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Trial Attorney

Department of Justice
Offices, Boards and Divisions
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, is seeking highly qualified attorneys to serve as Trial Attorneys in its seven civil enforcement sections in Washington, DC or in its San Francisco, CA office.

The attorneys hired can expect to be given significant responsibility and have immediate involvement with matters of national importance.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/26/2021 to 08/27/2021
Salary
$122,530 to - $172,500 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14 - 15
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
San Francisco, CA
Washington, DC
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
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
E21-04-O05
Control number
608822200

Duties

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The Antitrust Division seeks to attract, employ and retain individuals of exceptional ability and talent from all walks of life. Our work environment is open, diverse, collegial and inclusive. The Antitrust Division highly values and fosters a work environment of equal opportunity for all.

Upon entry into service, the Division likely will assign attorneys hired to one or more of the Division's ongoing matters involving potentially anticompetitive practices at various internet and technology companies ("Tech Matters"), working in Washington, DC or San Francisco, CA.

After the attorneys' service on the Tech Matters has ended, they will join one of the Division's seven civil litigating sections in Washington, DC or its office in San Francisco, CA. The sections in Washington, DC, are responsible for civil antitrust enforcement and litigation, competition advocacy, and competition policy in multiple sectors of the economy, as described below:

  • Civil Conduct Task Force: investigating and prosecuting civil nonmerger matters across a broad range of industries.
  • Defense, Industrials & Aerospace Section: defense, avionics and aeronautics, industrial equipment, road and highway construction, metals and mining and waste industries.
  • Financial Services, Fintech & Banking Section: financial services and technology, credit and debit cards, residential real estate services, book and ebook publishing, printing, concert ticketing, promotions and venues.
  • Healthcare & Consumer Products Section: healthcare and health insurance, wood and paper products, dairy, bread, beer, and other food and retail products.
  • Media, Entertainment & Communications Section: television and motion picture production and distribution, music, newspapers and mass-market publishing, radio and television broadcasting, pay television (including cable, satellite and streaming services), sports, recreation and gambling, wireline and wireless telecommunications (including mobile and enterprise services), commercial satellite communications services, internet (the services, infrastructure and hardware that comprise the foundation of the Internet) and telecommunications equipment.
  • Technology & Digital Platforms Section: computer hardware and software, high technology component manufacturing, internet-related businesses, and gig economy platforms.
  • Transportation, Energy, & Agriculture Section: aviation, railroads, trucking, ocean shipping, hotels, restaurants, travel services, electricity, oil field services, crops, seeds, fish and livestock.
The San Francisco Office investigates both criminal and civil antitrust matters, though this posting is for attorneys with a primary interest and experience in civil investigations and litigation.

Responsibilities as a Trial Attorney in one of the Division's civil sections include merger review, civil investigations and litigation of anticompetitive conduct as well as public advocacy for policies that ensure an innovative and competitive marketplace. Attorneys in these sections frequently grapple with challenging cases involving technical complexity, technological change, barriers to entry and evolving competitive and regulatory landscapes. Attorneys in the Civil Conduct Task Force work almost exclusively on civil conduct matters, and generally do not work on merger review. Attorneys in the other civil litigating sections in DC work mostly on merger review, though will also have opportunities to work on civil conduct matters.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a US citizen to be considered for this position.
  • You must undergo a pre-employment security investigation.
  • You may be required to take and successfully clear a drug test.
  • You must submit a complete application package by closing.
  • You must meet all time-in-grade and qualification requirements by closing.
  • SELECTIVE SERIVCE: All male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must have registered for the selective service (see http://www.sss.gov/). If selected for this position, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
  • DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
  • This is a full time, permanent appointment in the excepted service, not eligible for inclusion in the bargaining unit.
  • This is a non-supervisory appointment, subject to a one-year trial period in accordance with 5 CFR 316.304.
  • The Antitrust Division participates in the E-Verify program.
  • When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
  • Applications mailed using government postage and/or internal federal government mailing systems are in violation of agency and postal regulations and will not be accepted.
  • Please Note: Additional selections may be made from this announcement. Also, a writing sample may be requested of individuals identified as best qualified, to be forwarded to the selecting official along with your application package, upon referral.

Qualifications

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the position qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this position, your resume and supporting documentation will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. To qualify, an applicant must:

  1. Be a citizen of the United States;
  2. Possess a J.D. or equivalent degree, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least two and one-half years of post J.D. legal experience to qualify at the GS-14 level, and/or at least four years of post J.D. legal experience to qualify at the GS-15 level;
  3. Have experience in the investigation of potential federal civil or criminal antitrust and/or white-collar criminal violations, or general federal litigation experience, including criminal and/or civil cases; and
  4. Demonstrate excellent writing, analytical, and interpersonal skills.

Education

You must possess a J.D. or equivalent degree to qualify for consideration as a Trial Attorney for the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division.

Additional information

The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination based on color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or personal favoritism. 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. 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.

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. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. citizens are 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.

We place a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspective and encourage applications from all interested eligible candidates, including candidates from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, women, LGBT individuals, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants
DOJ EEO Statement/Policy
OPM Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement
DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement
Veterans Information
Legal and Regulatory Guidance

If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Personnel Section at ATR.personnel@usdoj.gov or 202-514-2469 to obtain an alternative application.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the position qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this position, your resume and supporting documentation will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration.

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 veteran's preference are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions.

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.

This and selected other legal position announcements can be found at https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers.

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