Legal Careers
Trial Attorney
In Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section's (MLARS) International Unit, prosecutors focus on investigating, prosecuting and litigating complex criminal and civil matters involving international, multi-jurisdictional money laundering schemes, including especially actions aimed at combatting large-scale foreign official corruption and international money laundering offenses impacting the integrity of the U.S. financial system. Attorneys also provide assistance to the field and foreign law enforcement partners seeking to forfeit assets.
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.
MLARS seeks several qualified prosecutors and litigators for the Department of Justice's anti-corruption initiative. The Department's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative is aimed at combating large scale international corruption, preventing international criminal networks from corrupting the U.S. financial system, and recovering the proceeds of foreign official corruption. To date, MLARS prosecutors have initiated multiple criminal and civil actions as part of the Department's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative including cases alleging the misappropriation of billions of dollars in funds from various governments or state-owned institutions. These include a major sovereign wealth entity in Malaysia and the Governments of Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, as well as major international bribery and kickback schemes in Ukraine, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, and Honduras.
This is a litigating position. The successful candidate's responsibilities will include:
- Instituting complex, sensitive, and high profile criminal and civil investigations and cases targeting high level foreign corruption and international money laundering schemes aimed at laundering the proceeds of foreign corruption through the U.S. financial system.
- Collaborating on a frequent basis with foreign prosecutors and foreign law enforcement officers and working closely with federal law enforcement agencies, U.S. Attorneys' Offices and other Sections within the Criminal Division, including the Office of International Affairs, and the Fraud Section.
- Developing and strengthening strategic international partnerships and treaty relationships with foreign authorities.
- Handling the repatriation of funds to states harmed by corruption utilizing various authorities.
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 or participating in a signficant role in highly complex civil or criminal litigation; and leading paralegals and support staff.
Preferred Qualifications:
Your qualifications will be further evaluated based upon the following competencies:
- Ability to plan and carry out complex cases involving violations of federal statutes.
- Superior oral advocacy preparation and experience.
- Superior written and analytical skills.
- Fluency in Spanish is desired, but not required.
Due to the high volume of applicant interest, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. A list of eligible candidates will be referred to the hiring managers every 2 weeks during the open period of the announcement. The announcement may be closed at any time once all selections are made. If you are interested in applying, it is recommended that you do so early.
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/534704000.
The salary range for this position is $137,849-$166,500 per annum, which includes locality pay. See OPM's Web page at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/sala…
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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.
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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