[blindlaw] Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney posting

[Ross Doerr]

United States Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section
Trial Attorney, GS-14/15
Announcement Number: 12-ATT-017
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About the Office: The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division is
seeking 3 experienced attorneys for the position of Trial Attorney in the
Special Litigation Section (Section) in Washington, D.C.  The attorneys
selected for these positions will be dedicated to the Section's work
pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 42
U.S.C. 14141 (Section 14141).  More specifically, the incumbents' work will
be devoted to investigating, negotiating, and litigating matters involving
allegations of patterns or practices of police misconduct.

Who May Apply: Applications are being accepted from all qualified
candidates.

Number of Opportunities: 3 

Application Period: Applications are being accepted from August 13, 2012
through 11:59 PM EST, September 4, 2012.

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The incumbents will be responsible
for duties such as, but not limited to:  1) conducting investigations,
litigation, and negotiations regarding the Section's Police Misconduct
docket; 2) working with managers to develop and establish strategies and
priorities for enforcement of Section 14141; 3) working with team members to
coordinate with other federal agencies to develop strategies for effective
and efficient information sharing and case referrals; and 4) conducting
outreach.  The incumbents will be responsible for screening and developing
new matters, conducting comprehensive investigations involving in-person
visits, witness interviews, and work with experts, analyzing data, drafting
written recommendations including legal analyses, litigating all aspects of
the Section's enforcement duties and negotiating, monitoring, and enforcing
settlement agreements.

Area of Consideration: Applications will be accepted from all qualified
candidates.

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active
member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), and have a minimum of
four years of post-JD experience.  Applicants must demonstrate superior oral
and written communication skills (including strong advocacy skills), possess
excellent academic and professional credentials, and outstanding
professional references.  Applicants must also demonstrate exceptional
interpersonal skills and professional judgment, and be able to excel in a
highly demanding environment. 

Preferred Qualifications: Given the nature and volume of this work, the
Section generally seeks candidates with significant litigation experience
and a demonstrated commitment to public service and/or civil rights.
Applicants with one or more of the following qualifications are preferred:
(1) civil or criminal trial experience; (2) federal civil or criminal
litigation experience; (3) experience with complex investigations; (4)
demonstrated commitment to public service through employment or
volunteering; (5) demonstrated commitment to civil rights and/or human
rights issues; (6) substantive knowledge of assessing the conduct of a law
enforcement agency and the law applicable to that conduct; or (7) judicial
clerkship experience.

Salary Information: Years of specialized experience will determine the
appropriate salary level within the GS-14/15 range ($105,211 to $155,500 per
annum). Final selection for this position will be subject to budgetary
funding constraints.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Travel: The position requires extended hours and may require some travel.

Submission Process and Deadline Date: To apply, please submit a resume,
cover letter and a writing sample (a brief or comparable analytic legal
exposition that is your work product) by one of the two following means: 

Diane Turner
Email: mailto:crd.attyvacancies at usdoj.gov or Fax: 202-514-6603
No telephone calls please.

Internet Sites: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found
at http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/attvacancies.html. 
For more information about the Civil Rights Division, visit the Civil Rights
Division's web page.

Department Policies: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal
Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise
provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race,
religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability
(physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic
information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee
organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any non merit factor.
The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons
with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to
satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired
and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. 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. 

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. 

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 documents).
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).