Legal Careers
Civil Litigation Unit Chief/Supervisory-Attorney Advisor
Washington, DC 20535 - United States
The Civil Litigation Units (CLUs) act as legal counsel to the FBI and its employees in regard to a wide array of cutting edge civil lawsuits, administrative claims, requests for testimony and/or douments, representation matters, and related areas. The CLUs coordinate the defense of civil actions filed against the FBI and its employees under the United States Constitution and a variety of statutes including the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), and the U.S. Patriot Act. The CLUs work closely on these cases with the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney's Offices around the country. The CLUs' primary responsibilities include assisning FBI employees in obtaining Department of Justice representation in personal-liability suits, representing FBI employees in depositions, preparing affidavits and declarations in support of motions, and providing the full range of legal advice and assistance at administrative, trial and in post-trial proceedings. The CLCUs also handle the FBI's response to civil subpoenas and provide legal advice concerning a wide range of topic related to civil litigation, liability, and risk matters to include scope-of-employment determinations and FBI potential liability for investigative operations.
Mission Statement
The mission of the FBI is to protect the American People and uphold the Constitution of the United States.
CURRENT PERMANENT FBI EMPLOYEES MUST APPLY FOR THIS JOB OPENING THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP SELECTION TOOL (LST) JOB POSTING # 2022-2352, UNLESS EMPLOYEE IS CLAIMING VETERANS' PREFERENCE.
**IN ADDITION TO YOUR RESUME, PLEASE ENUSRE YOU PROVIDE AND ATTACH ALL REQUESTED DOCUMENTS AND RESPOND TO EACH OF THE COMPETENCY QUESTIONS. IF YOU DO NOT ANSWER THE COMPETENCY QUESTIONS, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION. APPLICATIONS WILL BE INCOMPLETE IF ANY INFORMATION IS MISSING.**
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.
Major Duties
Manages and directs the defense of civil actions brought against the FBI and its employees, policy development as it relates to civil litigation to ensure consistency in the FBI's legal position and maintains oversight of administrative records relating to the unit.
Supervises attorneys and other professionals, including assigning and overseeing work related to all aspects of civil litigation.
Performs a full range of performance management for unit employees, including completing performance appraisals and making recommendations for within-grade increases, promotions and reassignments. Takes corrective actions to resolve grievances and complaints, supports and promotes the FBI's and DOJ's equal opportunity program.
Manages the unit's resources. Plans, organizes, leads and directs the unit's activities. Works closely and collaboratively with the other CLU Unit Chief.
Provides guidance, advice, and support to the General Counsel, the Section Chief of the Litigation and Technology Management Section the Deputy General Counsel of the Litigation Branch, and other FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials.
Represents the Litigation Branch and OGC in meetings with DOJ officials and representatives from other agencies.
Establishes and maintains effective relationships with the FBI's partners, the Intelligence Community, and other federal agencies in the civil litigation arena, especially with respect to civil litigation issues that may inpact the government generally and FBI's interests or equities specifically.
Key Requirements
Must be a U.S. citizen
Must be able to obtain a Top-Secret/SCI clearance
Supervisory or experience leading a team required. Must have 2-3 years experience
Some travel may be required
Please make sure your specialized experience/requirement(s) can be identified in your resume. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under the FBI’s Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared to your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. High self-assessment in the vacancy questions that is not supported by information in your resume, and/or supporting documents may eliminate you from Most Competitive status.
If you are deemed Most Competitive, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.
All applicants will be rated on the following Competencies. Please ensure you respond to each of the competencies. Failure to provide a response for each competency will preclude you from submitting your application.
Leadership: Motivates, inspires, develops and mentors others; garners respect and loyalty from others by demonstrating credibility, professionalism, and integrity; provides guidance and directs others in accomplishing goals and objectives.
Governance and Legal Jurisprudence: Applying laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.
Analytic Thinking: Experience in analytical and evaluative methods/techniques for assessing program development for executing and improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
Communication: Express thoughts and ideas clearly, concisely, persuasively orally and in writing; interpret and understand verbal or written communications; tailor communication to the experience, exposure or expertise of the recipient; proactively share information with others when appropriate.
Specialized Experience (SE): All qualifying experience MUST be provided within your RESUME to be considered.
GS - 15: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level.
SE is defined as follows:
Juris Doctor
Attorney in good stanidng in active status with the bar of any state or the District of Columbia
The following instructions outline our application process: Please visit www.fbijobs.gov to apply.
Step 1: Click the “Start” button to begin an application. You will be prompted to either Sign In to continue the application or to register with FBIJOBS if you don't already have an account.
Step 2: Follow the Step by Step process to submit an application. You will be guided through each step in the process. You are required to complete all sections of the application to successfully submit your application.
Further Evaluation of Qualified Candidates
All candidates considered for an interview, will be invited to complete the Senior Leader Leadership Selection Process (SL LSP). The SL LSP standardizes the requirements and application porcess for all candidates, improves transparency and feedback about the selection process. The program is based on the FBI Leadership Competency Model. The assessment consists of the following components:
1. SL Leadership Skills Assessment (SL LSA):
The LSA is a standardized assessment which evaluates and measure leadership behavioral abilities and skills, ensuring leaders in all job categories meet the FBI's standards of proficiency in management and leadership. The LSA takes place via the telephone and simulates a "day-in-the-life" of a front-line leader or senior leader, with a candidate assuming a management role during the evaluation. Candidates will be presented with scenarios that require them, as the manager, to make crucial leadership decisions. Candidate will be scored on how they handle these situations and embody the FBI's Leadership Competencies. A passing LSA score allows you to continue towards becoming ready to apply to leadership positions in the FBI.
There are no specific study guides for the LSA and the behaviors assessed are not something that one can memorize. The LSA scenarios were designed to account for the various background of candidates while assessing the management or leadership competencies within a familiar environment. In the SL LSA, candidates are assessed based on how they demonstrated the 12 FBI Leadership Competencies during all of the scenarios. The best approach to take the SL LSA is to use study time wisely, relax, and be oneself during the interactions.
GS - 15 $148,484.00 - $176,300.00
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.