Appellate Research Attorney

Salary : $129,313.60 - $164,777.60 Annually
Location : Orange County Superior Court, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Job Number: 6002AX-1126
Department: General Counsel
Opening Date: 11/02/2026

Position Information
APPELLATE RESEARCH ATTORNEY

DEADLINE TO APPLY

This recruitment will be open on a continuous basis; however, the deadline for first round consideration is Sunday, November 15, 2026. Please note that this recruitment will remain open until the needs of the Court have been met and may close at any time.

This recruitment is open to external candidates, internal OCSC employees, and internal OCSC promotions. This recruitment will be used to fill current vacancies, and an eligible list may be established to fill future vacancies.

SALARY INFORMATION

Research Attorney Annual Range: $129,313.60 - $164,777.60

Anticipated Starting Rate: $129,313.60
(Note: Research Attorneys may be able to promote to Senior Research Attorney upon meeting established criteria. The salary for Senior Research Attorney is up to $187,512.00 annually.)
BENEFITS HIGHLIGHTS

Choice of five medical plans

Defined Benefit Retirement Plan (2.50% at 67 formula)

$3,500 Optional Benefit Plan (OBP) annually

Optional deferred compensation program (457 plan)

Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)

Dental and Vision Plans

Vacation and sick leave packages

14 paid holidays per year

Tuition reimbursement
TELEWORK/ON-SITE OPPORTUNITY

This position is eligible for a combination of telework and on-site work assignments. Telework must be completed from a pre-designated home-based location within the State of California, and employees may be required to report on-site to address business needs. Telework is at the sole discretion of the Court and may be rescinded with 48 hours' notice, based on the needs of the Orange County Superior Court.

Opportunity Details
ABOUT THE POSITION

Appellate Division Research Attorneys work under the direction of the Appellate Panel Judges and the General Counsel and report to the Supervising Research Attorney. They are responsible for researching legal issues in both civil and criminal law; carefully reviewing and analyzing writs, appellate briefs, trial records, and other case documents; drafting clear, concise, accurate, and well-organized memoranda and proposed opinions; attending judicial case conferences and Appellate Division oral argument hearings; and making timely recommendations regarding the resolution of legal issues before the court. Additional responsibilities include the ability to discuss issues thoroughly with judicial officers, receive and implement constructive feedback, and work collaboratively to edit and revise one's work. Excellent analytical, writing, and research skills are required. These positions are responsible for a high-volume of work, often with short deadlines for the completion of assignments and require exceptional self-direction and time management skills, as well as excellent judgment and the performance of duties with the highest degree of integrity in order to uphold the public's trust and confidence in the administration of justice.

Note: Although most Research Attorney positions are assigned to our Civil Division, our current need is in the Appellate Division, and this recruitment has specifically been opened to fill that need. Attorneys may be reassigned at any time to General Civil, Complex Civil, Criminal, Family Law, Juvenile, or Probate Departments, depending on the needs of the Court.
To view the full job description, please click on the following link:

RESEARCH ATTORNEY
Minimum Qualifications
BAR MEMBERSHIP
Active membership in good standing with the California State Bar.

EXPERIENCE
At least three (3) years of post-California Bar appellate law experience or experience as an appellate judicial staff attorney, or comparable position is required.

WRITING SAMPLE
Applicants must submit a self-edited writing sample with their application. A preferable writing sample consists of an appellate specific brief directed to an appellate division or appellate panel.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five (5) years of experience practicing in one or more of the following areas:
  1. Appellate practitioner, an appellate judicial staff attorney, or comparable position emphasizing legal writing and analysis
  2. Familiarity with appellate practice and writ practice and procedures
• Proficiency in online and windows-based legal research applications, as well as in using MS Word and Adobe Acrobat.
• Excellent research and writing skills are essential, along with the ability to work independently on a wide variety of legal issues of varied complexity, to effectively manage one's time in order to meet stringent time constraints, and to interact professionally with Judicial Officers, colleagues, and court staff.

Additional Information
APPLICATION PROCESS

All applicants are required to submit a completed online application, writing sample, and supplemental questionnaire. To learn more about how to create an application, click Résumés will not be accepted in lieu of the required application and supplemental questionnaire. For tips on completing/updating your application, refer to our "Helpful Application Tips" guide by clicking
SELECTION PROCESS
STEP 1: Applications will be reviewed by Human Resources to identify candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and/or desirables. It is to your benefit to include all current and previous related work experience. When listing Court experience, please include dates and classification of each position held, if more than one. Only those who meet the minimum qualifications and desirables (if applicable) will proceed to the next step in the recruitment process.
STEP 2: Candidates' supplemental question responses may be evaluated and ranked. Depending on the number of applications, assessments and/or screening interviews may be conducted. If any part of the assessment process consists of proctored, in-person tests, candidates will be required to appear in person regardless of where they reside. Note: Though candidates may live outside of the State of California while participating in a recruitment process, individuals must reside within the State to be eligible for Court employment.
STEP 3: Candidates who are successful in step 2 will be placed on the eligible list. Placement on the eligible list does not guarantee an interview or employment. All candidates will be notified via email of their status at each step of the process. Additional steps in the selection process will include a local background check and a reference check.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

Orange County Superior Court provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, upon request. Please contact the Human Resources Department at if you feel that you will need a reasonable accommodation for any aspect of the selection process.
ELIGIBLE LIST

This recruitment may be used to establish an eligible list for current and future vacancies. The eligible list will remain active until the list is exhausted, or a new recruitment opens.
STATUS NOTIFICATIONS

You will be notified by email during the process of this recruitment through GovernmentJobs.com. Please check your email spam/junk folders and accept emails ending with GovernmentJobs.com and occourts.org. If your information changes, please update your profile at
QUESTIONS?

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Monica Budd at For general employment information, please click
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Updated: 10/31/2025
MEDICAL INSURANCE: Employees have an option to enroll in one of five medical plans; three HMO's (Cigna Select, Cigna Choice, and Kaiser Choice) and two PPO's (Wellwise Choice or Sharewell Choice), both administered by Blue Shield. The employee contributions toward the HMO or PPO insurance vary based on plan, coverage level and participation in the annual wellness credit program. To view health plan rates and summaries of benefits and coverage, click

FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS: Employees have an option to enroll and contribute to a pre-tax Health Care Flexible Spending Account (HCFSA) and a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA). These accounts may be used to eligible health care expenses or eligible care expenses within that plan year.
HEALTH REIMBURSEMENT ARRANGEMENT: The Court will contribute $63.04 per pay period into individual employee Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) accounts for eligible full-time employees ($31.52 per pay period for eligible part-time). This Court contribution will increase 2.5% annually each first full pay period in July.

DENTAL INSURANCE: The Court pays the premiums for Indemnity dental plan. Co-payments, deductibles, and caps on major dental services apply. Spouse and children less than 26 years old are eligible dependents.

VISION INSURANCE: The Court pays the premiums for employee only vision insurance coverage provided by VSP. Employees may elect to purchase coverage for spouse and dependent children less than 26 years old.

LIFE INSURANCE: The Court pays for employee basic life insurance policy of $100,000. Additional voluntary life insurance can be purchased for employee, spouse, and dependent children.

ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT (AD&D) INSURANCE: The Court pays for employee basic AD&D insurance policy in the same amount as term life insurance. Additional voluntary coverage can be purchased for employee and family.

SHORT-TERM DISABILITY (STD) PLAN: The Court provides STD which provides 60% of regular monthly income (no maximum) for 12 months (reduced by income from other sources). Benefits begin after all sick leave has been used or 7 days, whichever is greater. The Court continues to pay same amount of medical, life, and AD&D insurance premiums while employee is receiving STD benefits.

LONG-TERM DISABILITY (LTD) PLAN: The Court provides LTD which provides 60% of regular monthly income (up to a maximum benefit of $20,000 per month) until age 65 if the employee is not able to return to work similar occupation (reduced by income from other sources). Benefits begin immediately after STD expires.

OTHER VOLUNTARY BENEFITS: Employees may elect to enroll in additional voluntary plans administered by Unum. Available plans include Accident Insurance, Critical Illness/Cancer Insurance and Hospital Confinement Insurance. Coverage may be purchased for employee, spouse, and dependent children.

LONG-TERM CARE: CalPERS Long-Term Care coverage is available to current and former California public employees, retirees, their spouses, parents, parents-in-law, children, siblings (including stepbrothers and stepsisters), grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law between the ages of 18 and 79 when they apply. Eligible family members may apply even if the public employee or retiree who makes them eligible does not apply or is not approved for coverage. NOTICE: CalPERS has temporarily suspended open enrollment for the Long-Term Care Program due to current uncertainty in the long-term care market. Therefore, until further notice, CalPERS will no longer accept new applications for coverage at this time.

OPTIONAL BENEFIT PLAN (OBP): The Court provides employees $3,500 per calendar year (pro-rated for new employees) which can be received as cash (taxable) or allocated to several benefits ranging from health, County 457 Defined Contribution Plan and AD&D premiums (non-taxable).

RETIREMENT: Defined Benefit, fully qualified plan based on the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (Government Code Section 31450 et. al.). Employee and Court contributions are based on several variables including age, hire date, and salary. The plan is administered by an independent agency, Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS), and has reciprocity with various California systems. Currently, eligible new employees hired on or after January 1, 2013, will be enrolled in a defined benefit retirement plan referred to as Plan U (2.5% at 67 formula). *If you were employed by an OCERS employer or reciprocal agency prior to January 1, 2013, you have less than a six-month break in service, and reciprocit