Trial Attorney - Environmental and Bankruptcy Law

About the role

The Environmental Enforcement Section is responsible for nationwide civil enforcement of federal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (the Superfund law).

Our attorneys pursue enforcement actions that result in significant benefits for public health, from reducing air pollution to cleaning up contaminated lands. At least one position to be filled in either Denver, CO or Washington, DC.

What you will do

• The Energy and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking litigators with experience in environmental and bankruptcy law for its Environmental Enforcement Section in Washington, D.C. The Section's bankruptcy cases have involved debtors engaged in a wide variety of industrial activities such as mining, chemical, coal, and oil and gas companies.
• The Section has brought actions under the statutes it enforces against debtors and also must protect the Government's interests in protecting health and safety in bankruptcy court.
• Objections are filed to debtors' proposed plans of reorganization and sales of assets that fail to adequately ensure compliance and protect public health and safety as required by law.
• Bankruptcy litigation may involve legal issues such as the police and regulatory exception to the automatic stay, feasibility of proposed plans of reorganization, the permissible scope of bankruptcy discharge and free and clear bankruptcy sales, abandonment, fraudulent conveyance, the priority of environmental liabilities in bankruptcy, obtaining compliance when a debtor's assets are collateralized, and estimation of environmental claims.
• The breadth of the Section's practice is extensive and challenging.
• It includes cases of national scope, such as bankruptcy cases involving debtors with operations throughout the country and cases against multiple members of an identified industry.
• Characterized as complex litigation, the Section's cases typically involve significant factual and expert discovery and substantial motions practice in the pre-trial stage or pre-hearing briefing in bankruptcy cases.
• The Section's bankruptcy cases may involve presentation of argument and evidence at bankruptcy confirmation proceedings or other contested matters such as proposed asset sales or abandonments.
• The position will allow the selected individuals to utilize their superior legal research, writing and oral advocacy skills in all aspects of case development, negotiation, motions practice, and trial.
• The attorneys selected will be responsible for assuming a diverse case load brought under any of the statutes the Section enforces and will include both bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy cases depending on the ebb and flow of bankruptcy cases and Section needs.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see ***

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at ***

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. ***

How you will be evaluated

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring.

Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their 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, *** 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).

Documents you must provide

• Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained Copy of J.D. degree transcripts Cover letter with brief statement of interest (not to exceed one page) Writing Sample (not to exceed 15 pages) List your name at the top, right corner.
• Include a case summary or brief introductory statement to orient and provide context for the reviewers.
• An excerpt from a longer piece is acceptable.
• The sample should provide evidence of your legal analysis and writing skills.
• It should represent your own work, without extensive editing by anyone else.
• If the work was authored by more than one person, please highlight the portions that you authored.
• Ensure that you take appropriate precautions to protect the privacy of individuals who may be identified in your writing sample (e.g., redact all personally identifiable information prior to submission).
• DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties.
• If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).

What to expect next

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 80 days of the closing date of this announcement.

You will be notified of the outcome.

Additional information

Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: ***

To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.

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.

EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

More information can be found here: *** DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly.

Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: *** Selective Service: If you were born male, on or 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.

Additional information is found at: ***

Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.

Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after HR office issues the certificate of eligibles.