Legal Careers
Trial Attorney
The Civil Division, with more than 1,000 attorneys and 14 litigating components, represents the United States, its departments and agencies, Members of Congress, Cabinet officers and other Federal employees. The Aviation and Admiralty Section of the Torts Branch litigates on behalf of a select group of federal agencies involved in aviation related and maritime activities. These include the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Force, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Navy, Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The section defends these agencies against claims of negligence in their various activities; examples of claims involve airplane crashes and collisions, ship collisions and groundings, and Coast Guard Search and Rescue activities. The Admiralty staff also pursues affirmative claims for oil spill clean-up costs and shipboard cargo loss claims, as well as working with the Environmental and Natural Resource Division on natural resource damages claims in coastal waters.
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.
The Civil Division, Torts Branch, is seeking an experienced aviation trial attorney for its Aviation & Admiralty Section. In this context the Section litigates on behalf of a select group of federal agencies involved in aviation activities. These include the Federal Aviation Administration, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force. The section defends these agencies against claims of negligence in their various activities; examples of claims involve common carrier air crashes involving allegations of air traffic controller negligence, smaller general aviation crashes, and injuries to passengers and crew on or in connection with the operation of various aircraft. Familiarity with aviation and aircraft piloting and FAA procedures are highly desirable.
Applicants must possess a J.D. 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. Ten years or more of significant litigation experience is preferred, but not required. Applicants should have excellent writing, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and have an interest in aviation and trial and appellate work.
Current salary and years of experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The salary range is GS-13 to GS-15. Applicants must have at least two years of post J.D. experience to qualify at the GS-13 level; three years of post J.D. experience to qualify at the GS-14 level; and four years of post J.D. experience to qualify at the GS-15 level.
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
Those who applied to announcement #2015-Civil-Torts/A&A-2 need not reapply to this announcement. Your application will be considered under this posting.
Applicants must submit a resume or current OF-612 (Optional Application for Federal Employment), a cover letter (highlighting relevant background), and a writing sample (15 pages maximum) to:
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Division, Torts Branch (A&A)
P. O. Box 14271
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, D.C. 20044-4660
Attn: Peter F. Frost
Or e-mail materials to Barry.Benson@usdoj.gov
No telephone calls please. Applications must be postmarked by no later than the closing date of the job announcement (applications submitted by e-mail must be received by midnight Eastern Standard Time on that date).
Your application will be evaluated by a reviewing panel.
$90,823 to $158,700.00
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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.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: 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.
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.