Legal Careers
Trial Attorney
The Criminal Division is seeking qualified, experienced attorneys for 2-year renewable term positions in the Fraud Section's Market Integrity and Major Frauds ("MIMF") Unit located in Washington, DC. Upon accepting an offer of employment, applicants will be expected to make a three-year commitment to the Fraud Section.
The Market Integrity and Major Frauds (MIMF) Unit's approximately 45 prosecutors focus on the prosecution of complex and sophisticated securities, commodities, corporate, and investment fraud cases. The MIMF Unit works closely with regulatory partners at the SEC, CFTC, and other agencies to tackle major national and international fraud schemes. In carrying out this mission, the MIMF Unit has brought a number of significant prosecutions against corporate executives for securities and accounting fraud, as well as cases involving market manipulation and commodities fraud in the financial services industry. The MIMF Unit also focuses on combating a broader array of financial and corporate fraud, including government procurement fraud, bank fraud, mortgage fraud, and consumer fraud.
The MIMF Unit is organized internally to focus on five well-defined missions, or concentrations: Financial Institution Fraud; Securities Fraud; Commodities Fraud; Consumer, Regulatory and Investment Fraud; and Procurement Fraud and Bribery.
An opening is available in the MIMF Unit for a Trial Attorney. Upon accepting an offer of employment, applicants must make a three-year commitment to the Fraud Section. Applicants to this announcement may also be considered for other Attorney positions within the Fraud Section, including positions located in the Medicare Strike Forces throughout the U.S.
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 will serve as a Trial Attorney in the MIMF Unit and, as such, will independently direct, conduct, and monitor investigations, prepare for and conduct trials, and advise on pleadings and other court filings.
Generally, as a Trial Attorney in the MIMF Unit, the incumbent:
- Evaluates reports of potential criminal violations of the commodities, securities, and financial fraud laws from both internal and outside sources to determine whether investigation is warranted.
- In collaboration other Trial Attorneys and unit managers, carries out and develops effective investigations and prosecutions. Recommends charging decisions, proposes dispositions, and navigates assigned cases through all phases, including grand jury proceedings, pretrial litigation and motions hearings, trials, plea hearings, sentencing hearings, and post-conviction proceedings before U.S. District Courts across the country.
- Routinely leads teams of federal agents from the FBI, USPIS, IRS, FDIC-OIG, and others.
- Drafts legal process and utilizes domestic and international evidence collection tools, including subpoenas, search warrants, and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties.
- Advises on strategy and legal complexities, and in developing litigation priorities, policy, and legislative recommendations.
- Partners with and leads 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.
- Conducts investigations in parallel to federal agencies including, but not limited to, SEC and CFTC; works with consultants and experts; analyzes relevant data and evidence.
- Collaborates with foreign prosecutors and foreign law enforcement officers on international investigations.
- Represents the United States 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 settlements often having far-reaching legal consequences.
- Advises and consults with the Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Section Chief, et al., reporting on the status of all cases and matters related to civil/criminal remedies.
Required: 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. 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:
Your qualifications will be further evaluated based upon the following competencies:
- Federal prosecutorial experience.
- Experience with and knowledge of white-collar criminal matters.
- Federal court experience.
- Trial experience.
- Experience conducting investigations of individuals as well as corporations and other business entities.
The Application Package must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
Any applicant who has, in the previous 24 months, applied for a position with the Fraud Section must note the date of any such application and position applied for in the applicant’s cover letter. Please highlight recent relevant experience gained since the time of any previous application.
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/591969300
The salary range for this position is $144,128 to $172,500 per annum, which includes locality pay. See OPM’s Web page at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2021/….
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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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