Assistant United States Attorney

USAO Northern District of West Virginia
Martinsburg
Attorney
217 West King Street, Suite 400
Martinsburg, WV 25401
United States
2021-AUSA-NDWV-01
About the Office: 

The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Northern District of West Virginia (NDWV) prosecutes federal offenses, defends the United States Government's interest and affirmatively pursues claims on behalf of the government in civil cases.  The USAO-NDWV currently has 55 employees and contractors, and includes offices located in Wheeling, Clarksburg, Elkins, and Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Additional information about the district can be found on our website at http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvn.

This announcement closing date has been extended to December 10, 2021 to solicit additional applications. If you have already applied to this vacancy announcement, we have your resume and you are still under consideration. Please do not reapply.

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.

Job Description: 

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II is seeking to hire an experienced, highly qualified litigator to handle a wide variety of complex cases, including fraud, white-collar offenses, financial crimes, and public corruption.  The incumbent will have the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce federal laws.

All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.  Temporary appointments may be extended or made permanent without further competition.

Residency:  Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof.  See 28 U.S.C. Section 545 for district-specific information.

Qualifications: 

Required Qualifications:  Applicants must have a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least three (3) years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.   However, the incumbent must become a member of the West Virginia bar withtin one year of entering on duty.

The applicant must possess superior oral and written communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and have demonstrated capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.

The applicant will be expected to do his/her own legal research and writing and shall be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings.  Applicants must possess computer literacy skills to include experience with automated research, electronic court filing, electronic e-mail and word processing systems.

Preferred Qualifications:  Preferred qualifications include at least five (5) years of legal experience with complex investigations and/or prosecutions, including jury trial experience.  Experience working collaboratively with a wide variety of attorneys and non-attorney professionals is strongly preferred.

United States citizenship is required.

Security:  Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication.  This includes fingerprints, credit and tax checks, and drug testing.  In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

Benefits:  The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Salary: 
AUSA pay is administratively determined based on the years of professional attorney experience. The range of base pay is $55,756 to $145,836 ($72,750 to $169,097, including locality pay of 30.48%).
Travel: 
Travel will be required for training and local travel for hearings and trials.
Application Process: 

Applicants interested should e-mail a resume and cover letter (pdf file preferred) to USAWVN.HR@usdoj.gov. 

Resumes should include complete dates (beginning month and year and ending month and year) for all periods of employment.  Please ensure that your resume notes month/year of bar membership information.

The point of contact for questions about this announcement is First Assistant United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard, 304-234-0100.

Note:  The Northern District of West Virginia cannot be responsible for lost/misrouted/delayed email transmissions.

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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Application Deadline: 
Friday, December 10, 2021
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will NOT be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
One (1)
Updated November 17, 2021

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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.