U.S. Department
of Justice
Legal Careers
ATTORNEY
BIRMINGHAM, AL 35203 - United States
The United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Alabama serves the District by
representing the interests of the United States in litigation and community affairs' related to law
enforcement. The Office prosecutes violations of federal criminal law. It also defends the United
States in civil law suits and seeks to recover from instances of fraud committed against the United
States and take other affirmative civil enforcement action. The Office works with federal, state, and
local law enforcement to protect and serve the district. The United States Attorney’s Office for the
Northern District of Alabama covers 31 of the state’s 67 counties, and has a branch office located in
Huntsville, Alabama. Our mission is threefold: (1) to prosecute violations of federal criminal law,
(2) to prosecute on behalf of or defend the United States in civil actions, and
(3) to collect otherwise administratively uncollectible financial judgments on behalf of the United
States. Assistant United States Attorneys in this district are charged with demonstrating
exceptional competence, unquestionable integrity, and a commitment to serve the citizens of this
district as they accomplish the office's mission
Birmingham is an area of rolling hills, beautiful lakes, downtown lofts, evening concerts in the park, nationally ranked restaurants, and an amusement and theme park. Other information about the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama may be found at: https://www.justice.gov/usao/district/ndal.
This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html.
Our office places a high value on diversity of experiences and perspectives and encourages applications from all qualified men and women from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBT individuals, and persons with disabilities.
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 attorney filling this position will represent the United States, its agencies, and employees in civil litigation brought on behalf of or against the government. The attorney may handle a variety of cases including: affirmative civil litigation including claims asserted under the False Claims Act, actions to impose civil fines, actions under the Federal Tort Claims Act (premises liability, vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, etc.), constitutional tort claims against federal employees, general employment litigation, and litigation filed by federal prisoners and immigration detainees.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience
progress.
All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis
pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation
Required qualifcations :
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any
U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1 year post J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
Applicants are required to be a member of the Alabama Bar or willing to become a member within the
frst 24 months of employment. The person selected for this position must be fully and exclusively
invested in the Northern District of Alabama.
Preferred qualifcations:
Applicants must possess superior legal research and writing skills.
You must meet all qualifcation requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. United States citizenship is required.
Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment 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.
To apply for this position, you must create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Applicants
must submit a resume and all required documents through USAjobs.gov. Log into USAjob.gov and search for
Announcement number 23-NDAL-11714016-AUSA. Click this link to view: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/686853300
Complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specifed in the announcement. The
complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on November 18, 2022 to receive consideration
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding
any possible conficts 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 confict of interest or disqualifcation issue that may need to be addressed under those
circumstances.
Assistant United States Attorneys' pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $56,983 to $149,044 plus locality pay where authorized.
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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.