Legal Careers
Supervisory Attorney Adviser (Deputy Chief)
Washington, DC 20005 - United States
The Civil Rights Division (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 Disability Rights Section (Section or DRS) works to achieve equal opportunity for people with disabilities in the United States by implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The attorney selected will serve as a trial attorney protecting the rights of persons with disabilities under Titles I, II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in over seven million places of public accommodation, including all hotels, restaurants, retail stores, theaters, health care facilities, convention centers, parks, and places of recreation (Title III), in all activities of over 80,000 state and local governments (Title II), and in employment practices of state and local government employers with 15 or more employees (Title I). The ADA also establishes architectural accessibility requirements for new construction and alterations of buildings and facilities covered under Title II and Title III, which generally include all nonresidential buildings and facilities.
Division offices are near metro transportation systems or other public transportation, and are conveniently accessible to restaurants, museums and other D.C. area attractions. Most jobs in the Division offer alternative work schedules and other family friendly opportunities are available. Most employees who commute by public transportation are provided transit subsidy benefits.
Additional positions may be filled from this vacancy announcement.
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 Attorney selected for the Deputy Chief position will be responsible for managing assigned staff within the Section, which includes special counsel, a team of attorney advisers, and other professional and support personnel. Additional responsibilities include:
-drafting, developing and publishing regulations that implement the disability nondiscrimination obligations of title II (State and local government programs and services) and title III (public accommodations) of the ADA, and the Department's regulations implementing section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. As the Department of Justice liaison to the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), the incumbent provides the views of the Department on the Access Board's development and promulgation of accessibility guidelines;
-providing legal guidance and technical assistance concerning the Department's interpretation of the regulations implementing titles II and III of the ADA, as well as coordinating pursuant to EO 12250 the interpretation and enforcement of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act across the Federal government;
-responding to requests from State and local governments to certify that their accessibility codes are equivalent to the ADA Standards for Accessible Design;
-providing technical assistance to private sector organizations that develop model accessibility codes and standards;
-providing legal and policy guidance or disability rights training to other Federal agencies;
-overseeing the Department's responsibilities for reports and recommendations under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act; and
-prepares reports, including those required by statute, to the President and/or Congress concerning, for example, the Federal government's implementation of section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Additionally, the incumbent will assist the Section Chief and other Section managers in a variety of administrative and management tasks in supervising the activities of a 100+ person staff. Further, shall be responsive to requests for information and shall provide advice and recommendations to Division management.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), and possess a minimum of five (5) years of post-professional law degree experience. Applicants must possess strong, demonstrated qualifications in the following areas: academic achievement; interpersonal, communication, and legal writing and editing skills; sound professional judgment; initiative and self-motivation; organizational management skills, including the ability to supervise and guide project development with project-focused teams of attorney advisors, and to facilitate production of sound work products in a timely manner in a highly demanding and dynamic, fast-paced environment. Given the nature and volume of the DRS work to be supervised, applicants must possess extensive substantive knowledge and expertise interpreting and applying titles II and III of the ADA, including the ADA implementing regulations, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The applicant must also be knowledgeable of, and have experience applying, the Administrative Procedure Act in the context of the Federal rulemaking process, including experience drafting and developing Federal regulations for notice-and-comment rulemaking. In addition, applicants must have outstanding professional references.
Preferred Qualifications:
The following qualifications are preferred, but not required: (1) experience drafting and developing regulations that implement Federal nondiscrimination laws, including disability nondiscrimination requirements; (2) experience analyzing and interpreting regulations that implement nondiscrimination obligations on the basis of disability, and preparing technical assistance materials, policy documents, and training programs about these obligations; (3)knowledge of, and familiarity with, the ADA Accessible Design Standards and the application of those Standards in the built environment; and (4) familiarity with other nondiscrimination statutes that prohibit discrimination on other protected bases (e.g., race, color, national origin, gender, age or religion). Judicial clerkships (especially in federal court), law review, moot court, clinical experience, and skill and experience working cooperatively and productively with a range of people, such as charging parties, witnesses, respondents, disadvantaged or disenfranchised groups, opposing counsel, judicial or administrative officials, advocacy groups, law enforcement personnel, and the staff of other federal or state governmental agencies are also preferred.
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) on Monday, December 14, 2015.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
1. Cover Letter
2. Résumé
3. A complete Occupational Questionnaire
4. Writing sample of no more than ten pages (a brief or comparable analytic legal exposition that is your work product)
5. Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable
6. Sch A documentation, if applicable
To apply for this position, see page at https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/421646700
GS-0905 15 $126,245.00 to $158,700.00 / Per Year.
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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.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
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.