients and/or clients’ family members as directed by the attorney; photocopying, scanning and distributing copies as directed; maintaining the Assistant Federal Defender’s calendar and case files as directed; assisting with phone coverage as needed. Capital Habeas Unit staff travel extensively throughout the United States, and the legal assistant is responsible for setting up flight arrangements, rental cars and preparing travel authorization requests.

Candidates must possess a minimum of three years of specialized legal support experience, preferably in criminal, appellate and/or federal practice. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in criminal justice or a related field is preferred. High proficiency with Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, and PACER/ECF (federal electronic case filing) is required as is experience with complex formatting in Word (such as generating tables of contents/authorities for briefs). Attention to detail, solid communication (both oral and written) and organizational skills, and knowledge of legal terminology and court rules and protocol are a must. Candidates must be able to work well both independently and as part of a team, exercise mature judgment, meet deadlines, manage multiple projects or assignments simultaneously, and work well with attorneys, and other support staff. Fluency (oral and written) in the Spanish language is helpful but not required. While performing the duties of this job, the Legal Assistant must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. 

Interested applicants should apply @ Federal Community Defender Careers. Candidates will be interviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled, however applications which are received by September 9, 2026, will be given priority. Salary will be based upon experience consistent with federal guidelines and regulations. The salary range for this position is from Grade 6 Step 1 ($50,037) to Grade 8 Step 10 ($80,047). Kindly note that the filling of this position is subject to the funding restrictions and approval of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

The Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to promoting a professional work environment that supports and respects all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, gender identity, national origin, religion, or disability. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.