EXPERIENCED TRIAL ATTORNEY, GS-13 THROUGH GS-15
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CIVIL DIVISION, TORTS BRANCH
AVIATION & ADMIRALTY SECTION
Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The Civil Division, Torts Branch, is seeking an experienced trial attorney for its Aviation & Admiralty Section. The Aviation and Admiralty Section litigates on behalf of a select group of federal agencies involved in aviation related and maritime activities. These include the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Force, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Navy, Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The section defends these agencies against claims of negligence in their various activities; examples of claims involve airplane crashes and collisions, ship collisions and groundings, and Coast Guard Search and Rescue activities. The Admiralty staff also pursues affirmative claims for oil spill clean-up costs and shipboard cargo loss claims, as well as working with the Environmental and Natural Resource Division on natural resource damages claims in coastal waters.
Qualifications: Applicants must posses a J.D. degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing. Applicants must have at least two years of post-JD litigation experience in federal courts. Applicants should have excellent writing, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and have an interest in trial and appellate work. The applicant may have experience in handling aviation cases.
Salary Information: Current salary and years of experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The salary range is GS-13 through GS-15 ($82,961 to $149,000 per annum). Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Travel: This position requires travel.
Application Process: Applicants must submit a resume or current OF-612 (Optional Application for Federal Employment) and a cover letter (highlighting relevant background) to:
U.S. Department of Justice,
Civil Division, Torts Branch (A&A)
P. O. Box 14271
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, D.C. 20044-4660
Attn: Kathlynn Fadely
Or e-mail materials to Kathlynn.Fadely@usdoj.gov
No telephone calls please. Applications must be postmarked by no later than August 14, 2008 (applications submitted by e-mail must be received by that date).
Internet Sites: For more information on the Civil Division, and the Aviation & Admiralty Section, please visit the Civil Division’s website at http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/index.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 color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or nonmembership 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 are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions.