Trial Attorney

About the role

Capital Case Section (CCS) attorneys support U.S. Attorneys' Offices in all phases of federal capital prosecutions, including serving as co-counsel, advising on death penalty issues, assisting with Attorney General review submissions, and supporting appeals.

CCS aids the Attorney General's Review Committee, provides training and resources to prosecutors, advises DOJ leadership on policy, reviews legislation and related materials, and maintains capital prosecution research and briefing resources.

What you will do

• The Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice is seeking qualified, experienced trial attorneys in the Capital Case Section (CCS) located in Washington, DC.
• As a Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division's Capital Case Section (CCS), the incumbent: Conducts analysis of new cases received from the United States Attorneys' Offices and Department components charging a crime punishable by death.
• Section attorneys advise the Attorney General's Capital Case Review Committee in its factual and legal evaluation of cases submitted to the Department for review regarding whether the death penalty should be sought in each capital-eligible case.
• Litigates all phases of federal capital cases, with a particular focus on those aspects unique to capital cases, including pre-trial motions and hearings, capital jury selection, penalty phase evidentiary presentations, and jury instructions.
• Provides training on the Department's capital case litigation.
• Section attorneys provide legal, procedural, and policy guidance to United States Attorneys' Offices and Department components handling capital investigations and prosecutions.
• In collaboration with USAOs, Section attorneys advise in the preparation of legal memoranda, such as proposed legislation, amendments, regulations, testimony, briefing materials, public statements, and correspondence on capital punishment issues.
• Collects and maintains trial and appellate materials related to federal capital prosecutions.
• Section attorneys partner with USAOs in the development and management of current information and materials which act as a resources center for capital prosecutors.
• Assists in the development of Department policies and procedures related to federal capital prosecutions.

Education

A J.D., or equivalent, degree. Applicants who possess an equivalent degree rather than a J.D. may be subject to additional review by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management.

How you will be evaluated

BASIS OF RATING: Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: ***

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, *** 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).

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Human Resources team at ***. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

What to expect next

We will notify you of your status as a candidate after each step of the recruitment process (receipt of application, determination of basic qualifications, notice of forward to selecting official, and final selection).

After extending a tentative job offer and receiving acceptance by the selectee, we will conduct an employment suitability/security background investigation to confirm that the selectee meets all requirements to fill the position. We expect to make a final job offer once all such reviews have been completed.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement to fill vacancies that occur subsequent to this announcement. The Criminal Division participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

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.

Additional information on DOJ's EEO policy can be found on our website. 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. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please reach out to *** or *** for alternative application procedures.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Human Resources team at ***. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Fair Chance to Compete: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment.

If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to ***.

Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.