Fraud Section Employment

Attorneys

The Civil Fraud Section employs Trial Attorneys and Senior Trial Counsel with a wide range of experience and expertise.  The Fraud Section represents virtually every federal agency and works extensively with United States Attorneys’ Offices across the country, as well as with various investigative agencies such as Offices of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Fraud Section cases typically involve multiple defendants, including defense contractors, Fortune 500 companies, international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, financial institutions, national and regional hospital systems, skilled nursing and hospice chains, and well as other large healthcare providers.  Fraud Section attorneys are expected to handle every aspect of their cases, from initial case intake and investigations through litigation, mediation, settlement negotiations, and trial.  For litigated matters, Fraud Section attorneys handle all aspects of litigation, including brief writing, motions practice, working with experts, and trial.  As the Fraud Section has nationwide jurisdiction, its attorneys have cases all over the country and travel depending on case needs.  Most Fraud Section attorneys have diverse portfolios with cases cutting across many subject matter areas, fraud schemes, and federal agencies.    

Many attorneys come to the section with extensive litigation experience from private practice, other divisions of the Department of Justice, or other government agencies, and virtually every year the Fraud Section hires attorneys through the Attorney General’s Honors Program.

To learn more about working as an attorney with the Civil Division, please visit the Civil Division Employment webpage.  To learn more about working as an attorney with the Department of Justice, and to view current vacancies, please visit the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management webpage and USAJobs at www.usajobs.opm.gov. Subject to fluctuating needs, the Fraud Section finds the following applicant experience and attributes most desirable:  experience handling complex and document-intensive litigation, substantial courtroom and deposition experience, and strong writing and presentation skills.

Auditors and Investigators

The Fraud Section relies on a team of auditors and investigators to provide vital support to the Department’s mission. The team utilizes up-to-date investigative tools, including forensic auditing and automated databases, to uncover fraud committed against federal programs. The section’s auditors and investigators also work in conjunction with professionals from outside agencies such as the FBI, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, General Services Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Food and Drug Administration.

The section’s auditors and investigators prepare investigative plans; locate, schedule, and conduct witness, whistleblower, and defendant interviews; analyze organizational structures; participate in meetings with defense counsel; and analyze financial statements. They also provide vital assistance in locating hidden assets and developing post-judgment discovery; conducting document review and preparing evidence binders; conducting asset searches; performing data mining; working with outside experts and consultants; assisting in subpoena and other document preparation; preparing affidavits; performing damage calculations; and testifying in legal proceedings.

Available auditor and investigator vacancies can be found by searching USAJobs at www.usajobs.opm.gov.

Paralegal Specialists

Fraud Section paralegal specialists provide vital support in both investigations and litigation. Among other things, they conduct factual and legal research; review, analyze, and organize voluminous documents into databases; assist in document preparation, including complaints, motions, and briefs; digest and summarize transcripts; research and analyze legal issues; respond to outside inquiries; and handle legislative issues.  Paralegals provide key support for trial by, for example, participating in the interviews of potential witnesses and summarizing their prospective testimony; identifying and organizing trial exhibits; preparing exhibit and witness lists; and organizing travel arrangements, hotel arrangements, and trial witness testimony schedules; and assisting attorneys in the courtroom.

Available paralegal specialist vacancies can be found by searching USAJobs at www.usajobs.opm.gov. Ideal paralegal candidates possess a college degree with some legal experience or a Paralegal Certificate.

Legal Assistants

Legal assistants in the Fraud Section perform a wide range of vital duties. Among other duties, legal assistants: provide technical assistance in litigation, including helping to draft correspondence, filing paper or electronic documents with courts, and compiling exhibits and witness notebooks; provide liaison within the Civil Division and with other Department components and client agencies, including initiating and responding to information requests, and monitoring electronic docketing resources; provide administrative support such as completing forms and ensuring that office equipment is in working order; and track and control legal documents.

Available legal assistant vacancies can be found by searching USAJobs at www.usajobs.opm.gov.

Interns

Each year, the Fraud Section’s litigation teams are supplemented with approximately six volunteer law student interns whose responsibilities may include preparing trial exhibits; summarizing depositions; drafting memoranda and other correspondence; performing legal research; preparing draft reports; and analyzing and evaluating information.

To learn more about volunteer student opportunities with the Civil Division, including information on applying to volunteer positions, please visit the Civil Division’s Employment webpage. Ideal applicants will have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, excellent oral and written communications skills, and a strong work ethic.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is an Equal Opportunity / Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, regional, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation or on the basis of personal favoritism. DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities and will reasonably accommodate the needs of those persons. DOJ 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.