Legal Careers
Attorney Advisor
The Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) leads the Department's asset forfeiture and anti-money laundering enforcement efforts. This position is assigned to the Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit, which litigates civil and criminal forfeiture cases for the Division and, in appropriate cases, in partnership with United States Attorneys' Offices (USAO).
This position is based in Washington, D.C. However, applicants requesting to work in other locations on a full-time telework arrangement will be considered. If the telework location is outside Washington, D.C., the applicant will receive locality pay based on the telework duty location. Please consult https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/ for full pay tables.
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.
The incumbent is primarily responsible for handling of all of the Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit's review functions pertaining to civil and criminal forfeiture and money laundering litigation. The incumbent also provides training, support, and policy guidance related to asset forfeiture and money laundering matters. As an Attorney Advisor, the incumbent:
- Develops and implements strategies to address the training and professional development needs of federal prosecutors responsible for asset forfeiture and money laundering in both the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Department of Justice components.
- Serves as a primary point of contact for offices, components, and individual prosecutors that are requesting support for their efforts to build and maintain effective and efficient forfeiture and money laundering programs, in recognition of the significant turnover of personnel in the community of federal prosecutors with responsibility for these functions.
- Identifies offices and components that may benefit from individualized support and conducting outreach to those offices and components, and providing or coordinating the provision of such support.
- Develops and maintains working relationships with partners at the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, other litigating components, and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies who are directly involved in the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
- Advises and instructs federal agents and prosecutors on complicated questions of law and Departmental policy related to forfeiture, money laundering, remission, and equitable sharing.
- Provides basic, intermediate, and advanced asset forfeiture and money laundering training related to general forfeiture and money laundering policies and laws, victim compensation, and equitable sharing, to other federal prosecutors, federal, state and local law enforcement, and international partners, and participating and presenting at national and international meetings, conferences, and seminars.
- Assists with formulating MLARS’ training plans and strategies and assisting as needed with the planning of MLARS’ training.
- Serves as a resource as needed to the MLARS team producing the Quick Release and case outlines publications.
Required Qualifications: Interested applicants must possess a J.D. 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. 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:
The incumbent plays an essential role in the Department’s fight against money laundering and its effort to forfeit criminal proceeds. The incumbent serves in a unique position to function in a highly independent manner to assess and address the training and development needs of the asset forfeiture community as a whole and of offices and components individually. The role requires a seasoned trial attorney with at least 10 years of both civil and criminal trial experience in forfeiture, a deep knowledge of substantive forfeiture and money laundering law, substantial experience with training and presentation on forfeiture and financial tracing, and an ability to effectively communicate and explain concepts. The position requires admission to a bar (to be maintained in good standing); willingness and ability to master concepts, principles, laws, regulations, and practices relating to domestic and international prosecution of complex cases; mastery of clear and persuasive writing; mastery of concise and informative oral presentation; and a high order of skill in analytical and legal reasoning. Furthermore, the position requires experience and/or a strong interest in taking a leadership role in advancing the Department’s forfeiture and money laundering programs by assessing and addressing training and development needs for individuals and organizations. A high degree of diplomacy, integrity, and tact is essential in coordinating training initiatives and conducting outreach efforts, as well as the ability and commitment to build expertise and capability in money laundering and forfeiture law and practice, training, and communication.
The Application Package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
Please submit your application through USAJOBS. The list of required documents can be found in the USAJobs announcement.
- If you do not already have an account, please create a USAjobs account before applying Create an Account. You will be able to upload your resume and supporting documents and complete your profile prior to applying.
- Once you have an account, apply to the USAjobs vacancy: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/571522400
The salary range for this position is $142,701 – $170,800 per annum, which includes locality pay. See OPM’s Web page at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2020….
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Department Policies
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 race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based 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. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
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.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
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 must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-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 is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans: 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 their 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).
USAO Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
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