AUSA - Civil Division (Temporary), Residential Backed-Mortgage Securities/ACE Unit

USAO Eastern District of New York
Attorney
271 Cadman Plaza East
Brooklyn, NY 11201
United States
About the Office: 

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York is one of the nation's premier litigation offices representing the United States in three of the five boroughs of New York City - Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island - and both suburban counties on Long Island - Nassau and Suffolk. The district encompasses approximately eight million people, major international air and sea ports, extraordinary commercial and cultural activity, and a diversity and vitality that make it a unique and exciting place to live and work. Our mission is to investigate, prosecute and deter violations of federal statues, enforce and represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, uphold civil, constitutional and victims' rights, and foster partnerships with other federal, state and local government agencies and community groups.

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 U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York is seeking to fill 4 Term (temporary) Assistant United States Attorney positions to serve in the Civil Division and work with the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit. The attorney will be part of a fraud-fighting unit that will investigate conduct that led to the 2008 financial crisis, including pursuing those responsible for misconduct relating to residential mortgage-backed securities. The attorney will have responsibility for handling all aspects of civil investigations and cases, including taking testimony, writing briefs, and appearing in hearings and trials in court. The attorney must have a very strong ability to analyze complex legal and factual issues, write clearly and persuasively, possess a strong work ethic, exhibit good organizational skills, exercise fair and sound judgment, pay careful attention to facts and details, follow all Department of Justice and United States Attorney's Office policies, work well both independently and on a team, be ready and willing to volunteer to help other attorneys, be able to negotiate effectively with opposing counsel, handle matters in court persuasively on behalf of the United States of America, and be devoted to justice and excellence. The 4 positions are temporary and the project is expected to end on September 30, 2017.

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 three (3) years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications: Excellent writing, speaking and analytical skills; strong work ethic, character, dedication and interest in public service; interest in handling a wide variety of challenging cases on behalf of the United States of America; and the ability to work well both independently and on teams with others on complex cases are highly desired.

The following qualifications for this position are desirable but not essential: a strong background in securities litigation, preferably with experience in structured products, including representing clients in criminal white collar matters, private civil litigation, SEC enforcement actions, or internal investigations. United States Citizenship required. Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment Security waiver which includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing.

Salary: 
The range of total annual pay for the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities AUSA Term positions are $88,388 to $135,000, which includes locality pay for Brooklyn and the metropolitan area, and is based on years of professional attorney experience.
Travel: 
There will be occasional travel within and outside the District.
Application Process: 

Individuals interested in applying for a temporary Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Assistant United States Attorney position should submit a resume and a cover letter (Highlighting your relevant experience) to EDNY.Job@usdoj.gov or, resumes may be mailed to:

Kesha Archer
Human Resources Specialist
United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of New York, 6th floor.
271 Cadman Plaza East
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Applications will be accepted through May 4, 2015.

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: 
Monday, May 4, 2015
Relocation Expenses: 
None authorized.
Number of Positions: 
Seven (4) term/temporary positions to be filled. Project ends September 30, 2017.
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.