[blindlaw] Trial Attorney posting, term appointment

[Ross Doerr]

TRIAL ATTORNEY (GS-0905-13/14/15)

TERM APPOINTMENT/ DETAIL

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

CRIMINAL DIVISION

HUMAN RIGHTS AND SPECIAL PROSECUTIONS SECTION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

 

Vacancy Announcement Number: 12-CRM-HRSP-087

 

 

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The Criminal Division U.S. Department of Justice is seeking an experienced criminal prosecutor to serve as a trial attorney in the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions (HRSP). The position involves substantial responsibility for handling investigations, prosecutions and policy initiatives relating to serious human rights violations, including genocide, war crimes, torture and child soldiers, as well as to the Section's other practice areas in immigration and international violent crimes. This position is a term appointment or reimbursable detail. For term appointments, the appointment will be for 24 months with the possibility of extension, contingent on the availability of funding. For reimbursable detail appointments, conditions of the detail will be handled on a case by case basis and will require an agreement between the gaining and losing components.

 

About the Office: 

 

HRSP primarily investigates and prosecutes cases that fall into two broad categories: 1) serious violations of human rights and certain other violent crimes committed outside the United States; and 2) serious violations of federal laws pertaining to immigration and acquisition of U.S. citizenship. The first category includes cases involving genocide, torture, war crimes, recruitment or use of child soldiers, and violent crimes that fall within U.S. jurisdiction including under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA). The second category involves violations of U.S. immigration and citizenship laws, whether by human rights violators who seek or have gained illicit haven in the United States or by transnational smuggling networks that present national security risks or involve endangerment of the migrants. The Section's prosecutions are usually pursued jointly with a United States Attorney's Office and involve complex investigations. Most of the Section's cases have an international component. 

 

HRSP also has significant policy responsibilities for all areas within its jurisdictions. HRSP is active in various U.S. government interagency projects and deliberations pertaining to its mission and internationally in a variety of bilateral and multilateral engagements involving human rights crimes, and human smuggling and related offenses.

 

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: 

 

The attorney sought would assist in the litigation and policy work of the office. 

 

Qualifications: Required qualifications: The attorney must have a demonstrated interest in human rights and other matters handled by the office and demonstrated experience working on such matters. All applicants must be admitted to practice before the bar of a U.S. jurisdiction and be an active member of that bar. All applicants must also have, or be eligible for, a top secret or higher security clearance. 

 

Preferred qualifications: The applicant should have an extremely strong oral, writing and organizational skills and an established record of strong initiative. The candidates should possess the ability to address multiple and diverse demands and set priorities with strong inter-personal skills with particular emphasis on relationship- and team-building. The candidate should have a demonstrated interest in development of policy or legislative proposals and a demonstrated understanding of, and sensitivity to, the political and cultural nuances inherent in working with foreign governments, international organizations, and persons from diverse cultures and backgrounds. The applicant should be fully proficient in reading and conversing in the Spanish language. Significant trial experience, particularly as a criminal prosecutor, is a plus. 

 

Travel: Domestic and international travel is required on a regular basis.

 

Salary Information: Current salary and years of litigation experience will determine the appropriate salary at the time of appointment. Compensation will be at the General Schedule (GS) level of GS-13, GS-14 or GS-15 level. The exact salaries within these GS levels vary based on many factors including duty location and type of appointment. The Washington, D.C. salary ranges for these levels during 2012 are: GS-13: $89,033 - $115,742; GS-14: $105,211 - $136,771 per annum; GS-15: $123,758 -$155,500 per annum. Base salary table and locality pay tables for all U.S. locations during 2012 can be found at: http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/indexGS.asp.

 

Please note: If the position is filled by detail there is no change to base pay.

 

Location: Washington, D.C. Metro Area 

 

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are not authorized.

 

Submission Process and Deadline Date: Applicants must submit: 

 

. a cover letter that highlights the applicant'sinterest in, and particular qualification for, the delineated detail;

 

. a resume; 

 

. a list of at least three professional references, preferably recent ones that are intimately familiar with the applicant'swork (References will not be contacted without prior notification of the candidate.); 

 

. a short writing sample (not to exceed ten pages) (The writing sample should be exclusively or primarily the applicant'swork, and should include legal analysis.); and, 

 

. a copy of the candidate'smost recent performance appraisal (if applicable). 

 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit these materials through e-mail by forwarding their application to HRSPjobs at usdoj.gov. Application materials may also be forwarded by express or regular mail to: 

 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Criminal Division 

Human Rights and Special Prosecutions 

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20530 

Attn: Maria Young, Keeney Building, Room 3024

 

Please note that internal security measures related to the processing of correspondence may affect the timely receipt of applications submitted by the use of regular postal service. 

 

This announcement will remain open until October 12, 2012.

 

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

www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html 

 

Department Policies: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or personal favoritism. 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, http://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 the SF-15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of non-service 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).