Assistant Appellate Defender represents indigent clients in appellate matters before the Montana Supreme Court and other courts of appeal, including the United States Supreme Court. Responsibilities include cold-record review of case files (court transcripts and district court records), defining issues, and drafting briefs, stipulations, dismissals, or motions to withdraw. An Assistant Appellate Defender conducts significant research and studies and interprets the law; including constitutional provisions, statutes, and court opinions. An Assistant Appellate Defender consults with trial-level public defenders regarding substantive legal questions, preservation of error, and appellate procedure.

• Prepares briefs, legal memoranda, statement of issues involved, draft opinion and orders, including appropriate analyses, suggestions or recommendations to the Board;• Compiles references on laws and decisions necessary for legal determinations;• Confers with Board concerning legal questions, construction of documents and granting of orders;• In coordination with other staff, tracks and calendars motions and responses to petitions in the case management system for timeliness, and submission and review by the Board. Also, codes tax type, case type, and issues, as well as docket type and decision codes in the case management system for statistical purposes. Collects and generates statistics and organizes them for various reports to the Board for submission to national tax court organizations, the Governor's Office, and Legislature;• Answers procedural questions from attorneys, taxpayers, CPA’s, and the general public. Schedules and places conference calls with parties and the Board. Keeps notes of the conference and drafts a minute entry from the notes of the proceeding. Assists coworkers with answering questions about procedural and docketing issues;• Prepares notices and orders for publication in the Montana Administrative Rules. Posts rules and proposed rules on the Board website and provides copies to other agencies and the public.

Legal research