Attorney Advisor

Summary

The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who conceal profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees who violate money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act, and sanctions laws; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

Duties

The incumbent is an Attorney Advisor in MNF's Program Management and Training Unit (PMTU). As an Attorney Advisor in PMTU, the incumbent's duties include: Analyze and offer recommendations on complex questions involving substantive and procedural aspects of remission law, arising from application of regulations concerning whether a particular petitioner is eligible for remission, sufficiency of petitioner's supporting evidence, and priorities among classes of victims; Make recommendations to MNF and PMTU leadership on asset forfeiture and victim compensation issues based on an analytical review of the governing statutes, regulations, and Departmental policy; Retrieve information from Departmental databases and claimant/victim sources; maintain confidentiality and integrity of all information and data pursuant Departmental requirements; prepare complete and accurate status reports of claims and case work and performance statistics; Develop and maintain working relationships with partners at U.S. Attorney's Offices, other litigating components, and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies who are directly involved in the seizure and forfeiture of assets; Work with U.S. Attorney's Offices, federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies, and the private bar to coordinate the return of forfeiture proceeds to victims of crime; Conduct training for federal partners on interplay of asset forfeiture and victim compensation; Critically analyze complex statutes, regulations, legal precedents, and other legal documents; Carry a significant caseload of remission matters and other types of formal and informal requests for which MNF has decision-making accountability or consulting responsibilities; and Prepare concise and cogent memoranda making recommendations whether petitioners qualify for remission under the applicable remission regulations. Qualifications

Required Qualifications: Interested applicants must possess a J.D., or equivalent, degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing. Grade Specific Qualifications: To qualify at the GS-13 grade level, applicants must have at least one and a half (1.5) years post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-12 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: performing basic legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; composing legal memoranda, reports, and position papers on legislative history, laws, regulations, and court opinions in support of civil or criminal litigation. To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, applicants must have at least two and a half (2.5) years post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-13 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; composing pleadings, briefs, and other court documents involving legal issues in civil or criminal litigation; and conducting civil or criminal litigation. To qualify at the GS-15 grade level, applicants must have at least four (4) years post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: independently performing legal analysis; composing pleadings, briefs and other court documents involving unique and/or difficult legal issues in civil or criminal litigation; conducting highly complex civil or criminal litigation; and leading paralegals and support staff. Preferred Qualifications: The ability to analyze and evaluate written materials; The ability to offer written or oral recommendations on complex questions involving substantive and procedural aspects of Departmental policies and regulations; The ability to carry a significant caseload and to work independently; The ability to develop and maintain harmonious and effective working relationships with a variety of federal, state, and local entities, and the private bar; The ability to demonstrate sound legal judgment; The ability to meet a deadline; The ability to function effectively in time-sensitive situations; and The ability to communicate both orally and in writing.

Education

A J.D., or equivalent, degree. Applicants who possess an equivalent degree rather than a J.D. may be subject to additional review by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management. How You Will Be Evaluated

BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13077711. 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 include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. 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, 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 his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more). Other Information

Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement to fill vacancies that occur subsequent to this announcement. The Criminal Division participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. 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. Additional information on DOJ's EEO policy can be found on our website. It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. Citizens are extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please reach out to [email protected] or (202) 514-0361 for alternative application procedures. Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Human Resources team at [email protected]. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Fair Chance to Compete: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to [email protected]. Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.