Duties
The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan is seeking an experienced attorney to serve in the Civil Division. Serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) assigned to the Civil Division, you will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce federal civil laws that protect life, liberty, and property of citizens. Civil Division cases encompass affirmative litigation where the United States investigates and prosecutes civil violations of federal law, including without limitation, violations of the False Claims Act, and defensive litigation. The chosen attorney may be placed in any of the Civil Division's three units: Civil Rights, Defensive Litigation, or Affirmative Litigation.
Specifically, we are seeking an AUSA to fill a vacant position in our Affirmative Litigation Unit. However, the selected candidate(s) may be assigned to any of the Civil Division unites and, as a secondary role, may have the opportunity to work collaboratively with other AUSA's within the assigned unit to pursue the office's mission in a variety of contexts.
The Affirmative Litigation Unit pursues affirmative civil enforcement actions against public and private entities, and individuals that engage in fraud, violate federal laws, or damage federal lands or resources. Enforcement actions may address Controlled Substances Act violations, health care fraud, CARES Act fraud, procurement fraud, customs fraud and grant fraud, including qui tam whistleblower cases. Attorneys are responsible for handling all aspects of investigations and litigation, including gathering evidence, taking testimony, researching the law, drafting memoranda and pleadings, motion practice, negotiating resolutions, and appearing in court hearings and trials. Familiarity and experience with requesting, producing, and analyzing voluminous electronic discovery, and a facility with the use of technology to identify relevant documents is important.
The Civil Rights Unit enforces federal civil rights statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status, and national origin. Attorneys are responsible for handling all aspects of investigations and litigation, including gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, researching the law, drafting memoranda and pleadings, and appearing in court at hearings and trials.
The Defensive Litigation Unit defends the United States, its agencies, and employees in a wide variety of defensive civil matters in federal court, involving tort, employment discrimination, constitutional, Administrative Procedures Act, immigration, and numerous other claims. Attorneys handle all aspects of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, arguments, alternative dispute resolution, pre-trial matters, trials and appeals.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
- You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
- J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
- All initial attorney appointments in the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis. Temporary appointments may, or may not, be made permanent without further competition.
- Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications:
The attorney must have a very strong ability to analyze complex legal and factual issues, write clearly and persuasively, possess a strong work ethic, exhibit good organizational skills, exercise fair and sound judgment, pay careful attention to facts and details, work well both independently and on a team, be ready and willing to volunteer to help other attorneys, be able to negotiate fairly and effectively with opposing counsel, handle matters in court persuasively on behalf of the United States of America, and be devoted to justice, excellence, and representing the public.
Newly-hired civil AUSAs are expected to quickly develop subject matter expertise in the areas in which the Civil Division regularly practices, and to possess or rapidly acquire expert-level knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and the Federal Rules of Evidence, as appropriate.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 3 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
Proof of active bar membership is required.
United States citizenship is required.
Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a diverse complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all taken into account. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or as a judicial clerk are also considered.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Required - Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
- Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year). (cover letter optional).
- Required - A legal writing sample, not to exceed 15 pages, that highlights your analytical and written communication skills and your ability to apply law to facts.
- Required - A completed organizational questionnaire. Use this link https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-03/ausa_application_questionnaire.pdf and submit in your application packet.
- Required - Copy of Bar Membership, in good standing.
- Required - Copy of unofficial Law School transcripts, confirming J.D. degree.
- Required, if applicable - To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
Department of Justice Policies:
Equal Employment Opportunity: The Department of Justice is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment for all employees and applicants. See
U.S. Department of Justice Equal Employment Opportunity Policy for complete details.
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 targeted/severe 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 who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-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.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
- Position title;
- Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
- Agency; and
- Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/07/2024 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit and tax checks, and a drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 120 days after the closing date of the announcement.