[blindLaw] Job Announcement: Assistant U.S. Attorney Western District of Washington - U.S. Department of Justice - May 24, 2022

[Nightingale, Noel]

https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/job/assistant-united-states-attorney-1388
Job Announcement: Assistant U.S. Attorney
U.S. Department of Justice
May 24, 2022

USAO WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
CIVIL DIVISION
ATTORNEY
700 STEWART STREET
SUITE 5220
SEATTLE, WA 98101
UNITED STATES
22-WDWA-AUSA-06 (CIVIL RIGHTS-SEATTLE)
About the Office:
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Western District of Washington (WDWA) is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation in Western Washington that involves the United States. The USAO is divided into two litigating Divisions (Criminal and Civil), as well as an Appellate Division. The Criminal Division's work involves investigating and pursuing criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law. The Civil Division handles civil lawsuits by or against a Department or agency of the United States (both affirmative and defensive litigation), actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers, and matters to ensure civil rights are protected. The main office is located in Seattle, Washington and a branch office is located in Tacoma, Washington. The office has an authorized strength of approximately 74 Assistant United States Attorneys.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa
Our office places a high value on diversity of experiences and perspectives and encourages applications from individuals from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and persons with disabilities.
Job Description:
Our civil rights work is designed to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all persons in the District, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Our civil rights work enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, religion, familial status, national origin, military service, and citizenship status.
This position would be responsible for enforcing civil federal civil rights statutes, such as the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; the Equal Educational Opportunity Act, Titles II, VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act; laws that protect voting rights, servicemembers' rights (USERRA), and religious freedom (RLUIPA); laws that protect institutionalized persons (CRIPA); laws that prohibit patterns or practices of police misconduct; and other federal anti-discrimination laws enforced by the Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/civil-rights
The AUSAs with this type of practice conduct community outreach by convening and/or participating in meetings with community groups, non-profits, and other governmental agencies to provide information about federal civil rights requirements and the enforcement activities of our office. AUSAs also evaluate complaints submitted by members of the community. AUSAs make case-selection decisions and then handle the matters from start to finish, including investigation, pre-litigation demands, settlement negotiations, and compliance monitoring. Although a significant amount of the practice is conducted in a pre-litigation posture, it may also involve litigation of federal civil rights suits at the trial and/or appellate level. AUSAs in this position work in partnership with other federal agency partners and with attorneys at the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
Applicants should describe in the cover letter their experience in civil rights work and in community outreach and relationship building.
Due to COVID-19, if selected, you may be expected to telework for an undefined period under the Department's evacuation authority, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Employees in this status may be notified of a requirement to report in person to the component workplace with an advance notice of not less than 30 days. Prior to a requirement to report to the workplace, employees may be eligible to request to continue to telework one or more days a pay period depending upon the terms of the component's telework policy.
Qualifications:
The applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least five years post-J.D. experience.
Applicants must have substantive knowledge and work experience in at least one area of federal civil rights law enforced by the Division; civil litigation skills; experience drafting and/or interpreting federal laws, rules, and regulations; strong written and oral communication skills; the ability to analyze complex issues; the ability to synthesize a wide range of information and data; the ability to help direct an investigation and accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues; the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds; and the ability to formulate practical and creative solutions to complex problems.
Applicants must have outstanding skill and experience working collaboratively and productively with others, including other attorneys, staff, agencies, non-governmental agencies, and community members; strong organizational skills; excellent professional judgment; demonstrated initiative; the ability to excel in a fast-paced, highly demanding environment; and the ability to independently work with interest groups and community members to generate referrals.
Salary:
Assistant United States Attorneys' pay is administratively determined based primarily on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of pay, including locality, is $84,386 to $176,200.
Travel:
Occasional travel within and outside the District will be required.
Application Process:
Interested persons must email the following items in pdf format to the email address listed below:
USAWAW.Hiring at usdoj.gov<mailto:USAWAW.Hiring at usdoj.gov>
Nicholas W. Brown
United States Attorney
Attention:  Tessa M. Gorman
First Assistant United States Attorney
700 Stewart Street, Suite 5220
Seattle, Washington 98101
(a) A cover letter referencing Vacancy Announcement 22-WDWA-AUSA-06 (Civil Rights-Seattle) that sets forth the applicant's civil rights experience, and addresses the job description and qualifications, above;
(b) A detailed resume; and
(c) A writing sample meeting the criteria set forth below:
Writing Sample:  Include a sample of your legal writing, such as a portion or all of an appellate brief, motion and memorandum of points and authorities, or opinion letter. The writing sample should be a recent example of your work and demonstrate your ability to analyze legal issues and present that analysis in written form. The sample should be predominantly your own work. If the document was edited by others, include a cover memo that briefly describes the level of editing that occurred.
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Application Deadline:
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Relocation Expenses:
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Number of Positions:
1 or more
Updated May 24, 2022
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Department Policies
COVID-19 Vaccination:  Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
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 race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based 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. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
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.  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 disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
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. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is 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. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled 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 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).

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This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.