Trial Attorney

This vacancy is for 1 or more positions. The duty location is Washington, D.C. This is not a remote position. The Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice is the nation's largest and most experienced environmental law firm and is often ranked among the federal government's best places to work. ENRD is seeking experienced litigators for its Appellate Section

Duties

ENRD represents virtually every major federal agency in federal courts in novel and complex litigation arising under more than 80 natural resource, environmental, and public lands statutes, various treaties and international agreements, interstate compacts, and congressional referrals. ENRD litigates important questions of administrative, constitutional, property, and Federal Indian law as well.

The Appellate Section is responsible for handling the appeals from most Division cases, usually in the federal courts of appeals and sometimes in state appellate courts. Section attorneys draft briefs and present oral argument in all thirteen federal courts of appeals. They also prepare appeal and amicus recommendations for the Solicitor General and drafts for the Office of the Solicitor General of petitions and briefs in Appellate Section cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. New attorneys to the Section will be immediately responsible for briefing and arguing cases, with guidance and mentoring from the experienced appellate litigators and managers in the Section.

The work of the Section is varied and often affords attorneys the opportunity to be involved in some of the most complex and important cases in the areas of the law handled by ENRD. Applicants should possess strong legal writing and reasoning abilities and be comfortable with general principles of federal jurisdiction and federal civil procedure.

Salary

• $120,579 - $195,200/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
• You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.
• J.D. degree required, must be an active member of the bar, any jurisdiction.

Qualifications

Successful applicants must have the following:

• At least 3 years of post J.D. civil or environmental litigation and/or judicial experience to qualify for the GS-13 level.
• At least 4 years of post J.D. civil or environmental litigation and/or judicial experience to qualify for the GS-14 level.
• At least 5 years of post J.D. civil or environmental litigation and/or judicial experience to qualify for the GS-15 level.

In addition to the above qualifications, applicants must possess a J.D. degree; be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction); and be a U.S. citizen or national. Experience in appellate litigation, administrative law, and/or environmental, natural resources, or Federal Indian law is highly desirable.

Years of experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The possible salary range is:

• GS-13 ($120,579 - $156,755)
• GS-14 ($142,488 - $185,234)
• GS-15 ($167,603 - $195,200)

YOUR RESUMÉ MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Education All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Other Information

Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/. To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214; official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.

Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and 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. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes to resume@benderconsult.com, and reference "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line. Additional information is found at:http://www.benderconsult.com

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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov

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. 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.

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.

Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after HR office issues the certificate of eligibles.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes the following:

• Resumé demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained
• Brief statement of interest
• Writing sample
• Copy of J.D. degree transcripts
• DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable

Your resumé MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties. If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).

How to Apply

You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY Online button. Follow the prompts to answer a few questions and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

Applicants must submit a current resume, brief statement of interest, writing sample, law school transcript, and DD-214 (if applicable).

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Office of Human Resources using the contact information listed below.

Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd .

This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers

Benefits

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