Senior Assistant Commonwealth Attorney

at  Fairfax County Government

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of the principles of law and their application;
• Knowledge of trial procedure and the rules of evidence;
• Thorough knowledge of all facets of criminal law; including trial practice, motion practice, and appellate practice;
• Knowledge of the criminal laws under the Code of Virginia and Fairfax County Code and the court decisions affecting the prosecution of those laws;
• Knowledge of legal research methods;
• Ability to effectively and efficiently prosecute all major felonies;
• Thorough knowledge of a specialized area of criminal prosecution;
• Ability to train and advise lower level attorneys and law enforcement personnel in a specialized area of criminal prosecution;
• Ability to supervise and instruct lower level attorneys in general aspects of case preparation and trial performance;
• Ability to present statements of fact, law and argument clearly and logically;
• Ability to interview victims, witnesses and law enforcement to obtain the necessary information to prosecute criminal cases;
• Ability to maintain an effective working relations hip with associates, law enforcement officials, the judiciary and the general public.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Must be an active member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar.
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following: (Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for “Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to”)
Graduation from an accredited law school; plus three years of experience as a practicing attorney.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• The appointee to the position will be required to complete the following to the satisfaction of the employer:
• Criminal Background Investigation
• Credit Check
• Driving Record Check
• Employment to this position is at-will, serving at the pleasure of the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

The ability to communicate effectively and professionally with law enforcement personnel, expert and lay witnesses; effectively address, with sensitivity, the needs of victims of crime; work proficiently in a collaborative, team environment, engage people of various social, economic, cultural, ideological, racial and ethnic backgrounds; maintain a fast-paced workload/docket while keeping case files and workplace organized; prepare and present cases before a trial court in a short period; and establish and maintain constructive, effective and professional relationships with fellow attorneys, public officials, judicial officers, and the public.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Duties are generally sedentary, performed in a normal office environment. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

• Represents the Commonwealth of Virginia in prosecutions of violations of criminal law;
• Prosecutes major felony cases in Circuit Court jury and bench trials, specializing in the most serious cases;
• Acts as a subject matter expert for other attorneys and law enforcement personnel on a specialized area of law;
• Attends training in area of specialization;
• Conducts training for lower level attorneys in area of specialization;
• Conducts legal research and composes briefs in opposition to constitutional motions and petitions for appeal;
• Advises and supervises lower level attorneys in case preparation and trial performance;
• Advises County and State law enforcement officials concerning the investigation of criminal violations and trial preparation;
• Reviews search warrants, affidavits, and court orders submitted by law enforcement for obtaining of evidence related to criminal cases;
• Advises citizens of Fairfax County on issues relating to criminal law violations in the community and court procedure.