Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney - Civil Division
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia is a medium sized district and includes 43 counties with a headquarters office in Savannah, a staffed branch office in Augusta, and four unstaffed branch offices in Brunswick, Statesboro, Dublin and Waycross. The United States Attorney’s Office prosecutes federal crimes, represents the federal government’s interests in civil cases, and represents the government in criminal and civil appeals.
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.
The District is interviewing for an Assistant United States Attorney to serve in the Civil Division, accomplishing both Affirmative and Defensive Civil litigation. Attorneys in the District's ACE Section are responsible for the prosecution and defense of a variety of civil claims in which there has been a false or fraudulent claim or false statement made to the United States, mainly cases under the False Claims Act (FCA). Attorneys in the District's Civil Defensive Section are responsible for the defense against a variety of civil claims that have been made against the United States, an agency of the United States or an agent or employee acting in their official capacity. AUSAs engaged in this challenging work spend substantial time on legal research and writing and filing dispositive motions, findings of fact and conclusions of law, motions in limine, jury instructions, bench memoranda, etc.; in discovery (interviewing witnesses, taking and defending depositions, working with expert witnesses, propounding and responding to written discovery requests); and attending numerous mediations and settlement conferences. Although most cases are resolved through dispositive motion or settlement, these AUSAs also represent the government's interests at hearings and trials in federal court.
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three (3) years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
Preferred Qualifications: Applicants must demonstrate superior analytical ability; strong research, writing and courtroom skills; exercise fair and sound judgment; follow all Department of Justice and United States Attorney's Office policies; exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, and law enforcement agencies; be able to negotiate effectively with opposing counsel; handle matters in court persuasively and justly on behalf of the United States of America; and be devoted to excellence. Additionally, applicants should have experience litigating complex civil cases.
Applications must be submitted online through the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/458199300.
This announcement is open until Friday, December 23, 2016. No telephone calls please. Applications must be submitted online.
Assistant United States Attorneys’ pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional experience. The range of basic pay is $58,811.00 to $135,519.00, plus locality pay if authorized.
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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.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: 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.
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.