Assistant United States Attorney 14 Month TERM

USAO District of Maryland
Attorney
36 South Charles Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
United States
15-MD-10
About the Office: 

The United States Attorneys Office prosecutes all federal criminal cases and represents the interests of the United States in civil cases in the District of Maryland. The United States Attorney has two offices - the Northern Division located in Baltimore and the Southern Division located in Greenbelt.

The Criminal Division, which includes 45 lawyers in Baltimore and 21 in Greenbelt, prosecutes cases including violent crimes, narcotics conspiracies, white collar fraud, public corruption, child exploitation, civil rights violations and national security matters. The Civil Division, consisting of 12 lawyers located in Baltimore, defends the interests of the United States in civil litigation, pursues affirmative civil enforcement in a variety of fraud matters, and collects debts owed to the United States.

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: 

The United States Attorney is seeking applicants for the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney with the offices Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, based in Baltimore. The attorney will work exclusively on cases that include criminal or civil asset forfeiture.

This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 14 months. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.

Qualifications: 

The U.S. Attorneys Office seeks highly qualified applicants with strong writing skills and excellent academic and professional credentials to serve as federal prosecutors. Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction) and in good standing, and have at least 3 years post-J.D. experience. Applicants must possess superior oral and written communication skills, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment. The application should describe the applicant's interest in prosecuting civil and criminal asset forfeiture matters in Maryland.

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

United States citizenship is required.

Salary: 
The starting salary for this position, including locality pay, is $70,000 to $95,000 per annum, depending on experience.
Travel: 
Occasional travel within and outside the District will be required.
Application Process: 

Any interested applicant should submit a cover letter, resume, and law school transcript via e-mail no later than June 3, 2015. Your cover letter should be addressed to Stephen M. Schenning, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and reference the Announcement Number above. No telephone calls please. We will contact you if we believe an interview is appropriate or if further information is required. This announcement will close on June 3, 2015; therefore, resumes, cover letters and transcripts must be e-mailed or received by the closing date. Application materials can forwarded to the following email address:

usamd.ausajobs2@usdoj.gov

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: 
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
One (1).
Updated April 7, 2016

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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.