Assistant United States Attorney - Houston, United States - Department Of Justice

Description

Summary

The U.S.

Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas is among the busiest and largest in the nation, spanning 43 counties and 44,000 square miles and representing 8.3 million people from the Houston area to the Mexico border.

Employment with the U.S. Attorney's Office is a unique, challenging, and rewarding experience for the highly motivated attorney.

Learn more about this agency

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Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

12/01/2023 to 11/29/2024

• Salary

$85,703 - $183,400 per year

• Pay scale & grade

AD 23

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Houston, TX
• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent -* Work schedule

Full-time -* Service

Excepted

• Promotion potential

29

• Job family (Series)

0905 Attorney

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk

Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

• Trust determination process

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

24-SDTX AUSA

• Control number

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This job is open to

• The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

All United States Citizens and Nationals

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Duties

First round consideration will be given to applications submitted by December 17, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. Applicant list will be reviewed every 30 days.

As an AUSA in the Appellate Division, you will research, write appellate briefs and post-conviction responses, and present oral arguments on a variety of complex and novel issues involving the constitution, statutory construction, evidentiary and procedural matters, and sentencing issues.

The appeals arise from diverse crimes, such as health care fraud, mortgage fraud, other complex fraud, organized drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, alien smuggling and other immigration offenses.

You will also provide real-time trial assistance to Criminal Division AUSAs.

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

• 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. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Background Investigation, credit and tax checks, and drug test required.
• 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.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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.
• Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.

Qualifications


Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have at least 3 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.


Preferred Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will possess strong academic credentials, superior legal research and writing skills, quick analytical ability to accurately and precisely articulate critical case-related issues, high-volume briefing and appellate courtroom experience, outstanding organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a supportive and professional team environment with other AUSAs, support staff, and investigative agencies, and a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility, and public service.

Successful candidates will be computer proficient, capable of doing their own legal research and writing, and self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings.

Relevant favorable experience includes oral advocacy in appellate or district court.

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

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

All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis.

This position is located in Houston, TX.

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 $85,703 to $183,400 (basic range of pay includes a locality rate of 34.47%).

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.

*

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: 1 to 5 nights per month on average.

Type of Position:

All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

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.

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.

Diversity Statement:

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.

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• Benefits

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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.

Review our benefits

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Evaluation Method:
Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview.

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Veterans' Preference:

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 indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference.

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, 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 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).

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.