[blindlaw] DOJ CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SECTION, TRIAL ATTORNEY, GS-905-12/15, ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 14-ATT-015

Nightingale, Noel via blindlaw blindlaw at nfbnet.org
Fri May 16 22:56:34 UTC 2014


Link:
http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/jobs/14-att-015.htm

Text:

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SECTION
TRIAL ATTORNEY, GS-905-12/15

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 14-ATT-015

________________________________

About the Office: The Civil Rights Division<http://www.justice.gov/crt/index.php> (Division) of the Department of Justice, created by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division is primarily responsible for enforcing federal statutes and executive orders that prohibit, among other things, unlawful discrimination in education, employment, housing, police service, public accommodations and facilities, voting, and federally funded and conducted programs. The Division also has jurisdiction to enforce constitutional prohibitions on certain conduct by law enforcement agencies and public residential institutions, such as health care and correctional facilities.

The Educational Opportunities Section<http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/emp/> (EOS or Section) is responsible for enforcing Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion in public schools and institutions of higher learning; the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 which, among other things, requires states and school districts to provide English Language Learner (ELL) students with appropriate services to overcome language barriers; and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Section also plays a significant role in enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin by recipients of federal funds), Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex by recipients of federal funds), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability by recipients of federal funds). The Section may intervene in private suits alleging violations of education-related anti-discrimination statutes and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The Section also represents the Department of Education in lawsuits.

Who May Apply: United States Citizens

Number of Opportunities: 2 - Full Time Excepted Service Time-Limited NTE 9/30/2016 Subject to future funding, candidates selected under this job announcement may be converted to permanent, excepted service appointments.

Application Period: Applications are being accepted from Thursday, May 15, 2014 to 11:59 PM (ETZ) on Thursday, June 5, 2014.

Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The time-limited EOS trial attorneys will analyze the existing Section docket of desegregation cases and do a review of the docket to recommend appropriate action to Section managers, this includes researching and analyzing litigation records, federal court dockets, and public records in the desegregation lawsuits in which the United States has been a party and in related matters. The attorneys will be asked to develop files and systems to process, analyze, and document the status of federal desegregation litigation and make recommendations about future enforcement action by the United States. In addition, attorneys may be asked to investigate complaints of discrimination, including conducting site visits and interviews; conducting legal and factual research; developing legal arguments and drafting memoranda on substantive legal and policy issues; preparing and responding to discovery requests; preparing witnesses and participating in depositions; developing and presenting the government's case in federal court; monitoring and enforcing judgments and agreements to ensure compliance by responding parties; drafting and editing settlement proposals; preparing and participating in settlement negotiations and mediation on behalf of the Division; reviewing and recommending private litigation for amicus participation or intervention; reviewing and contributing to appellate memoranda; analyzing and preparing proposals and recommendations on a variety of legal, policy, regulatory, and legislative documents and guidance; responding to policy inquiries, letters, memoranda, testimony, and other written materials; making public appearances and conducting outreach to educate constituents and stakeholders about the laws that EOS enforces and providing technical assistance on aspects of compliance with those laws.

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. or LL.M professional law degree from an American Bar Association accredited law school, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), and possess the minimum years of post-professional law degree experience commensurate to the grade level of eligibility, as shown below. Applicants must demonstrate superior oral and written communication skills (including strong advocacy skills), possess excellent academic and professional credentials, and outstanding professional references. Applicants must also demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills and professional judgment, and be able to excel in a highly demanding environment.

* At least 1 year - GS-12 ($75,621 to $98,305 per annum)
* At least 1.5 years - GS-13 ($89,924 to $116,901 per annum)
* At least 2.5 years - GS-14 ($106,263 to $138,136 per annum)
* At least 4 years - GS-15 ($124,995 to $157,100 per annum)

Preferred Qualifications: Experience handling discrimination and harassment cases, particularly in the education context, is preferred, including: (1) experience litigating discrimination and harassment cases, including handling discovery, litigation strategy, motion practice, trial preparation, and trial; (2) experience negotiating settlements in discrimination or harassment cases; (3) experience investigating allegations of discrimination and harassment, including interviewing witnesses, reviewing documents, and reviewing applicable case law to assess the merits of a case; (4) experience supervising and mentoring attorneys in the development of and preparation for litigation; (5) experience drafting regulations, guidance documents and other policy directives, including experience working with diverse coalitions on legal and/or policy initiatives, and (6) substantive knowledge of and expertise in education discrimination law. In addition, while not required, preferred candidates will have relevant civil rights experience outside of the core competencies of the Section, but within the critical responsibilities of the Division, such that the candidate could play a supporting role in the Division's initiatives.

How You Will Be Evaluated: Applicants will be evaluated relative to the qualifications set forth above and other job-related skills, experience and qualifications set forth in their application materials and consistent with merit system principles applicable to hiring for career positions with the Department of Justice.

Salary Information: $75,621.00 to $157,100.00 / Per Year

Location: Washington, D.C.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Travel: On average, travel may be required 2-4 nights each month as well as holidays and weekends. If a case is in litigation, additional travel may be required.

Submission Process and Deadline Date: You must submit your application so that it will be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time Zone on the closing date of the announcement. Please refer to the "How To Apply" section at this link:
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/369902000

Question may be directed to Diane Turner at 202-514-3934 or Diane.M.Turner at usdoj.gov<mailto:Diane.M.Turner at usdoj.gov>.

Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacations, sick leave, holidays, telework, life insurance, health benefits, and, participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to eligible federal employees: http://www.usajobs.gov/ResourcesCenter/Index/Interactive/Benefits#icc.

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

For more information about the Civil Rights Division, visit the Civil Rights Division's web page.

Department Policies:

Equal Employment Opportunity: 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.

Reasonable Accommodations: 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.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Applicants with targeted/severe disabilities include those applicants who are deaf or blind, have missing extremities, partial or complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, or psychiatric disability, and little people/applicants with dwarfism. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to register for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared List of People with Disabilities (the Bender Disability Employment Registry) by submitting their resume to resume at benderconsult.com<mailto:resume at benderconsult.com> and referencing "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line. Additional information about the Bender Registry is available at www.benderconsult.com<http://www.benderconsult.com>. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are also encouraged to submit their resumes to the Division by emailing them to CRT.Specprogvacancies at usdoj.gov<mailto:CRT.Specprogvacancies at usdoj.gov>. Applicants with questions about this process may contact the Division's Disability Point of Contact (DPOC) at (202) 514-3934.

Suitability and Citizenship: 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.

Veterans: 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<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 documents). 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).

* * *

The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination are not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.



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