Edward A. Friedland
District Court Executive
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Loretta A. Preska
Chief Judge
COURT NOTICE TO THE BAR
March 16, 2015
CONTACT Karen Van Outryve, 212-417-8741
[This is a text copy of the attached notice]
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
is seeking applicants for the SDNY Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel. Applications
are available on the court's website at www.nysd.uscourts.gov/cja.php.
Completed applications must be addressed to David Patton, Executive Director
of the Federal Defenders of New York, and submitted electronically by
May 31, 2015 to karen_van_outryve@fd.org; no paper applications will be accepted.
The CJA Panel is comprised of private attorneys who are authorized to serve as appointed defense counsel pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3006A. To qualify for a position on the CJA Panel, attorneys must be members in good standing of the Southern District and have proven experience and competency in the field of federal criminal defense work. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of attorneys that will forward its recommendations to the Southern District Board of Judges Defender Services Committee. The Court is committed to increasing the diversity of the applicant pool and encourages qualified female and minority lawyers to apply for positions.
Candidates may apply to join the Foley Square or White Plains CJA Panel, or both. CJA Panel attorneys commit to being on duty one day every four to six months if a member of the Foley Square panel and approximately one day every month if on the White Plains panel. On that duty day, CJA attorneys represent clients when the Federal Defender has a conflict; the hours of duty are from 9:00 a.m. until the closing of the Magistrate Judge's Office, which is sometimes after 5:00 p.m. CJA Panel members serve a three-year term and are reimbursed at the rate of $127/hour for in-court and out-of-court time.
CJA attorneys are an essential part of doing justice in the federal courts, said United States District Judge Cathy Seibel, who leads the Southern Districts Defender Services Committee. Without them the Court could not fulfill its constitutional duty to ensure that every criminal defendant has the right to counsel. Southern District Chief Judge Loretta A. Preska said, "Our Court is lucky to have so many outstanding practitioners who provide such excellent representation to indigent defendants."
Attorneys can also apply for membership on panels that represent defendants in capital cases and in non-trial work, primarily habeas corpus proceedings. In addition, the Southern District also sponsors a mentoring program that helps identify and prepare experienced state court practitioners for appointment to the Panel. While the mentorship program is aimed at increasing the diversity of the Panel, the program is open to all.
Contact Peter Quijano at 212-686-0666 or Anthony Ricco at 212-791-3919 for more information on the mentorship program.