[blindlaw] U.S. Attorney posting, uncompensated, Massachusetts

[Ross Doerr]

UNCOMPENSATED SPECIAL ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE 

District of Massachusetts

Vacancy Announcement No. 12-MA-AUSA-10

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Office: The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts is seeking applications for two full time uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys (SAUSAs) who are willing to accept a temporary position that, while unpaid, will provide a valuable opportunity to gain federal civil litigation experience as well as providing an opportunity to learn about the work of the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: As SAUSAs, you will train under the supervision of one or more Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) and develop skills as attorneys representing the interests of the United States in a wide range of civil law suits and administrative matters brought in the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Qualifications: Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be either members in good standing in the bar of any jurisdiction, or will have just taken the Massachusetts bar in July of 2012. Please note that we must confirm bar membership before an offer can be made.

These positions require a minimum commitment of one year and may be extended for up to one additional year. They are open to lawyers who are finishing judicial clerkships and for highly motivated, well credentialed, recent law school graduates interested in civil litigation. The successful candidates will have demonstrated abilities as oral and written advocates. 

Travel: Occasional travel within the District may be required.

Salary Information: While this is a one year uncompensated position, it will require a full background check and security clearance. Please note that employees of the Department of Justice, including uncompensated SAUSAs, may not engage in the compensated practice of law outside of the office. SAUSAs also may not receive ongoing payments from any law firm during their employment with the Department of Justice. 

Location: We are located in the Moakley Courthouse on the Boston waterfront. 

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Application Process and Deadline Date: Interested candidates should send their resume and a writing sample by October 15, 2012 to: 

Chief, Civil Division

United States Attorney's Office

District of Massachusetts 

Boston, MA 02110

No telephone calls please.

Internet Sites: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at: 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.

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).