Uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorney

USAO District of Maryland
Criminal and Civil Divisions
Attorney
Baltimore or Greenbelt, MD 21201 or 20770
United States
17-MD-02
About the Office: 

The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes all federal criminal cases and represents the interests of the United States in civil cases in Maryland. The United States Attorney has two offices - the Northern Division located in Baltimore and the Southern Division located in Greenbelt.

The Criminal Division, which includes 45 lawyers in Baltimore and 21 in Greenbelt, prosecutes cases including violent crimes, narcotics conspiracies, white collar fraud, public corruption, child exploitation, civil rights violations, environmental crime and national security matters. The Civil Division, consisting of 12 lawyers located in Baltimore, defends the interests of the United States in civil litigation, pursues affirmative civil enforcement in a variety of fraud matters, and collects debts owed to 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 District of Maryland is seeking applications from attorneys who are willing to accept unpaid temporary positions that offer a valuable opportunity to gain training and experience in the work of an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA).  Successful applicants will serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs) with responsibilities that may include legal research and writing, conducting depositions, attending settlement conferences, participating in Grand Jury investigations, assisting with wiretaps, arguing motions, conducting hearings and trials, and handling proceedings in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  SAUSAs will also have opportunities to observe a wide range of legal proceedings.  These positions require a minimum commitment of six months and may continue for up to one year.  SAUSAs will not be hired by this office as Assistant U.S. Attorneys at the conclusion of their SAUSA terms.

The office is seeking applications for the Civil and Criminal Divisions, either in the Baltimore office located at 36 S. Charles Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201 or the Greenbelt office located at 6404 Ivy Lane, 8th Floor, Greenbelt, MD  20770. 

Qualifications: 

Only applicants with outstanding academic records and superior legal research and writing skills will be considered. An applicant must be a U.S. citizen who possesses a J.D. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association and is an active member in good standing of a bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).  Any applicant invited for an interview will be required to submit a writing sample.

United States citizenship is required.

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

A Special Assistant United States Attorney generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed.  See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.

Uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys may not engage in the compensated practice of law outside the office.  Attorneys are not eligible to serve as Special Assistant United States Attorneys if they have had an employment offer deferred by a law firm and received a payment for the period of their deferral with the expectation of future employment with the law firm, or if they will receive any payment from a law firm during their unpaid employment with the Department of Justice. In addition, contractors, including employees of contractors who do business with the Department of Justice, and who also are attorneys, are not eligible to serve as uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys.  

Salary: 
None - this is an uncompensated position.
Travel: 
Travel within and outside the District may be required, but should be minimal.
Application Process: 

Please submit a cover letter, resume and copy of your law school transcript to the following email address: usamd.jobs@usdoj.gov by 9/30/2017 . Please reference the Announcement Number above and indicate the division and location of preference.  No telephone calls please. We will contact you if we believe an interview is appropriate or if further information is required.

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: 
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
One (1) or more positions may be filled using this announcement.
Updated October 17, 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.