U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL / CIVIL LITIGATION SECTION EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS / GS-11 to GS-14 (PROMOTION POTENTIAL to GS-15)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL / CIVIL LITIGATION SECTION
EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS / GS-11 to GS-14
(PROMOTION POTENTIAL to GS-15)

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking experienced attorneys to work in the Civil Litigation Section, Office of Chief Counsel, DEA Headquarters, located in Arlington, Virginia.

Position Description: The attorney will be responsible for providing litigation support in Bivens, Title VII, FTCA, and other civil matters in the Federal Courts involving DEA and its employees. The attorney will also be responsible for representing DEA before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and for providing legal counsel to DEA management in a variety of personnel/employment law and other civil matters.

Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), and have at least 5 years of post-J.D. legal experience. Applicants must also have 1) Significant litigation experience and/or experience in Federal Personnel/Employment Law, 2) Excellent academic credentials; 3) Strong oral and written communication and advocacy skills; 4) Superior legal research and analytical skills; and 5) Experience in dealing with complex legal and policy issues. Proficiency in computer-aided legal research and computer word processing is preferred. Applicants should also meet eligibility requirements for a Top Secret Clearance.

Salary Information: Current salary and years of legal experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The possible salary range is from GS-11 ($58,206-$75,699) to GS-15 ($115,317-$149,000).

Application Procedure: Applicants must submit a detailed resume, a cover letter highlighting relevant experience, a legal writing sample, a certificate or letter of good standing from the bar, and the DEA Drug Questionnaire described below to:

Drug Enforcement Administration Headquarters
Office of Chief Counsel
ATTN: Assistant Deputy Chief Counsel, Litigation and Policy (E-12001)
8701 Morrissette Drive
Springfield, Virginia 22152

No telephone calls, please. Applications must be received by October 31, 2008.

Applicants who are found, through investigation or personal admission, to have experimented with or used narcotics or dangerous drugs, except those medically prescribed, will not be considered for employment with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Exceptions to this policy may be made for applicants who admit to limited youthful and experimental use of marijuana. Such applicants may be considered for employment if there is no evidence of regular, confirmed usage and the full-field background investigation and results of the other steps in the process are otherwise favorable.

Compliance with this policy is an essential requirement of the position. All applicants must complete the DEA Drug Questionnaire and submit it with their application package. A copy can be located at www.dea.gov under “Jobs”. The link to the questionnaire is located in the paragraph on the page.

Additional Information: This and selected other attorney vacancy 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 sex, sexual orientation, color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, 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.