The Central Legal Staff is composed of 22 attorneys who assist the Court in procedural and substantive matters under the direction of the President Judge. The Staff has offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg under the immediate supervision of the Chief Staff Attorney.
Staff responsibilities include:
- screening all appeals for jurisdictional defects prior to listing before the Court;
- reviewing and screening cases for the Court’s special treatment programs;
- assisting the Court in the processing of miscellaneous motions, applications for relief, and petitions for reargument;
- preparing bench memoranda on selected cases listed before the Court;
- reviewing panel decisions to assist the Court in avoiding the issuance of conflicting opinions;
- maintaining a computerized issue-tracking index of the Court’s opinions for both conflict clearance and legal research purposes;
- preparing position papers and memoranda of law on various substantive and procedural issues before the Court;
- and conducting seminars for new law clerks.
Through the Chief Staff Attorney, the Staff may advise the Court and President Judge, either upon request or upon the Staff’s own initiative, of recommended changes in court operations, and procedures due to changes in the law or administrative policy.