Appellate Attorney – Supervisor #00000048-21500, Full-time, At-Will, in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, NM

TO APPLY: Submit a New Mexico Judicial Branch Application for Employment, OR a Resume and a Resume Supplemental form, AND proof of education to:

Administrative Office of the Courts

Attn: AOC Human Resources Division

202 E. Marcy Street

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

Fax: 505-479-2641

Email: jobs@nmcourts.gov

Website: https://www.nmcourts.gov/careers.aspx

PROOF OF EDUCATION IS REQUIRED.
Applications can be emailed, faxed, or mailed.

***All incomplete applications or applications not submitted through the New Mexico Judicial Branch application process will not be accepted.***

Administrative Office of the Courts
Business Unit: 21500
Appellate Attorney – Supervisor #00000048-21500, Full-time, At-Will, in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, NM
# of Positions: 1
Opening Date: 04-24-2025 - Close Date: 06-06-2025
Target Pay Range/Rate: $44.000 - $78.730 per hour OR $91,520 - $163,758.40 annually

The New Mexico Court of Appeals is recruiting for a full-time, at-will Appellate Attorney - Supervisor position #00000048-21500 in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, New Mexico. GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: The New Mexico Court of Appeals is seeking an experienced supervising attorney to serve as its next Deputy Chief Appellate Court Clerk. The Deputy works under the general direction of the Chief Clerk and closely with the Chief Judge, Judges, staff attorneys, and Clerk’s Office staff. The Deputy assists the Clerk of the Court with supervision of the Clerk’s Office, court administration, and general counsel matters including IPRA requests, contracts, and HR. The Deputy works closely with the court manager and state-wide district courts to facilitate case processing. With the assistance of staff, the Deputy processes all procedural motions under delegated authority and provides legal recommendations on substantive motions as well as other jurisdictional issues to staff and judges. The Court of Appeals has offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque with regular travel between the offices required. Finalist(s) may be subject to criminal background check(s).

EXAMPLES OF JOB DUTIES

• The Appellate Attorney – Supervisor (At-Will) is responsible for reviewing and/or leading the review on cases, performing legal research and identifying, analyzing, and assessing the impact of applicable law.
• Trains, supervises, mentors, and evaluates a legal staff of two (2) or more to include law clerks, paralegals, paraprofessionals and other support staff.
• Reviews, supervises, and recommends appropriate courses of action and disposition.
• Develops employee performance plans and evaluations, discipline, and approval of time.
• Plans, organizes, and develops work and training programs.
• Leads interview panel for vacant positions and makes recruitment recommendations.
• Assists the Court with the exercise of its constitutional rulemaking authority and provides staff support for their rulemaking committees, boards, and commissions.
• Oversees the drafting of recommendations and proposed dispositions for assigned cases.
• Screens pro se petitions for jurisdiction and procedural prerequisites.
• Responds on behalf of the Court to correspondence, e-mails and telephone calls from pro se litigants, inmates, attorneys, and members of the public.
• Assists the Court to resolve pending appeals by reviewing motions, docketing statements and briefs.
• Supervises the review and disposition of Driving while Intoxicated, Domestic Violence, and Landlord/Tenant cases on appeal from Metropolitan Court and reviews cases on appeal from Motor Vehicle Department license revocation hearings.
• Recommends appropriate courses of action and dispositions.
• Oversees the drafting of memoranda of law, proposed opinions and orders for administrative appeals of record and de novo appeals.
• Analyzes briefs, records, and legal authorities cited and serves as a reference to others to provide judicial insight.
• Creates proposed orders addressing petitions for extraordinary writs and motions in civil and criminal matters.
• Evaluates court processes and formulate, recommend and implement policies and procedures to ensure uniform compliance with statutory and constitutional provisions, case law and Supreme Court Rules.
• May assist management on personnel issues and ensures compliance with applicable employment laws, rules, regulations, court and AOC policies and procedures.
• May develop judicial procedures and documentation for conducting stream adjudication and provide legal direction to judges and courts related to stream adjudication cases.
• Prepares and makes oral presentations, training or continuing education at national, state and local conferences.
• Attends trials and hearings, advices and meets with court administration and staff on legal or court matters.
• Researches proposed legislation, provides testimony and participates in developing strategies for passage of legislation.
• May oversee and assess the appropriateness of mediation or a dispute resolution process for a case and conduct mediation or a dispute resolution process subject to the applicable standards of confidentiality.
• May lead joint discussions with all parties, and conduct private discussions with each party, identifies issues, contentions, and interests and develops a constructive working environment that generates discussion of options for resolution.
• May oversee and encourage negotiations extending beyond the initial conference through subsequent conversations or additional conferences.
• May facilitate settlements until an agreement is reached or until settlement does not appear to be possible.
• May oversee court mandated programs, pilot programs, and Court sponsored activities.
• Communicates, supports, and develops working relationships with associated parties.
• Prepares curriculum or workshop materials for training and educational programs.
• Ensures compliance with statuary deadlines and budgetary limitations.
• Creates, evaluates, maintains and analyzes statistics and drafts, in addition to publishing periodic or annual reports.
• Assists in tracking, reviewing, analyzing the judicial entity on proposed litigation.
• May serve on statewide or local committees.
• May review and revises court forms for distribution.
• May ensure information pertaining to court services on the court website is updated and correct.
• May assists with requests for proposals and invitations to bid, and contracts
• Other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES/QUALIFICATIONS
The successful applicant should demonstrate knowledge of the United States and New Mexico constitutions, federal law, New Mexico case law, statutes, rules, policies and procedures; rules of Criminal and Civil procedures, rules of Appellate Procedure, rules of evidence, the Code of Judicial Conduct, and rules of Professional Conduct. Court jurisdiction and operations; legal research; judiciary processes and policies, administrative, civil and criminal law and procedures. Principles of legal analysis and writing, legal proofreading and editing; court case management systems; supervisory techniques, mediating and managing conflict. Employment law; and conflict-resolution principles and techniques. Ability to balance practical and legal considerations, develop procedures, comprehend and explain complex issues and solve problems.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The following functions are representative, but not all-inclusive of the work environment and physical demands an employee may expect to encounter in performing tasks assigned to this job. Work is performed in an office or court setting. A valid driver's license and travel may be required. The assigned work schedule may include nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime. The employee must regularly interact positively with co-workers, clients, the public, judges, and justices.

* This job description is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions performed

BENEFITS

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Rx, Short, and Long Term Disability Insurance Programs, employee assistance program (EAP) [http://www.mybenefitsnm.com/]
• State paid life insurance, supplemental and dependent life insurance
• Optional flexible spending accounts for medical, day-care, and travel expenses
• Paid time off, up to eight (8) weeks
• Paid time off and retirement buyback
• Eleven (11) paid holidays
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan
• Lifetime Defined Benefits Retirement Plan [http://www.nmpera.org/]
• Flexible work schedules and alternative work locations*
• Free health care, Rx, and lab work at the facility (Stay Well Health Center) in Santa Fe, NM
• Bilingual compensation*
• Training and career development opportunities
• Higher education opportunities, educational leave, and tuition reimbursement
• May qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
• May receive overtime holiday or shift differential pay*
• May receive physical fitness leave*

*These benefits vary by job classification or need*

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Must be a graduate of a law school meeting the standards of accreditation of the American Bar Association; possess and maintain a license to practice law in the State of New Mexico.
• Education Substitution: None.
• Experience: Eight (8) years of experience in the practice of applicable law, of which two (2) years must have been as a supervisor.
• Supervisory Substitution: Leadworker duties may be considered on a prorated basis for supervisory experience at a rate of one (1) year of performing leadworker duties equals six (6) months of supervisory experience. Assigned leadworker duties include but are not limited to: Train, mentor, and develop employees; direct, plan, schedule, assign, and review the work of others; develop or assist in the development of employee performance plans and appraisals; and address concerns and troubleshoot problems. An additional two (2) years of directly related experience may substitute for the supervisory experience provided the incumbent attends the NMJB Supervisory Mentorship Program Training at their earliest opportunity.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $91,520.00 - $163,758.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Salary : $91,520 - $163,758