Legal Careers
Supervisory Trial Attorney (Chief, Privilege Review and Litigation Unit)
The Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) leads the Department's anti-money laundering enforcement and asset forfeiture efforts. This posting is for the Chief of the Privilege Review and Litigation Unit. A remote location outside of Washington DC will be considered for qualified candidates.
MLARS' mission is to take the profit out of crime and protect the U.S. financial system. MLARS investigates and prosecutes complex international money laundering and asset forfeiture cases, and has responsibility for managing the Department's Asset Forfeiture Program. Prosecutors in MLARS handle investigations, prosecutions, and civil and criminal forfeiture involving: violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, sanctions regimes, and related laws by financial institutions and their employees; high-level foreign corruption and international money laundering schemes aimed at laundering the proceeds of foreign corruption through the U.S. financial system and the forfeiture of assets related to those schemes; schemes involving professional money launderers and gatekeepers to the financial system; and other complex criminal schemes.
The Privilege Review and Litigation Unit (PRLU) is responsible for coordinating significant and critical litigation and initiatives. The PRLU leads filter reviews, privilege litigation, other sensitive litigation, and houses MLARS' professional responsibility officer and team.
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.
As the Chief of the PRLU, the incumbent:
- Establishes and supervises a new team of attorneys that will conduct review of potentially privileged materials;
- Advises supervisors and prosecutors in MLARS on strategic approaches to identifying and handling issues related to potential privilege at all stages of investigation and prosecution;
- Supervises all phases of litigation of privilege matters, including, but not limited to, the use of grand jury, advising federal law enforcement agents, preparing appropriate pleadings, and litigating motions and privilege matters before U.S. District Courts across the country;
- In collaboration with Section leadership, develops and maintains the Section's filter program and policies to establish uniform practices and ensure that all MLARS attorneys comply with their ethical obligations related to legal privilege, including advising on strategy and legal complexities, and litigation priorities, policy and legislative recommendations;
- Coordinates with U.S. Attorneys' Offices and federal law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to ensure investigative agents and prosecutors are not exposed to potentially privileged materials;
- Assists in development of the Section's investigatory and discovery procedures to develop policies and procedures related to evidence collection and handling materials that implicate privilege issues; and
- Provides guidance to MLARS attorneys and supervisors on professional responsibility obligations and serves as the Section's Professional Responsibility Officer.
Required Qualifications: Interested applicants must possess a J.D., or equivalent, degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing. To qualify at the GS-15 grade level, applicants must have at least four (4) years post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: independently performing legal analysis; composing pleadings, briefs and other court documents involving unique and/or difficult legal issues in civil or criminal litigation; conducting highly complex civil or criminal litigation; and leading paralegals and support staff.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Expertise in the law of legal privilege, including the Attorney-Client Privilege, Work Product Doctrine, Spousal Privilege, and all exceptions to such privileges, including waiver and the crime-fraud exception.
- Experience supervising attorneys and support staff.
- Experience litigating privilege matters in federal court.
- Knowledge of white collar criminal litigation.
- Experience in supporting, litigating, and supervising federal or state criminal or civil cases.
- Experience with the federal judiciary.
The Application Package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
Please submit your application through USAJOBS. The list of required documents can be found in the USAJobsannouncement.
- If you do not already have an account, please create a USAjobs account before applying. You will be able to upload your resume and supporting documents and complete your profile prior to applying.
- Once you have an account, apply to the USAjobs vacancy: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/741427800.
The salary range for this position is $155,700 – $183,500 per annum, which includes locality pay. See OPM’s Web pageat https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2023….
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.
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