Job Announcement - Staff Attorney - State Court Administrator Wednesday, May 28, 2025

General Summary or Purpose

We understand that compensation isn’t a one-time discussion.  Please see Compensation for more details on our compensation strategy. 

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample.

The North Dakota Court System offers employment opportunities that provide a rewarding career in public service working together to deliver justice. The Court System offers an excellent benefits package including employer-paid family health insurance premiums, retirement contributions and generous vacation and sick leave accruals.

If you are drawn to and want to play an integral role in supporting the judiciary by providing guidance, support, and training on administrative matters through extensive legal research and analysis and drafting memoranda, reports, orders, instructions, and forms, this opportunity may be right for you.
 
The Ideal Candidate:

• Easily engages and communicates with others orally and in writing. 
• Enjoys extensive researching, analyzing, and writing. 
• Obsesses with detail ensuring accuracy of work.
• Deliberately and thoroughly organizes and analyzes information. 
• Demonstrates an ability to provide sound judgment including the ability to think critically, identify, break down, evaluate, and write information in a concise and logical manner. 
• Thrives on having a constant workload and organizing, planning, and prioritizing work. 
• Finds it rewarding to be highly dependable.

The Ideal Candidate Minimum Qualifications: 

• Juris doctor degree from an accredited law school;
• License to practice law in the State of ND or ability to obtain within one year of job entry; and
• 2 years of related experience or any combination of education, training, or experience which demonstrates the abiity to successfully complete the major responsibilities and essential functions may be substituted for the experience requirement.

Major Responsibilities & Essential Functions

Title of Immediate Supervisor:  State Court Administrator
Accountable For (Job Titles):  None
FLSA Status:  Exempt

The Staff Attorney researches, supports, and advises various Supreme Court advisory committees and Judicial Conference committees that are responsible for studying court issues, operational concerns, or court processes and concerns.  Assists committees to formulate and draft briefs and/or proposed legislation.  Provides legal services and support to staff in the Office of the State Court Administrator.

• Provides legal research, support, and staff services to various judicial committees investigating and studying court-related processes, problems, or issues.  Assists the committees in conducting background history and research pertaining to the work of the committee(s).  Prepares briefs, assists committees, drafts procedures, rules, and/or proposed legislation.
• Provides legal research services for members and staff in the Office of the State Court Administrator.
• Serves as a legislative analyst or liaison monitoring and tracking legislation introduced, pending, or acted upon in the legislature that are relevant or may impact the operations of the Supreme Court.
• Communicates, informs, and provides information and/or research to members of the public, media, judges, or court personnel regarding judicial services, policies, legislative initiatives, or other matters pertaining to the court.
• Testifies before legislative committees to persuade, present, and explain the research, facts, conclusions, and perspectives of the court regarding the issues before the committee(s).
• Assists the State Court Administrator in drafting or preparing various manuals or documents for the court.
• Performs other duties of a comparable level or type or as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications & Certification or Licensing Requirements

Requires a juris doctor degree from an accredited law school and a minimum of two years related experience.  Any combination of education, training, or experience which demonstrates the ability to successfully complete the major responsibilities and essential functions may be substituted for the experience requirement

North Dakota law license or ability to obtain within one year of job entry.

Valid driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility.

Knowledge, Skill, & Physical Requirements

Knowledge Requirements:

• Extensive knowledge of general laws, state laws, established precedents, and sources of legal research.
• General knowledge of court administration and office management policies and procedures.
• Extensive knowledge of court system operations, court procedures, and rules.
• Knowledge of state and federal rules of procedure and law.

Skill Requirements:

• Skilled in conducting legal research and the application and interpretation of legal concepts, principles, and evidence, facts and legal precedent.
• Skilled in organizing, planning, and prioritizing own work priorities, needs, and projects.
• Skilled in the use of legal research resources and software (i.e. Westlaw, LawDesk, Miche, Premise, etc.) and general office support applications (i.e. word processing and other desktop software/applications).
• Skilled in formulating, writing, and drafting legislation, proposals, or briefs.
• Skilled in applying sound legal judgment based upon the legal principles, rules, concepts, precedents, and issues that are being addressed by committees of the court and the Office of the State Court Administrator.
• Skilled in presenting and communicating controversial or complex topics in an effective and persuasive manner in public presentations and speeches before judiciary committees, legislative committees, members of the public, other attorneys, or staff of the court.

Physical Requirements:

• The essential functions of the job typically require:  grasping, sitting, standing, walking, talking, hearing, seeing, feeling, reaching, and fingering requirements or other reasonable methods that accommodate an individual in completing the essential functions of the job.
• Work is performed in a comfortable office environment.
• Employee is subject to some travel in the performance of the job.  Employee has control over travel schedule and can adjust schedules due to adverse weather or travel conditions.
• Physical requirements can typically be characterized as Light Work:  Exerting up to 20 lbs. of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 lbs. of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently constantly to move objects.