[blindlaw] U.S. Attorney posting - Missouri uncompensated

Fri Oct 19 18:26:03 UTC 2012

SPECIAL ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

(UNCOMPENSATED)

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

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About the Office: The Western District of Missouri is considered a large district, with 58 Assistant United States Attorneys and numerous Special Assistant United States Attorneys. The district comprises 66 of Missouri's 114 counties, contains 40,251 square miles and has a population of approximately 3.1 million people based upon the 2010 Census information. Included in the district are the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, St. Joseph, Columbia, Jefferson City, Springfield and Joplin. The office has three staffed offices: Kansas City, Springfield and Jefferson City. The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes federal criminal offenses and represents the U.S. government's interest in civil cases both affirmatively and defensively. The Criminal Division investigates and prosecutes federal cases arising from a wide array of criminal activity. The Division is divided into several units: Fraud and Corruption; Computer Crimes & Child Exploitation; Violent Crime Strike Force; Narcotics; Terrorism and National Security; the Monetary Penalties Unit; and an Appellate Unit. The Civil Division affirmatively litigates cases involving the False Claims Act and other statutes, defends the United States and its agencies and employees in a wide range of civil actions. More information about the Office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/.

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri is seeking applications from attorneys who are willing to accept temporary positions that, while unpaid, offer attorneys a valuable opportunity to gain exposure to the office while also obtaining litigation and potentially trial experience. Successful applicants will serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs) with responsibilities that include researching legal issues, drafting briefs, providing support at hearings and trials, and attending judicial proceedings. These positions require a minimum commitment of six months and may continue for up to one year. SAUSAs will be assigned to work with Assistant U.S. Attorneys on a variety of criminal and civil matters. SAUSAs will research legal issues, draft pleadings and briefs, provide support at hearings and trials, and attend different court proceedings.

Number of Positions: One or more. 

Minimun Service Agreement: Six months.

Required Qualifications: Applicants must have at least one-year post J.D. legal or other relevant experience. Applicants must possess superior legal research and writing skills, and those invited for interviews must furnish a writing sample that shows depth in analytical thinking and proficiency in legal research.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens. Applicants must possess a J.D. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association and be an active member of a bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).

Salary Information: Positions are 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.

SAUSAs also may not receive ongoing payments from any law firm during their employment with the Department of Justice; those who have received severance or other one-time payments, or who have an unpaid, future commitment to join a law firm, are welcome to apply.

Location: Kansas City, Missouri

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Application Process and Deadline Date: Please submit a cover letter, resume and a copy of your law school transcript to the following email address: SAMOW.HR at usdoj.gov. No telephone calls please. We will contact you if we believe an interview is appropriate or if further information is required. Application materials must be received by October 26, 2012, to be considered. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint and credit checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

Internet Sites: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/oarm/opp_attorneys.htm 

Department Policies: SAUSAs 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. 

Employment is 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).