Legal Careers
Attorney
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking an attorney to work in the Office of Chief Counsel (CC), Administrative and General Law Section (CCA). This office is located in Arlington, Virginia, and provides legal advice and support to DEA management and field offices worldwide.
The attorney's primary role will be to work collaboratively with others in DEA's Office of Chief Counsel to provide legal advice to the Diversion Control Division and other DEA components on all aspects of a nationwide multidistrict opioid-related litigation (MDL). The attorney will have varied responsibilities, including but not limited to, responding to discovery requests, drafting motions, creating privilege logs, preparing witnesses for deposition and trial, and attending depositions, hearings, or trial as may be needed. The attorney will also serve as DEA's point of contact with other Department of Justice components and third parties during litigation. In executing these MDL duties, the attorney may be required to perform extended temporary duty in various locations nationwide.
As case needs allow and based on the collaborative nature of CCA practice, the attorney may also be given responsibility for other matters in addition to the MDL. These additional responsibilities will be in the administrative law practice areas of Freedom of Information Act consultation and litigation, civilian personnel law, fiscal law, and more.
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), have at least ten (10) years of post-J.D. legal experience, and at least three (3) years of experience as a GS-0905-14 attorney or equivalent at the time of selection. Applicants must also have 1) significant experience in complex civil litigation at the federal level, including experience using e-discovery platforms; 2) excellent academic credentials; 3) strong oral and written communication and advocacy skills; 4) superior legal research and analytical skills; 5) experience in dealing with complex legal and policy issues; and 6) ability to formulate and implement Department of Justice and DEA policies on all matters pertaining to assigned areas. Proficiency in computer-aided research and computer word processing is required. Applicants should also meet eligibility requirements for a Top Secret clearance.
Applicants must submit a detailed resume, a cover letter, the below-described Drug Questionnaire, and a legal writing sample by email to DEA.ChiefCounsel.Resumes@usdoj.gov or by mail to:
Drug Enforcement Administration
Office of Chief Counsel
ATTN: Dayle Elieson
8701 Morrissette Drive
Springfield, Virginia 22152
All application materials must be in at least 12-point font. Writing samples should not exceed 10 pages. The applicant’s cover letter should highlight relevant experience and qualifications applicable to the position.
Applications must be received by June 17, 2021. No telephone calls, please.
Applicants who are found, through investigation or personal admission, to have experimented with or used narcotics or dangerous drugs, except those medically prescribed, will not be considered for employment with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Exceptions to this policy may be made for applicants who admit to limited youthful and experimental use of marijuana. Such applicants may be considered for employment if there is no evidence of regular, confirmed usage and the full-field background investigation, and results of the other steps in the process are otherwise favorable.
Compliance with this policy is an essential requirement of the position. All applicants must complete the DEA Drug Questionnaire and submit that Questionnaire with their application package. A copy of the drug questionnaire can be located at https://www.dea.gov/employment-requirements. The link to the questionnaire is located under "Employment Requirements." Click on the blue highlighted “DEA Drug Questionnaire” link.
Additional Information: This and selected other attorney vacancy announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers
Current salary and years of legal experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The salary for this position is set at the GS-15 level ($144,128 – $172,500).
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.