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Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA)

Department of Justice
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys
United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of California - Criminal Division
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Employment with the U.S. Attorney's Office is a unique and challenging experience for the highly motivated attorney: an opportunity to litigate a broad range of cases involving significant, complex issues on behalf of the United States in federal court being litigated today. Working in the Criminal Division, you will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal laws that protect life, liberty and property.


This position is located in Oakland, CA.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/04/2021 to 03/31/2022
Salary
$0 to - $0 without compensation
Pay scale & grade
AD 21
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Oakland, CA
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
Temporary
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
21-NDCA-11137231-ES
Control number
603716100

Duties

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An appointment with the U.S. Attorney's Office offers unique and challenging experiences for the highly motivated attorney. Working in the Criminal Division, Oakland Branch, the Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal laws. The SAUSA will be primarily responsible for prosecuting offenders for alleged violations of federal firearms laws pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 922, and supervised release conditions pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3583. Duties will include handling cases from the initiation of the federal prosecution through trial or guilty plea and sentencing. Duties will also include prosecuting defendants who have violated the conditions of federal supervised release following a conviction for a federal offense, from initial appearance through final disposition. When possible, the SAUSA may participate in training related to investigating and prosecuting federal crimes.

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

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. judicial legal or other relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications:
Preferred applicants will possess superior oral and written communications skills, strong interpersonal skills; and the capacity to function in a highly demanding environment with minimal guidance. Additional, it is desired that the successful candidate have a strong academic credential and at least two years of post- J.D. experience.

If you currently represent an opposing party in litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice, please refer to Rule 3-310 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct. : If you currently represent an opposing party in litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice or represent a client under investigation by the U.S., please refer to Rule 1-7 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and / or the relevant conflict of interest Rules of Professional Conduct in the jurisdiction in which you are licensed to practice. The U.S. Attorney's Office considers California Rule 1-7 to be implicated when an attorney licensed in California applies for a position with the U.S. Attorney's office while also representing a client in litigation opposing the U.S. or knowingly under investigation by the U.S.

United States citizenship is required.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

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

Travel: Occasional travel may be required.

Type of Position: This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 1 year. This position may be extended without further competition.

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

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.

Note: Employees of the Department of Justice, including 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 Uncompensated 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

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree

Additional information

Salary Information: None - This is a uncompensated position. Employee benefits for this position will be limited.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Department of Justice Policies

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.

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.

Employees may be eligible for up to 2 days a week of telework after of 3 months with this USAO & certified as ready to telework.

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 who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-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 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.

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).


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 color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit 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.

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