Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

Summary

The Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington is currently seeking an attorney to handle a variety of civil defensive matters.

This position is located in Seattle, Washington.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

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Duties

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This position will be located in the Civil Division of the Western District of Washington. Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Civil Division are responsible for representing the United States government and its Departments, agencies and employees in civil litigation filed in the District. Principle areas of the Division's defensive practice include cases bought under Title VII alleging discrimination in hiring and employment practices by agencies and Departments of the United States; matters brought pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act, covering a wide range of personal injury claims including medical malpractice arising from treatment received at various federal medical facilities; and immigration litigation. Other areas of practice include judicial review of administrative findings, injunctive proceedings, and defending federal employees accused of constitutional violations.

The AUSAs in the Civil Division participate in litigation at both the trial and occasionally at the appellate levels. They take and defend depositions, propound and answer written discovery, negotiate for settlement, engage in motions practice, try cases in the United States District Court and, at times, write appellate briefs and argue before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The attorney hired for this position will be assigned a variety of defensive civil matters involving various areas of federal law, with a focus on employment and tort litigation, including medical malpractice. Applicants with prior experience handling one or both of the following types of litigation should describe that work in their cover letter:

1. Employment

2. Tort

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Security Requirements: 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.

Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
• Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

Applicants must demonstrate strong analytical skills and the ability to accurately identify the critical issues in a case. Applicants must also possess superior oral and writing skills, strong research skills, and the ability to exercise good judgment. To be successful, applicants must possess excellent communication and courtroom skills, and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff and client agencies. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment and in the highest ethical manner.

Applicants will be expected to do their own legal research and writing, and will be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. Applicants also must demonstrate excellent computer literacy skills to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic e-mail and word processing systems.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree.

Additional information

Salary Information : Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $86,261 to $197,100, which includes 31.57% locality pay.

Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized. A relocation incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications.

Recruitment incentives may be authorized if this position is determined to be difficult to fill, if supported by the skills of the selected candidate, and subject to the availability of funds.

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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.

Travel : Occasional travel within and outside the District will be 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.

Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here:

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.