[blindlaw] U.S. Attorney posting Minnesota

[Ross Doerr]

ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

District of Minnesota

2012-03

 

 

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About the Office: The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota (USAO) is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Minnesota. This includes criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. With an authorized strength of approximately 57 Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), the USAO is considered a large District. The USAO is divided into three litigating Divisions (Criminal, Civil, and Appellate). The USAO's main offices are in Minneapolis, MN with a staffed branch office in St. Paul, MN, and an unstaffed office in Fergus Falls, MN.

 

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: Hiring is for AUSA positions in our Criminal Division. 

 

 

AUSAs in the Criminal Division prosecute federal criminal cases in the District. AUSAs in the Criminal Division advise federal law enforcement agents on criminal investigations, present criminal cases to the grand jury, try criminal cases before the United States District Court, and represent the United States in criminal appeals before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Candidates should be capable of handling a variety of significant and complex criminal prosecutions.

 

AUSAs in the Criminal Division are active at both the trial and appellate levels, negotiating for settlement, engaging in motions practice, trying cases, and writing and arguing appeals. 

 

Qualifications: Required Qualifications: Applicants for Criminal AUSA positions must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least 1 year post-J.D. experience. 

 

Preferred Qualifications: Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a diverse complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience. Applicants must demonstrate a keen intellect, a deep commitment to public interest, quick analytical ability to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent oral and writing skills, strong research skills, strong interpersonal skills and professional deportment, good judgment, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all taken into account. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or in a judicial clerkship are also considered. Attorneys must undergo and pass a full background investigation before entering on duty, and are expected to make a minimum three-year commitment to the USAO. Submission of a writing sample with resume is required. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding office and courtroom environment. 

 

Travel: Travel both within and outside the district may be required depending on the needs of any particular case assignment to attend court proceedings, interview witnesses and perform case and investigation related travel. Travel to Duluth, Bemidiji, Fergus Falls and out-state areas may be required. Travel is also required for training at the Department of Justice's National Advocacy Center, Columbia, South Carolina.

 

Salary Information: AUSA pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $44,581 to $117,994 plus an additional 20.96 % locality pay for the Minneapolis area added to attorney base pay. Assistant U.S. Attorneys are eligible for Federal benefits as shown at www.opm.gov/insure/new_employ/index.asp Appointment is subject to FBI background investigation, including credit check, arrest, reference and drug use inquiries. U.S. Citizenship is required.

 

Location: Minneapolis, MN or St. Paul, MN

 

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

 

Application Process and Deadline Date: Attorneys seeking a position as an AUSA should provide a cover letter with a resume, brief writing sample, and law school transcript. Please be sure to indicate all jurisdictions in which admitted to practice law. AUSA applications are accepted throughout the year and should be directed to:

 

B. Todd Jones, United States Attorney

District of Minnesota

ATTN: Tammie Cuddihy

300 South 4th Street, Suite 600

Minneapolis, MN 55415 

 

 

Hiring is on a rolling basis as positions become available. No telephone calls please.

 

Internet Sites: http://www.justice.gov/usao/mn/

 

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

 

Department Policies: An AUSA 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).