Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

Summary

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana strives to promote professional development and to build a legacy of excellence. Our mission is to enforce the law and defend the interest of the United States, provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime, seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to administer and enforce the Nation's laws to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. www.justice.gov/usao-wdla

Duties

The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana, is seeking applicants from qualified attorneys to fill a vacancy in our Civil Division as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA). AUSAs located in the Civil Division will be responsible for representing the United States in civil cases across a broad variety of practice areas including financial litigation, immigration litigation, prisoner litigation, personal injury and other torts, civil rights, employment discrimination, medical malpractice, environmental protection, asset forfeiture, social security, bankruptcy and other civil matters. Generally, as a Civil AUSA, the incumbent: Handles case development and management of all phases of investigation and litigation, including, but not limited to, researching legal issues, drafting motions and legal memoranda, drafting and responding to discovery request, document review and organization of case materials, taking or defending depositions, representing the United States as primary counsel in federal district court including litigating motions and conducting trials in U.S. District Court; Efficiently and defensibly manage incoming and outgoing case materials through all phases of discovery; and litigate cases of moderate to high complexity from start to finish with limited supervision. In collaboration with Division managers, develop and maintain the Section's program to foster effective district civil litigation where the United States is a defendant or respondent, including advising on strategy and legal complexities, and developing litigation priorities, policy, and legislative recommendations. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Requirements

You must be a United States Citizen or National. J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required. Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov. Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1* year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience, and be an active member of the bar in good standing. Preferred Qualifications: Ideal applicants should demonstrate superior communication and courtroom skills, possess superior legal research and writing skills, implement exceptional research and writing ability, perform thorough legal and factual analysis, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, exercise good judgment, demonstrate the ability to work in a supportive and professional team environment with agencies, support staff and other attorney, and exemplify commitment to public service. Applicants should have a strong work ethic and demonstrated capacity to function, with minimum guidance, in a highly demanding environment while balancing a heavy case load. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree How You Will Be Evaluated

Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview. You must complete the Occupational Questionnaire. The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. You must also submit all required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more). Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs. Other Information

Salary Information: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $65,563 to $153,834 plus locatity pay, currently set at 17.06%. Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees. Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses may be authorized. A recruitment incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications. * * * As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit www.justice.gov/careers. This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information. Travel: Occassional travel may be expected for this position, both within and outside the district, 1 to 5 nights of travel may be required per Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances. Political Appointees (Current and Former): Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.