How do I apply for membership on the CJA panel?
Contact Maureen Essex, the CJA Coordinating Attorney, at 410-962-7494 for an application or download the application from the forms on the Court’s website. The misdemeanor panel is currently closed. Felony panel applications are considered each spring by the CJA Committee. Applicants must have felony trial experience and be a member of the federal bar to be considered for admission to the felony panel.
How many CJA assignments can I expect to receive from the court?
It varies. The misdemeanor panel contains a large number of attorneys. While every effort is made to fairly rotate the number of appointments, the size of the misdemeanor panel means that no attorney can expect a significant number of misdemeanor case appointments. All of the misdemeanor cases are handled by CJA misdemeanor duty attorneys, as explained below.
The felony panel contains approximately 130 members. The Court keeps the size of the panel small so that each felony panel attorney receives a sufficient number of appointments to remain current in the application of the federal sentencing guidelines. This means that every felony panel attorney can expect to receive at least one CJA felony appointment per year. Depending on your availability and willingness to accept cases that are expected to last more than two weeks in trial, you could receive more appointments.
What is a misdemeanor duty day panel attorney?
What are the requirements to remain on the felony panel?
What are the case compensation maximums?
Felony: $9,900.00
Misdemeanor: $2,800.00
Non-capital habeas: $9,900.00
Witness/Target: $2,100.00
Appeal: $7,100.00
What if my claimed compensation is more than the case compensation maximum?
What is the hourly rate of compensation for CJA panel attorneys?
Effective January 1, 2015, the hourly rate of compensation is $127.00 per hour.