ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE (USAO)

CRIMINAL DIVISION-ASSET FORFEITURE ATTORNEY

UNITED STATES

700 STEWART STREET SUITE 5220

SEATTLE, WA 98101

About the Office:

1. United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Western District of Washington is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation in the Western District of Washington (WDWA) that involves the United States in some way.  A large portion of the work involves criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law.  The office also handles civil lawsuits by or against a Department or agency of the United States, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.  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 74 Assistant United States Attorneys.

1. Our office places a high value on diversity of experiences and perspectives and encourages applications from all qualified individuals from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBT individuals, and persons with disabilities.

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

Qualifications:

1. The applicant must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three years post-J.D. experience. Ideal qualifications include at least five years of post-J.D. litigation experience, and experience in the field of asset forfeiture.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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 to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic e-mail and word processing systems.

Salary:

$70,120-$166,400

Travel:

Occasional travel within and outside the District will be required.

Application Process:

1. Interested persons must email the following items in pdf format to the email address listed below:

A cover letter referencing Vacancy Announcement: 20-WDWA-AUSA-02. Candidates for the position are requested to address the following in their cover letter and/or resume:

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 teamWorking on civil discovery, including taking depositions, drafting and responding to discovery requestsExperience in conducting or overseeing financial investigations;Experience in white collar criminal cases, including investigations/cases involving money laundering.

A detailed resume that includes the month/year start and end dates for each position held;

A law school transcript for any applicant with less than five years of experience as an attorney; and

A writing sample meeting the criteria set forth below

1. 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.

1. 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.

USAWAW.Hiring@usdoj.gov

1. Brian T. Moran
2. United States Attorney
3. c/o Tessa M. Gorman
4. First Assistant United States Attorney
5. 700 Stewart Street, Suite 5220
6. Seattle, Washington 98101

1. 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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Application Deadline:

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Relocation Expenses:

Relocation expenses are not authorized.

Number of Positions:

1+

Department Policies

1. 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, protected genetic information, pregnancy, status as a parent, or any other nonmerit-based 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. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
2. 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.
3. 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 disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
4. 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. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is 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. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
5. 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).