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Legal Careers

Assistant United States Attorney, Criminal eDiscovery Coordinator

Hiring Organization
USAO Western District of Texas
Hiring Office
San Antonio, TX
Job ID
20-WDTX-10628711-A1
Location:
601 NW Loop 410, Suite 600
San Antonio, TX 78216 - United States
Application Deadline:
About the Office

Our mission is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States, provide Federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime,  seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to administer and enforce the Nation's laws to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. We strive to build a stronger office through recruitment efforts and maintain the high standards of the office by promoting professional development. We seek to build a legacy of excellence.

In all matters, it is our mission to represent the people of the United States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness and integrity of our office and the judicial system, and to conduct our work with the highest integrity. We strive to perform our mission in the most efficient and effective manner.

The Western District of Texas is a large complex district which includes 68 counties and approximately 93,000 square miles. Offices are located in San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Del Rio, Midland, Waco, and  Alpine/Pecos.

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 Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) will be assigned to the Criminal Division and will serve as the Criminal eDiscovery Coordinator for the district, which consists of six branch offices and the headquarters office in San Antonio. The Criminal eDiscovery Coordinator will be responsible for researching, developing, vetting, and implementing a district-wide, comprehensive electronic discovery/electronic litigation program. This program must include pertinent policy guidance, procedures, and protocols designed to address complex issues related to the government’s discovery obligations and data management in every variety of criminal case brought by the USAO in this extra-large, diverse district. The Criminal eDiscovery Coordinator will be required to implement and tailor this program for each of the seven divisional offices of the USAO and to the needs of individual cases.The Criminal eDiscovery Coordinator will be required to work with Criminal AUSAs and support personnel throughout the district during all stages of discovery collection, record keeping, data management, and disclosure. The Criminal eDiscovery Coordinator will also need to consult with federal law enforcement agency personnel during all stages of the process.  Coordination with Main Justice and the USAO’s Civil Division is also required. Once the program is fully developed and implemented, the Criminal eDiscovery Coordinator will continue to work closely with senior district management, line AUSAs and support staff in ensuring compliance with the new program and maintaining efficiencies through the use of all available technology. Extensive travel to support the proper implementation of the discovery regime will be required.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: 

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

 Successful candidates should possess experience in eDiscovery and eLitigation practices and software as well as knowledge of how the eDiscovery landscape, federal criminal rules and relevant case law in the area of criminal discovery are evolving. A successful candidate should possess the ability to formulate proactive action plans leading to measurable results. A strong academic background, demonstrated ability to produce high quality work, superior oral, written and interpersonal skills are preferred as is a capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

 

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and characteristics:

  • Dynamic, creative,  organized   self-starter with background and aptitude in eDiscovery/eLitigation; experience in large, complex, high-stakes litigation
  • Familiarity with eDiscovery/eLitigation software solutions such as Relativity, IPRO Eclipse, CaseMap and Adobe
  • Ability to lead attorneys and support staff in high pressure, high workload environment
  • Capacity to work collaboratively with others to build a program which will include procedures, policies and best practices in a dynamic and developing field
  • Understanding of federal criminal discovery principles, rules and obligations
  • Excellent legal research and writing skills
  • Upholds the highest standards of ethics and professionalism
  • Willingness to travel extensively within and outside the Western District of Texas
  • Highly proficient with all Microsoft Office products, including Word and Excel
  • Commitment to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism
     
Application Process

Applications must be submitted online through the following link:

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/552389700

Salary

Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based. in part, on the number of years of professional experience. The range of basic pay is $62,451 to $163,349 per year which includes 16.07% locality pay.

Number of Positions
1 - As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Travel
Travel required throughout the District on an "as needed" basis.
Relocation Expenses
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Department Policies

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.

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://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.

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.

Updated January 7, 2020