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Trial Attorney

Department of Justice
Offices, Boards and Divisions
Criminal Division

Summary

The White Collar and Corporate Enforcement (formerly Fraud) Section plays a unique and essential role in the Department's fight against sophisticated economic crime, foreign bribery, and other forms of complex misconduct that endanger public health and safety. The Section investigates and prosecutes cases across the country and leads the Department's corporate enforcement efforts.

The Section is seeking qualified, experienced attorneys for Trial Attorney positions in each of its five units.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—Limited to situational telework in accordance with agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$143,913 - $197,200 per year

Unless you have prior federal service, you will likely start at step 1 of the pay scale which is GS-14: $143,913; GS-15: $169,279.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14 - 15
Promotion potential
15
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
50% or less - Frequent travel will be required.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
27-CRM-WCCES-003
Control number
891986500

Duties

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Generally, as a Trial Attorney in the Section, the incumbent (depending on the unit):

  • In collaboration with managers, carries out and fosters effective investigations and prosecutions, including advising on strategy and legal complexities, and developing litigation priorities, policy, and legislative recommendations.
  • Recommends charging decisions and proposes dispositions with regard to assigned cases.
  • Partners with Assistant U.S. Attorneys and attorneys in other federal law enforcement agencies in the development, management, and trial of complex, white-collar and corporate investigations and prosecutions.
  • Engages in all phases of investigation and litigation, including, but not limited to, using the grand jury, using federal investigative tools and handling electronic evidence, advising federal law enforcement agents, preparing appropriate pleadings, appearing for hearings at all phases of criminal proceedings, and litigating motions and trials before U.S. District Courts across the country.
  • Evaluates reports of potential violations of financial fraud laws, the FDCA, the CPSA, FCPA, FEPA and other statutes related to economic crimes (relevant laws) from both internal and outside sources to determine whether investigation is warranted.
  • Advises and instructs Assistant U.S. Attorneys on complicated questions of law and Departmental policy with respect to relevant laws.
  • Represents the U.S. in direct negotiations and discussions with corporate counsel and high-level officials. Participates in discussions with opposing counsel for defendants and in the formulation of resolutions often having far-reaching legal consequences.
  • Devise structural, monetary, and compliance components of corporate resolutions, evaluate corporate compliance programs, and oversee post-resolution matters.
  • Advises and consults with Division and Section leadership, reporting on the status of all cases and matters related to criminal remedies.
Additional for FSP:
  • Supervises review of potentially protected and privileged materials to ensure that attorneys comply with their ethical obligations regarding legal privilege.
  • Supervises and manages team of attorneys engaged in the review of potentially privileged materials.
  • Works directly with agents/prosecutors to ensure they are not exposed to potentially privileged materials.
  • Engages in all phases of litigation of privilege matters.
  • Helps ensure that all attorneys comply with their ethical obligations related to legal privilege.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to qualify for this position.
  • You must undergo a pre-employment security investigation.
  • All male applicants born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the selective service. If selected, 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.
  • You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
  • A two-year trial period may be required.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: Interested applicants must possess a J.D., or equivalent, degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.

Grade Specific Qualifications:

  • To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, applicants must have at least two and a half (2.5) years post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-13 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; composing pleadings, briefs, and other court documents involving legal issues in civil or criminal litigation; and conducting civil or criminal litigation.
  • To qualify at the GS-15 grade level, applicants must have at least four (4) years post J.D. legal experience, one of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: independently performing legal analysis; composing pleadings, briefs and other court documents involving unique and/or difficult legal issues in civil or criminal litigation; conducting highly complex civil or criminal litigation; and leading paralegals and support staff.
Preferred Qualifications:
All units:
  • Experience as a criminal prosecutor.
  • Experience with complex white- collar and corporate investigations and prosecutions.
  • Experience in supporting, litigating, and supervising federal or state criminal cases.
  • Experience in U.S. District Court or state court.
  • Experience conducting investigations of, charging, and resolving charges with individuals as well as organizations and entities, including corporations.
  • Experience with the federal judiciary.
  • Experience working with law enforcement agencies and other prosecuting authorities,foreign or domestic.
Additional for FSP:
  • Expertise in the law of legal privilege, including the Attorney-Client Privilege, Work Product Doctrine, Spousal Privilege, and all exceptions to such privileges, including waiver and the crime-fraud exception.
  • Experience supervising attorneys and support staff engaged in the review of potentially privileged materials.
  • Experience overseeing large-scale document reviews, including familiarity with document review platforms.
  • Experience litigating privilege matters in federal court.

Education

A J.D., or equivalent, degree.

Applicants who possess an equivalent degree rather than a J.D. may be subject to additional review by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement to fill vacancies that occur subsequent to this announcement.

The Criminal Division participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

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. Additional information on DOJ's EEO policy can be found on our website.

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.

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.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please reach out to criminal.crmjobs@usdoj.gov or (202) 514-0361 for alternative application procedures.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Human Resources team at CRM.RA@usdoj.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Fair Chance to Compete: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to criminal.crmjobs@usdoj.gov. Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13110927.

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 include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. 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, 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).

Offices, Boards and Divisions

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit prosecutes individuals and companies involved in foreign bribery and extortion in violation of the FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA) and related offenses such as money laundering.

The Securities, Market and Private Fraud (SMP) Unit prosecutes consumer fraud, securities fraud, market manipulation, and other complex schemes that defraud, harm, and otherwise exploit Americans, U.S. markets, investors, companies, banks and other financial institutions.

The Health and Safety Unit (HSU) prosecutes violations of federal law designed to protect public health and safety, including the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).

The Corporate Enforcement and Compliance (CEC) Unit manages the Section's corporate enforcement practice, including working with and advising teams on the structural, monetary, and compliance components of corporate resolutions, evaluating corporate compliance programs, and overseeing post-resolution matters. CEC also provides guidance on corporate enforcement and compliance policies.

The Filter and Special Projects (FSP) Unit focuses on matters involving attorney-client privilege and other protections and works with the FCPA, HSU, and SMP units to establish uniform practices for handling evidence collection and review that implicate claims of attorney-client or other privileges. FSP also litigates filter and privilege-related matters when necessary.

Agency contact information

Human Resources

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Offices, Boards and Divisions, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.justice.gov/criminal

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