[blindlaw] U.S. Civil Rights Division Posting

Ross Doerr rumpole at roadrunner.com
Mon Aug 13 21:27:55 UTC 2012


UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SECTION
TRIAL ATTORNEY, GS-14/15
ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 12-ATT-018
About the Office: The U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division is
seeking one attorney for the position of Trial Attorney in the Educational
Opportunities Section (EOS) in Washington, D.C. The Division is primarily
responsible for enforcing federal statutes, regulations and executive orders
that prohibit, among other things, unlawful discrimination in voting,
education, employment, housing, police services, public accommodations and
facilities, and federally funded and conducted programs. EOS enforces
federal statutes which prohibit public school officials from engaging in
discriminatory practices. These statutes include Title IV of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, and religion in public schools; the Equal
Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, which, among other things, requires
state education agencies and school districts to ensure that appropriate
services are provided to limited English proficient students; and Titles II
and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits
discrimination on the basis of disability in public and private educational
institutions. In addition, EOS has certain enforcement responsibilities for
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education
Amendments Act of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The Section may initiate litigation, intervene or serve as amicus in private
suits that allege violations of education-related anti-discrimination
statutes and the Fourteenth Amendment. EOS works closely with the Department
of Education (ED), including representing ED in federal court. 
Who May Apply: Applications are being accepted from all qualified
candidates.
Number of Opportunities: 1

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

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: Investigating complaints,
including making site visits; conducting legal and factual research;
preparing legal arguments and memoranda on substantive legal and policy
issues; preparing and responding to discovery requests; preparing witnesses
and participating in depositions; developing and presenting the government's
case in federal court; monitoring judgments and agreements to assure
compliance by responding parties; preparing and participating in settlement
negotiations and mediation on behalf of the Department; drafting and editing
settlement proposals; recommending and reviewing private litigation for
amicus participation; reviewing appellate memoranda; analyzing and preparing
policy proposals on a variety of legal and policy questions; responding to
policy inquiries, letters, memoranda, testimony, and other written
materials; making public appearances to educate others about the laws that
EOS enforces and providing technical assistance on aspects of compliance
with those laws.

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
three 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: Experience handling discrimination and harassment
cases in the education context is preferred, including: (1) experience
litigating discrimination and harassment cases involving educational
institutions, including handling discovery, litigation strategy, motion
practice, trial preparation, and trial; (2) experience negotiating
settlements in discrimination or harassment cases involving school
districts; (3) experience investigating allegations of discrimination and
harassment in schools, including interviewing witnesses, reviewing
documents, and reviewing applicable case law to assess the merits of a case;
(4) experience supervising and mentoring attorneys in the development of and
preparation for litigation; (5) experience drafting regulations, guidance
documents and other policy directives, including experience working with
diverse coalitions on legal and/or policy initiatives, and (6) substantive
knowledge of and expertise in education discrimination law. In addition,
while not required, preferred candidates will have relevant civil rights
experience outside of the core competencies of the Section, but within the
critical responsibilities of the Division, such that the candidate could
play a supporting role in the Division's initiatives.

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). 





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