[blindlaw] U.S. Attorney posting, Baltimore MD 14 month term

Fri Oct 5 17:20:57 UTC 2012

ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY (CIVIL)

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE 

DISTRICT OF MARYLAND

NORTHERN (BALTIMORE) DIVISION

14 Month Term Appointment

Announcement Number: 12-MD-15

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About the Office: As the principal litigator for the United States in the District of Maryland, the United States Attorney's Office prosecutes all federal criminal cases and represents the interests of the United States in civil cases. The United States Attorney has two offices the Northern Division located in Baltimore and the Southern Division located in Greenbelt.

The Criminal Division, which includes 45 lawyers in Baltimore and 19 in Greenbelt, prosecutes cases including violent crimes, narcotics conspiracies, white collar fraud, public corruption, child exploitation, civil rights violations and national security matters. The Civil Division, consisting of 13 lawyers located in Baltimore, defends the interests of the United States in civil litigation, pursues affirmative civil enforcement in a variety of fraud matters, and collects debts owed to the United States.

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The United States Attorney is seeking applicants for the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney with the office's Civil Division. The applicant will be expected to review materials related to new matters, to form a plan of investigation, to understand basic principles of health care as it relates to the False Claims Act in order to effectively employ investigative resources, and change investigative directions as matters develop. The applicant will be expected to prepare presentations as to the liability and damages aspects of matters assigned for review by supervisory staff and for ultimate presentation to opposing counsel.

Appointment: This a 14 MONTH TERM appointment. This position may be extended and/or made permanent without further competition. The incumbent will be required to sign a statement regarding the conditions of the term appointment. Term Assistant U.S. Attorneys are eligible for Federal benefits.

Required qualifications: The U.S. Attorney's Office seeks highly qualified applicants with strong writing skills and excellent academic and professional credentials to serve as federal prosecutors. Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction) and in good standing, and have at least 3 years post-J.D. experience. Applicants must possess superior oral and written communication skills, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.

Salary and Benefit Information: 

Salary: Assistant United States Attorneys' pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The recruiting range of pay, including locality pay, is $55,379 to $125,000 per annum based on experience. 

Federal Employees Retirement System and Thrift Savings Plan: You will be enrolled in the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a component of FERS, is offered to employees of the U.S. Government. It is similar to 401(k) plans offered to employees in the private sector. The TSP provides an excellent way to save and invest "before tax dollars" for retirement. It offers flexibility and allows you to control how your contributions are invested. The Agency will match and contribute up to 5% of your annual contributions. You may transfer money from your traditional IRA or other qualified plan into your TSP account.

Health Benefits: The Federal Employees Health Benefits program provides coverage for you and your eligible family members and has no restrictions on pre-existing medical conditions. In addition to general health plans offered under this program, other programs offered include Dental and Vision plans and a Flexible Spending Account program. The Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance and the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program are also excellent and affordable. More information can be found at the Office of Personnel Management's website at: http://www.opm.gov/insure/new_employ/index.asp 

Annual Leave: You will earn from 13 to 26 work days of annual leave each year, generally used for vacations, rest and recuperation, or to attend to personal matters. The amount of leave you will accrue is based on the years of creditable civilian Federal service. 

Sick Leave: Employees accrue 13 work days per year. Sick leave may be used when you are ill and unable to work; to receive medical, dental, optical examinations or treatment; provide care for a family member who is incapacitated by a medical or mental condition or to assist a family member who is to receive medical examinations, treatment, or for medical/dental appointments; make arrangements necessitated by the death of a family member or attend the funeral of a family member; and for absence from work due to the adoption of a child.

Baltimore Location: 36 South Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Application Process: Any interested applicant should submit a cover letter, resume, and law school transcript via e-mail no later than October 15, 2012. Your cover letter should be addressed to Stephen M. Schenning, First Assistant U.S. Attorney. No telephone calls please. We will contact you if we believe an interview is appropriate or if further information is required. This announcement will close on October 15, 2012; therefore, resumes, cover letters and transcripts must be e-mailed or received by the closing date. Application materials can forwarded to the following email address: usamd.ausajobs2 at usdoj.gov 

Internet Sites: More information about the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland, may be found at: http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/ 

Other Department of Justice attorney job announcements can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/attvacancies.html

Department Policies: An Assistant United States Attorney 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).