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Assistant United States Attorney (Appellate)

Department of Justice
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys
This job announcement has closed

Summary

In all matters, it is our mission to represent the people of the United States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness and integrity of our office and the judicial system, and to conduct our work with the highest integrity. We strive to perform our mission in the most efficient and effective manner
.https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx

This position is located in Dallas, Texas.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/21/2021 to 07/02/2021
Salary
$74,871 to - $163,504 per year
Pay scale & grade
AD 21
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Dallas, TX
Telework eligible
No
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)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
21-NDTX-AUSA-11150173
Control number
605030000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All United States Citizens and Nationals

Duties

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The Northern District of Texas is currently seeking applicants for an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) opening in our Appellate Division. This opening offers a unique and challenging experience for a highly motivated attorney as an AUSA for the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas. Working in the Appellate Division, the AUSA will represent the United States in cases on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. They will handle all aspects of appeals from criminal cases prosecuted in the District, including writing appellate briefs and presenting oral arguments on a variety of complex and novel issues involving the Constitution, statutory construction, evidentiary disputes, and procedural matters. Appellate AUSAs also review draft briefs of their fellow AUSAs and participate in moot courts. In addition to defending criminal convictions from appellate challenge, Appellate AUSAs bring affirmative appeals to the Fifth Circuit from adverse district court decisions.

Aside from their work in the Fifth Circuit, Appellate AUSAs keep abreast of changes and developments in the law, providing valuable guidance to the U.S. Attorney and fellow AUSAs on significant legal issues. Additionally, the Appellate Division responds to post-conviction challenges in the district court, such as motions to vacate or correct criminal judgments and sentences. Finally, Appellate AUSAs consult with the Solicitor General's Office and the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice regarding potential government appeals, petitions for rehearing en banc, and U.S. Supreme Court litigation stemming from criminal cases in the District.


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 www.sss.gov.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen or National.
  • Background Investigation, credit and tax checks, and drug test required.
  • 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 1* year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.


United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

A federal clerkship is preferred. Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues involved with a case; superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment; excellent communication and courtroom skills and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with our attorneys, support staff and client agencies, and must have a demonstrated capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.

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 must also 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 $74,871 to $163,504 which includes 24.98% 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.

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:
1-5 nights of travel required per month.

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.

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, http://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 his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was 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.

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