General Appeals Director - Criminal Appeals

Job Posting Title

General Appeals Director - Criminal Appeals

Agency

049 ATTORNEY GENERAL

Supervisory Organization

Office of Attorney General

Job Posting End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)

Full/Part-Time

Full time

Job Type

Regular

Compensation

Job Description

Date Open:  Immediately                                  

 

Date Closed:  Friday, August 15, 2025

 

Title:  General Appeals Director

 

Salary Range: Commensurate with experience and qualifications

 

Location:  Oklahoma City, OK or Tulsa, OK

 

The Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General is currently seeking a General Appeals Director in our Criminal Appeals Unit.

 

Position Summary:

The Criminal Appeals Unit (“Unit”) represents the state in the criminal appeals process to ensure that the lawful decisions rendered by judges and juries are upheld in the appellate courts. The successful candidate will be responsible for assisting the Chief and Deputy Chief of Criminal Appeals in overseeing the Unit’s non-capital state-court practice, including training and reviewing the work of new Criminal Appeals attorneys, developing and providing supplemental and/or advanced training as needed, representing the State in complex state-court cases, mooting and supervising state-court oral arguments, and other duties as assigned. The successful candidate must maintain the integrity of the Attorney General's Office as well as the confidentiality of information as required by the Attorney General.

 

Essential Functions Specific to General Appeals Director:

• Assist the Chief and Deputy Chief of Criminal Appeals in overseeing the Unit’s non-capital state-court litigation, which is largely before the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, including training new unit attorneys and developing and providing supplemental training for advanced criminal law practitioners as needed.

• Along with the Chief and Deputy Chief, interview candidates for Unit openings and advise the Chief and Deputy Chief on hiring recommendations.

• Provide first-line review for all attorneys new to the unit until they are ready to graduate training and be moved to a regular reviewer; meet with new attorneys on a regular basis to provide guidance, support, feedback, and constructive criticism as needed. In order to ensure accurate and thorough briefing on the part of new attorneys, this requires review of the district court record in those cases assigned to the new attorney until the General Appeals Director, Chief, and Deputy Chief agree such a practice is no longer necessary. Advise and assist the Chief or Deputy Chief in assigning cases to new attorneys that are at an appropriate difficulty level and provide a diversified training experience.

• Provide first-line review for other attorneys as needed and in the discretion of the Chief and Deputy Chief.

• Organize, prepare materials for, and participate in non-capital state-court oral argument moots; and attend non-capital state-court oral arguments with the arguing attorney. 

• As needed, oversee and assist in any non-capital state-court evidentiary hearings.

• Monitor non-capital state-court decisions to keep abreast of changes in the law and advise the Chief and Deputy Chief and other unit attorneys regarding legal developments as needed.

• Develop unit procedures to improve the quality and efficiency of our non-capital state-court practice and filing protocols.

• Provide critical support to the Chief and Deputy Chief by proactively managing personnel matters, ensuring smooth operations and effective resolution of issues within the Director’s oversight, in an effort to contribute to the overall success of the Unit.

• Collaborate with the Chief and Deputy Chief to prospectively forecast and plan for the future of the Unit.

• Other duties as assigned.

 

Essential Functions Applicabl