[blindlaw] Uncompensated U.S. Attorney posting - Conneticutt

Tue Nov 6 12:59:07 UTC 2012

SPECIAL ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY UNCOMPENSATED

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT 

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 13-CT-01

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About the Office: The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut prosecutes federal criminal offenses, litigates affirmative civil fraud and enforcement actions, and defends the U.S. Government's interest in civil cases. The District of Connecticut has three offices: New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford and has approximately 65 Assistant United States Attorneys representing the interests of the United States in the District of Connecticut. More information about the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut is available on our website at http://www.justice.gov/usao/ct/. 

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut is seeking applications from attorneys who are willing to accept an unpaid temporary position that offers a valuable opportunity to gain exposure to the office while also obtaining litigation experience and conducting trials. The successful applicant will serve as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) and will be part of a fraud-fighting team that will investigate the potential for civil enforcement and criminal prosecution for misconduct in the packaging, selling, and valuing of residential mortgage-backed securities and similar financial instruments, including fraud relating to the financial crisis in 2008. The attorney must be able to analyze complex legal and factual issues logically and carefully, be an excellent writer, show strong organizational skills, exercise fair and sound judgment, pay careful attention to detail, follow Department of Justice and United States Attorney's Office policies, work well both independently and with others, negotiate effectively, and handle matters in court persuasively on behalf of the United States. The attorney selected for this position will report directly to the Chief of the Civil Division. 

The position may continue for up to one year. The SAUSA will not be hired by this office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the conclusion of the SAUSA's term. However, SAUSAs may apply for AUSA positions in the office after completing service as a SAUSA. Applications must specify the jurisdiction in which the attorney is an active bar member. Any applicant invited for an interview will be required to submit a writing sample. Recent law school graduates should include a copy of their law school transcript with their application.

Qualifications: Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction) and have at least one year post-J.D. experience. 

Preferred Qualifications: Excellent written and oral communication skills, strong character, dedication, and work ethic, and the ability to work well both independently and with others in a demanding environment are highly desired. 

Travel: Occasional travel within and outside the District will be required.

Salary Information: Position is without compensation. Note that employees of the Department of Justice, including uncompensated SAUSAs, may not engage in the compensated practice of law outside of the office. Attorneys are not eligible to serve as SAUSAs if they have been deferred by a law firm and received a payment for the period of their deferral, or if they will receive any payment from a law firm during their unpaid employment with the Department of Justice. Attorneys are eligible if they have received severance or other one-time payment before becoming a SAUSA, or if they have an unpaid, future commitment to join a law firm.

Location:New Haven, Connecticut 

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Who May Apply: All U.S. Citizens

Application Process and Deadline Date: Applicants interested should submit a cover letter and a detailed resume to:

Richard Molot

U.S. Attorney's Office

157 Church Street, 25rd Floor

New Haven, CT 06510

No telephone calls please. Applications must be received by November 21, 2012.

Internet Sites: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/usao/ct/ and http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/attvacancies.html

Department Policies: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed. See 28 U.S.C. § 545 for district-specific information.

All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a time-limited (temporary) basis. Temporary appointments may, or may not, be extended or made permanent without further competition. 

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 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).