Legal Careers
Assistant Section Chief
Washington, DC 20530 - United States
The Appellate Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division is responsible for handling most Division cases in federal and state appellate courts, for preparing appeal and amicus recommendations for the Solicitor General, and for preparing drafts for the Office of the Solicitor General of petitions and briefs in these cases if there is activity in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Appellate Section is hiring an attorney to serve as one of three Assistant Section Chiefs within the Section
The Appellate Section is responsible for civil and criminal appeals in all cases handled by an ENRD trial section in federal or state trial courts. It also handles directly, or coordinates with the United States Attorney offices (USAOs), on civil and criminal appeals in cases involving Division subject matters that were handled by a USAO in the trial court. In addition, the Section has responsibility for certain petitions for review filed directly in the courts of appeals that seek review of decisions of the Energy and Interior Departments and of the FAA, NRC, STB, and in some instances FERC. The Section works closely with the Office of the Solicitor General in determining whether to appeal adverse district court decisions to the courts of appeals, to seek further review of adverse court of appeals decisions, and to participate as amicus in federal and state courts of appeals and the Supreme Court. The Section prepares initial drafts of briefs filed in the Supreme Court in Division cases handled by the Section and works closely with the Solicitor General's Office in Division cases before the Supreme Court.
The Section's management consists of a Chief, a Deputy Section Chief, and three Assistant Section Chiefs. The Deputy and Assistant Chiefs divide management of the work of the Section by subject matter and have direct supervisory responsibility for all aspects of this work in their respective subject areas. The supervisory responsibilities involve, among other things, assigning legal casework to attorneys, ensuring appropriate staffing on each matter, providing strategy and other guidance as needed, ensuring compliance with all relevant DOJ guidance and policies, reviewing all written briefs, memoranda, and other written work product for substantive accuracy and for consistency with positions in other litigation, coordinating with counterparts at client agencies and with the Office of the Solicitor General as well as other DOJ and ENRD components, briefing agency and DOJ leadership as necessary, assisting in the determination of settlement positions, and preparing attorneys for oral argument. The Assistant Section Chiefs also are responsible for performance management and serve as the rating official for attorneys. The Assistant Section Chiefs also assist the Section Chief and Deputy Chief on non-litigation and administrative matters, and with overall management of the Section.
We are currently seeking to hire an Assistant Chief to manage many of the cases in the Section's docket involving natural and marine resources.
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and be a U.S. citizen or national.
Applicants must have a minimum of 7 years post-J.D. or post clerkship litigation experience that includes significant federal litigation experience or substantive familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act and natural resource statutes within the Section's jurisdiction.
Applicants should demonstrate outstanding legal writing skills; excellent judgment; the ability to mentor and manage attorneys and administrative staff to produce high quality work under tight time frames; the ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously and to adjust to meet new priorities; the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with client agencies and other ENRD and Department of Justice components; and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards.
YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
How to Apply
You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY Online button. Follow the prompts to answer a few questions and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
Applicants must submit a current resume, cover letter with brief statement of interest, writing sample, law school transcript, and DD-214 (if applicable).
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd .
This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their 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 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).
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes the following:
- Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained
- Cover letter with brief statement of interest
- Writing sample
- Copy of J.D. degree transcripts
- DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable
Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties. If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).
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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
The possible salary range is:
- GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200) per year
Department Policies
The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and treating employees with fairness, dignity and compassion. We must ensure that no applicant for employment or employee of our Department is denied equal opportunity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex – including pregnancy – or because of age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor and that all have the freedom to compete on a fair and level playing field. To learn more, please view the Department’s full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
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.
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.
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.
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://help.usajobs.gov/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.
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).
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.
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.