The Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking an experienced litigator for its Appellate Section for a full-time position in Washington, DC.

Please note: If you applied in response to Announcement ENRD-14-025-EXC, which closed April 14, 2014, you need not re-apply. Your application will be considered for this announcement.

Justice seeks to attract, retain, and promote individuals of exceptional ability and talent from all walks of life. The work environment and atmosphere is open, diverse, collegial, and inclusive. There are active affinity groups for African-American; Asian-American; Hispanic; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT); and Native American employees, which are open to all DOJ employees regardless of background. Justice fosters a work environment where people of all backgrounds and experiences may reach their full potential.

Thank you for your help in disseminating this vacancy announcement.  This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies.

Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD)

Attorney, Washington, DC 20004, United States

ENRD-14-067-EXC

About the Office: 

If you applied in response to Announcement ENRD-14-025-EXC, which closed April 14, 2014, you need not re-apply. Your application will be considered for this announcement.

About the Office: The Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) of the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking an experienced litigator for its Appellate Section for a full-time position in Washington, DC.

The Appellate Section is responsible for handling cases in the federal courts of appeals involving the ENRD for preparing appeal recommendations, and for preparing drafts for the Office of the Solicitor General of petitions and briefs in all ENRD cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. For more information about the Environment & Natural Resources Division, visit the Justice Department’s web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/.

Job Description: 

Cases involve such subject matters as: air, water, and solid waste regulation; hazardous substance cleanups; public land and forest management; water rights; Indian treaty rights and Indian gaming; land condemnation; Fifth Amendment takings; fish and wildlife conservation; and criminal environmental prosecutions.

Qualifications: 

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least five or more years of post-J.D. litigation/legal experience, and be a U.S. citizen. Applicants with U.S. Court of Appeals experience or with a background in environmental or natural resources law will be preferred.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience you report relative to this position. Paid and unpaid experience will be considered.

This is a permanent appointment with a probationary period following a security clearance, for a full time position. Selected attorneys are eligible for employment benefits such as health and life insurance, the FERS retirement program, paid vacation and sick leave, and a public transportation subsidy.

Salary: Current salary and years of experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The possible salary range is GS-13 ($89,924 – $116,901); GS-14 ($106,263 – $138,136), and GS-15 ($124,995 – $157,100) per annum.

Travel: Periodic travel is required.

Application Process: Applications must be received by Tuesday, September 16, 2014.

Applicants must submit a current resume, cover letter highlighting relevant experience and salary history, a writing sample, and OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment (found at this link: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf to:

U.S. Department of Justice, ENRD
Appellate Section
Attn: Aaron Avila, Assistant Chief
Please reference vacancy announcement number ENRD-14-067-EXC.

Email applications only, please to: ATTYAPPLY-APP.ENRD@USDOJ.GOV

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No telephone calls, please.

Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Number of Positions: 1

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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 color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit 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.

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 targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to register for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared List of People with Disabilities (the Bender Disability Employment Registry) by submitting their resume to resume@benderconsult.com

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and referencing “Federal Career Opportunities” in the subject line.  Additional information about the Bender Registry is available at www.benderconsult.com [external link].  Individuals with disabilities may also contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC).  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. 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.

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 his  or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

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This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.