ATTORNEY VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE SECTION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
GS-14/15
OPEN: AUGUST 1, 2008
CLOSE: OCTOBER 3, 2008
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: ENRD-08-067-EXC
About the Office: : The Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking experienced litigators for its Environmental Defense Section (“EDS” or “Section”) in Washington, D.C.
The Environmental Defense Section represents the United States in complex civil litigation arising under a broad range of environmental statutes. EDS is the only section in the Environment Division that routinely handles cases in both federal circuit and district courts. EDS defends rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and other agencies under the pollution control laws, brings enforcement actions against those who destroy wetlands in violation of the Clean Water Act, and defends the United States against challenges to its cleanup and compliance actions at Superfund sites, federally-owned facilities and private sites.
Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: Examples of the Section's work include: Defending EPA's Clean Water Act regulations governing cooling water intake structures and the permitting of discharges from factory farms; defending Safe Drinking Water Act regulations setting forth requirements to reduce levels of cryptosporidium and other microbial pathogens in drinking water; defending a broad array of Clean Air Act rules, including revised national ambient air quality standards, national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, revisions to the new source review program, and the Agency’s developing approaches to regulation of greenhouse gases; defending EPA’s safety standards for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada and challenges to the United States' implementation of international treaties involving the elimination of chemical weapons; defending contribution actions alleging that the United States is liable for response costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; and prosecuting civil enforcement actions under the Clean Water Act that have protected hundreds of thousands of wetland acres and recovered millions of dollars in penalties.
Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree and have at least four years of post - J.D., federal civil litigation experience (which may include any time in a federal judicial clerkship), and be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction). The ideal candidate for an EDS trial attorney position must have an excellent academic record and strong analytical, writing, and advocacy skills.
Travel: Travel is required.
Salary Information: Current salary and years of experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The possible salary range is GS-14 ($98,033 - $127,442) to GS-15 ($115,317 - $149,000) per annum.
Location: Washington, DC
Terms of Appointment: Initial appointment to this position is for a period not-to-exceed two years. A selected attorney who performs successfully will be eligible for conversion to a permanent appointment. The selected attorney is eligible for employment benefits such as health and life insurance, the FERS retirement program, paid vacation and sick leave, and a public transportation subsidy.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not authorized.
Submission Process and Deadline Date: Applicants must submit a: 1) resume; 2) short writing sample from an advocacy piece (5-10 pages); 3) law school transcript; and 4) cover letter of not more than 2 pages highlighting relevant litigation, environmental law, and legal writing experience and any other factors that you believe would be a good fit for EDS’ litigation practice to:
U.S. Department of Justice
Environment and Natural Resources Division
Environmental Defense Section
P.O. Box 23986
Washington, D.C. 20026-3986
Attn: Cherie L. Rogers, Assistant Chief
(ENRD–08-067-EXC)
No telephone calls, please.
Applicants closing date Friday, October 3, 2008.
Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment & Natural Resources Division, visit the Justice Department’s web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd.
This and other selected legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html.
Department Policies: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination based on color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or nonmembership in an employee organization, or personal favoritism. 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. 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.
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.
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 are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions.