Legal Careers
Trial Attorney
The Civil Rights Division (Division) of the Department of Justice (Department), created by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division is primarily responsible for enforcing federal statutes and executive orders that prohibit, among other things, unlawful discrimination in education, employment, housing, police service, public accommodations and facilities, voting, and federally funded and conducted programs. The Division also has jurisdiction to enforce constitutional prohibitions on certain conduct by law enforcement agencies and public residential institutions, such as health care and correctional facilities.
The Housing and Civil Enforcement Section (HCE or Section) works to protect some of the most fundamental rights of individuals, including the right to access housing free from discrimination, the right to access credit on an equal basis, the right to patronize places of business that provide public accommodations and the right to practice one's faith free from discrimination. HCE handles the Department's fair lending enforcement responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The Section also enforces the other provisions of the FHA and the SCRA, as well as the land use provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights.
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.
This is a reimbursable detail opportunity not to exceed 1 year. The detail may be extended if all parties are in agreement.
Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The responsibilities for the detailee selected under this announcement will include: (1) conducting investigations to assess possible violations of the civil rights statutes mentioned above, including conducting legal and factual research, interviewing witnesses, analyzing data and evidence, and making recommendations as to whether to bring enforcement litigation; (2) handling litigation (both pattern or practice and individual matters referred by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or other agencies) to redress violations of federal civil rights laws, including preparing legal briefs and memoranda, preparing and responding to discovery requests, conducting extensive document review, identifying and working with expert witnesses, preparing witnesses and participating in depositions, and developing and presenting the government's case in federal court; (3) preparing for and participating in settlement negotiations and mediation on behalf of the Department, 4) monitoring including preparing and negotiating the terms of proposed consent decrees; (and enforcing compliance with judgments and consent decrees; (5) recommending and reviewing private litigation for intervention or amicus participation; (6) conducting outreach to civil rights organizations, state and local governments, industry, and other stakeholders; (7) analyzing and preparing responses to inquiries from the public, testimony, legislative proposals and other written materials; and (8) coordinating as necessary in the execution of the above duties with United States Attorneys' Offices, HUD and other partner agencies.
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), and possess at least three years of post-professional law degree experience. Applicants must possess experience conducting complicated investigations or cases involving violations of federal law; strong organizational, writing, and oral communication skills; demonstrated ability to work independently or cooperatively on investigation or litigation teams; and demonstrated professional judgment.
Preferred Qualifications: Experience in civil rights enforcement or compliance is preferred. Federal court litigation experience, including experience with complex electronic discovery, is also preferred.
How to Apply: Interested federal employees should submit: (1) a resume; (2) your most recent permanent appraisal; and (3) a cover letter describing your interest in the detail. Applications must be e-mailed to: crt.vacancies-HCE@usdoj.gov (please put the word “DETAIL” in the subject line.
Current federal salary continues.
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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.