Legal Careers
Supervisory Trial Attorney (Assistant Section Chief)
Washington, DC 20004 - United States
The Wildlife and Marine Resources Section (WMRS) represents federal agencies in litigation in federal district courts across the country in cases brought under the federal wildlife and marine resource statutes, including the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Section also has responsibility for civil enforcement of the major animal welfare statutes, including the Animal Welfare Act, Animal Fighting Venture Prohibition Act, and Horse Protection Act. The Section represents the Departments of the Interior, Commerce, and Agriculture in their implementation of these conservation statutes, as well as a broad array of other federal agencies. The Section's docket includes numerous complex and nationally significant cases ranging from matters involving national security activities and government management of the Nation's hydroelectric power system, to regulation of entire industries such as commercial fishing.
ENRD seeks to attract, retain, and promote individuals of exceptional ability and talent from all walks of life. The work environment and atmosphere are open, diverse, collegial, and inclusive. ENRD places a high value on and fosters a work environment where people of all backgrounds, physical abilities, sexual orientations and experiences may reach their full potential.
For more information about the work of the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section, visit the Justice Department's web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd.
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.
Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The Section is soliciting applications from experienced attorneys for the position of Assistant Section Chief in Washington D.C. The Assistant Chief is one of two assistant chiefs and will have direct supervisory responsibility for a docket of more than 150 cases. This supervision involves, among other things, assigning legal casework to attorneys, assuring the appropriate level of staffing on each matter, providing strategy and other guidance as needed, ensuring compliance with all relevant DOJ guidance and policies, reviewing all written briefs and other products for substantive accuracy and for consistency with positions in other litigation, determining settlement positions, and preparing attorneys for oral argument. The Assistant Chief also assists the Section Chief on administrative matters and overall management of the Section.
Applicants must be a current employee of the Environment and Natural Resources Division; must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), have at least seven years of post-J.D. or post-clerkship litigation experience, and be a U.S. Citizen or National. Successful applicants will have significant federal litigation experience; substantive familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act and natural resource statutes within the Section's jurisdiction; outstanding legal writing skills; the ability to mentor and manage attorneys and administrative staff to produce high quality work under tight time frames; the ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously and to adjust to meet new priorities; the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with client agencies and other ENRD and Department of Justice components; and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards.
Applications must be received by Thursday, December 3, 2015.
Applicants must submit a current resume and cover letter highlighting relevant experience to:
ATTYAPPLY-WMRS.ENRD@USDOJ.GOV
Subject Line: ENRD-16-005-EXC
How You Will Be Evaluated: You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience you report relative to this position. Paid or unpaid experience will be considered.
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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
The possible salary range is: GS-15 - $126,245 to $158,700.
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.