Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney - Civil Division
The Southern District of Georgia is a medium-sized district and includes 43 counties with a headquarters office in Savannah, a staffed branch office in Agusta, and four unstaffed branch offices in Brunswick, Statesboro, Dublin and Waycross. The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes federal crimes, represents the federal government's interests in civil cases, and represents the government in criminal and civil appeals. More information about the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gas/.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is currently interviewing for an Assistant United States Attorney to serve in the Civil Division. The attorney will represent the United States and its agencies and employees in civil cases across a broad variety of practice areas. The attorney will have responsibility for handling all aspects of civil cases, including taking depositions, writing briefs, and appearing in hearings and trials in court. The attorney must have a very strong ability to analyze complex legal and factual issues, write clearly and persuasively, possess a strong work ethic, exhibit good organizational skills, exercise fair and sound judgment, pay careful attention to facts and details, follow all Department of Justice and United States Attorney's Office policies, work well both independently and on a team, be ready and willing to volunteer to help other attorneys, be able to negotiate effectively with opposing counsel, handle matters in court persuasively on behalf of the United States of America, and be devoted to justice and excellence. The position is located in the Savannah, Georgia office and offers a challenging and rewarding experience for a highly motivated and talented lawyer to work on legal issues involved in some of the most significant, complex, and visible civil cases being litigated by the Department of Justice today.
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. The U.S. Attorney's Office seeks highly qualified applicants with demonstrated strong advocacy and trial skills, complemented by excellent academic and professional credentials. Applicants should have exceptional computer literacy skills, including experience with automated research on the internet, electronic court filing, plus electronic mail and word processing systems. All applicants must be (or be eligible to become) members of the bar for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. Applicants must possess a strong commitment to professionalism, superior oral and written communications skills, strong interpersonal skills, demonstrated analytical ability, sound judgment, and excellent courtroom skills to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment. Applicants must exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff and client agencies. A working knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is required, and prior litigation experience is a factor. Applicants should be aware of extensive Department of Justice legal training requirements. Courtroom experience in federal or state courts is required. United States Citizenship is also required.
Every applicant should electronically submit a resume and cover letter.
Preferred Qualifications: Hiring preferences include: superior legal writing and research ability; excellent speaking and analytical skills; strong work ethic, character, and a commitment and dedication to ethics, civility, and public service; interest in handling a wide variety of challenging cases on behalf of the United States of America; and the ability to work well both independently and on teams with others on complex cases are all highly desired. Attorneys will perform their own legal research, drafting and presentation of cases, and must be proficient in all respects.
Applications must be submitted online through the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/421598600.
This announcement opens Monday, November 16, 2015 and closes on Friday, November 27, 2015. No telephone calls please. Applications must be submitted online. Each application must include a cover letter and resume. The USAJobs resume will not substitute for this requirement.
Assistant United States Attorneys' pay is administratively determined, based in part on the number of years of professional experience. The range of pay is $45,477 to $134,177, plus locality if authorized.
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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 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 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 their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
USAO Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
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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.