Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) - Uncompensated - Civil and Criminal

USAO Northern District of Oklahoma
Attorney
110 W. 7th Street., Suite 300
Tulsa, OK 74119
United States
About the Office: 

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma is the principal litigation agency for federal agencies for the 11 counties in the northeastern part of the state. The Northern District of Oklahoma has a population of approximately one million. Our office is located in Tulsa, the metropolitan area of which has approximately 75 percent of the district's population. The Civil 5 Assistant United States Attorneys manage both affirmative and defensive civil litigation involving the United States or agencies or officers of the United States.

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 United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma seeks Uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys who will be assigned to the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the office. The successful applicant(s) must be willing to accept an unpaid temporary position as a special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) in the Civil Division or the Criminal Division. The unpaid position offers a valuable opportunity to gain exposure to the office while also obtaining litigation experience.

The successful applicant (s) for the Civil Division will serve as a SAUSA with responsibilities that include the defense of tort claims, Administrative Procedure Act claims, a wide variety of land use and environmental claims and any other litigation assigned to the Civil Division. The Civil Division SAUSA will draft pleadings, legal briefs, engage in discovery, research legal issues, and conduct hearings and trials.

The successful applicant (s) for the Criminal Division will serve as a SAUSA to enforce federal criminal laws. Assignments will include the investigation and prosecution of firearms, explosives, counterfeiting, fraud, immigration, drug trafficking, and other violent crimes. The successful applicant (s) for the Criminal Division will also conduct legal research and draft appellate and post-conviction petition responses.

This announcement is to fill one or more positions in both the Civil Division and the Criminal Division. A candidate should state in his or her cover letter which Division for which the application is submitted.

The term of any SAUSA appointment is 24 months, with the potential for an additional 12-month extension. At the conclusion of the term of the appointment, the SAUSA will not be hired by this office as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA). However, the SAUSA may apply for any open AUSA positions in the office.

United States citizenship is required.

Qualifications: 

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school and be an active member in good standing of the bar (any jurisdiction). Required qualifications also include at least one year of post J.D. experience in legal practice related to civil law only for those individuals applying for a SAUSA position in the Civil Division.

Preferred Qualifications: An outstanding academic record, litigation experience, strong legal research and writing ability, strong courtroom skills, superior organizational skills and computer literacy skills are preferred. Preferred qualifications also include one year of post J.D. experience in legal practice related to criminal law only for those individuals applying for a SAUSA position in the Criminal Division.

Salary: 
Position(s) are two-year appointments, without compensation.
Travel: 
Occasional.
Application Process: 

Provide resume, cover letter, a writing sample, and a list of references. Send your application materials to the following:

Ms. Carol De Shaffon
Administrative Officer
Office of the United States Attorney
Northern District of Oklahoma
110 West 7th Street, Suite 300
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119-1013

No telephone calls please. Position is open until filled and multiple appointments may be made from this announcement.

Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint and credit checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

Internet Sites: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/

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: 
Friday, September 30, 2016
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
One or more
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.