Assistant United States Attorney

The United States Department of Justice; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

The position will be located in the Criminal Division's Asset Forfeiture Unit of the Western District of Washington.

Asset Forfeiture Unit attorneys participate in investigations to identify assets tied to federal crimes, assist prosecutors in the forfeitures associated with criminal cases, and bring appropriate civil actions against assets that constitute the proceeds of, or that were used to facilitate or conceal, those crimes, including handling the litigation of all third-party claims of

Qualifications

• J.D. degree, bar admission, and at least two years post‑J.D. experience.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Preferred: five or more years post‑J.D. litigation experience, asset forfeiture or financial investigations.

Responsibilities

• Identify assets tied to federal crimes and assist in forfeitures.
• Pursue civil actions against assets and manage third‑party claims.
• Perform legal research and prepare pleadings and day‑to-day correspondence.
• Operate in a highly demanding environment with minimal guidance and maintain ethics.

Skills

Analytical ability

Oral communication

Writing skills

Research skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

J.D. degree

Bar admission

Tools

Computer literacy

Job description

Application Deadline:

About the Office

The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Western District of Washington (WDWA) is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation in Western Washington that involves the United States. A large portion of the work involves investigating and pursuing criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law. The office also handles civil lawsuits by or against a Department or agency of the United States, actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers, and matters to ensure the Civil Rights of Washingtonians are protected. The USAO is divided into two litigating Divisions (Criminal and Civil). The main office is located in Seattle, Washington and a branch office is located in Tacoma, Washington. The office has an authorized strength of approximately 84 Assistant United States Attorneys.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Job Description

The position will be located in the Criminal Division's Asset Forfeiture Unit of the Western District of Washington. Asset Forfeiture Unit attorneys participate in investigations to identify assets tied to federal crimes, assist prosecutors in the forfeitures associated with criminal cases, and bring appropriate civil actions against assets that constitute the proceeds of, or that were used to facilitate or conceal, those crimes, including handling the litigation of all third-party claims of ownership of assets forfeited from the defendant.
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.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least two (2) years of post J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
Ideal qualifications include at least five (5) years of post-J.D. litigation experience, and experience in the field of asset forfeiture and/or financial investigations involving money laundering.
Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and an ability to synthesize a wide range of data, help direct an investigation and have the ability to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case. Applicants must demonstrate superior oral and writing skills, strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment. Applicants must possess excellent communication and courtroom skills, and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff and client agencies. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment and in the highest ethical manner.
Applicants will be expected to do their own legal research and writing, and will be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. Applicants also must demonstrate excellent computer literacy skills.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Required - Your responses to the OnlineOccupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the online application process).
• Required - Cover Letter referencing vacancy announcement26-WAW-13046786-AUSA. Candidates for the position are requested to address the following in their cover letter and/or resume, to the extent applicable:
  • Experience in asset forfeiture matters;
  • Commitment to/interest in Asset Forfeiture;
  • Experience working on complex civil litigation including:
    • Managing or organizing teams in litigation, including supervision of paralegals as part of litigation team
    • Working on civil discovery, including taking depositions, drafting and responding to discovery requests
  • Experience in conducting or overseeing financial investigations;
  • Experience in white collar criminal cases, including investigations/cases involving money laundering.
• Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages -see USAJOBS for formatting requirements . Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
  • Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
  • Employer name and contact information,
  • Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
  • Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
  • A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

• Required - Writing Sample. Include a sample of your legal writing, such as a portion or all of an appellate brief, memorandum of points and authorities, or opinion letter. The writing sample should be a recent example of your work and demonstrate your ability to analyze legal issues and present that analysis in written form. The sample should be predominantly your own work. If the document was edited by others, include a cover memo that briefly describes the level of editing that occurred. Please limit your writing sample to 10 pages.
• 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.
• Optional - Current Department of Justice Employees are encouraged to include a copy of their most recent annual performance evaluation.

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.

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $86,261 to $197,100, which includes 31.57% locality pay.

Number of Positions

1

Travel

Occasional travel within and outside the District will be required.

Relocation Expenses

Relocation expenses will not be authorized. A relocation incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications.

This and othervacancy announcements can be found underAttorney Vacancies andVolunteer 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.