FAQs for CJA Attorneys and Investigators

Attorneys may seek appointment to the CJA Attorney Panel or to one of the Family Court Attorney Panels. The application process is administered by the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, and relevant information is available on the Court's website.

Current applications can be obtained from the Court.

Questions regarding the CJA Panel application process should be directed to:

Judge Juliet McKenna
Room 2620
Superior Court
500 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 879-0422

Questions regarding the Family Court Panels application process should be directed to the co-Chairs of the Family Court Implementation Committee:

Judge Hiram E. Puig-Lugo, Presiding Judge, Family Court
Room 3430
Superior Court
500 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 879-8370

Judge Carol A. Dalton, Deputy Presiding Judge, Family Court
Room 5440
Superior Court
500 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 879-0427

The application process is administered by the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.  Detailed guidelines, as well as the application itself and instructions for the required background check, are available at CJADC.ORG.

All eligible applicants must successfully complete the Investigator Certification Course administered by PDS as part of their application to become a certified investigator. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Wallace Lewis, Chief, Defender Services Branch, Superior Court, Budget and Finance Division, 616 H Street, N.W., Sixth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001.

Questions regarding the Investigator Certification Course should be directed to Michael Rucker, Supervisory Investigator.

All new CJA Panel attorneys are required to attend an eight (8) hour training program administered by PDS.

The CLE requirements for new members of the Family Court Attorney Panels vary by panel. Upcoming training programs are scheduled as soon as possible after the newest members of a particular panel have been selected and the Court has issued corresponding administrative orders.

Questions regarding new panel training programs should be directed to Claire Roth, Special Counsel to the Director.

The CJADC website is the portal through which CJA panel attorneys can sign up for case pick-up dates. The website is also been designed to connect attorneys with investigators and to provide a variety of other resources.

If you are a panel attorney or investigator, please go to CJADC to sign in, connect with other practitioners, and access resources. If you encounter difficulty or have any questions about content, please contact Claire Roth, Special Counsel to the Director, or Michael Rucker, Supervisory Investigator.

The website CJADC.ORG connects panel attorneys with panel investigators.

If you need technical assistance, please contact Michael Rucker, Supervisory Investigator.

The website CJADC.ORG connects panel attorneys with panel investigators.

If you need technical assistance, please contact Michael Rucker, Supervisory Investigator.

The CJADC.ORG website has a number of resources geared towards use by CJA practitioners, including sample motions, expert materials, financial forms, and other practice materials.

Login is required.

Information on voucher payment under the CJA guidelines is available at the Court's website.

General questions regarding the Court’s online web voucher system should be sent to [email protected].

New members of the CJA attorney panel are granted a two-year provisional membership term. Applications for continued membership are due by 5:00 p.m. of the first of the month preceding expiration of the two-year provisional term.

Failure to file a timely application will result in expiration of the attorney’s term as a panel member. No notice will be provided regarding the failure to complete the application. More information is available on the Court's website.

Panel members are advised that periodic re-establishment of the CJA and Family Court Panels occurs every four years. All panel members wishing to continue their membership are required to reapply. Additional information is available on the Court's website.

PDS offers several free training programs during the year. In addition to our Deborah T. Creek Criminal Practice Institute: Summer and Fall Series (formerly the Criminal Practice Institute and Criminal Defender Training Program) and Forensic Science Conference, PDS also periodically holds trainings for new members of the various CJA panels. These programs are designed for members of the CJA panels, though seats are generally made available to other interested advocates on a space-available basis.

General inquiries regarding PDS-sponsored training programs should be directed to Claire Roth, Special Counsel to the Director.

All panel attorneys are required annually to complete a certain number of CLE hours relating to their areas of practice. Specific requirements vary according to panel. More information is available on the Court's website.

PDS’s nationally recognized Criminal Practice Institute Manual (CPI Manual), the only comprehensive treatise on the criminal law in the District of Columbia. The CPI Manual is updated periodically and the editorial staff strives to anticipate the needs of District of Columbia criminal practitioners for information and resources needed to assist them in their practice. The 2015 edition of the CPI Manual is available to download for free in the link below. Questions regarding the CPI Manual should be directed to Claire Roth, Legal Services Program Specialist.

• 2015 CPI Manual
• 2015 CPI Manual Supplement