Duties

The Civil Rights Division (Division) is seeking an Attorney Adviser for the OCC to handle primarily FOIA/PA matters, including those in civil litigation, and Congressional/GAO/OIG oversight audits and investigations. The Attorney Adviser may also work on eDiscovery matters. As an Attorney Adviser, you will:

• Review FOIA/PA requests, including those related to sensitive and high-profile matters, providing advice regarding search parameters and applicable privileges, and working with the FOIA/PA administrative staff to review, redact and produce documents.
• Work with the Civil Division, United States Attorney's Offices and other DOJ components on FOIA/PA-related federal court litigation, including assisting in drafting affidavits, privilege indices, motions and briefs.
• Serve as an audit liaison, working with CRT leadership, CRT's enforcement section managers and subject matter experts, other offices/components within DOJ and other agencies, to respond to oversight audits and investigations, including collecting relevant information, reviewing for applicable privileges, negotiating with requesters regarding scope, drafting responses to data/document requests and letters to Congress, and representing CRT/DOJ on calls and in meetings with GAO and OIG.
• Stay abreast of FOIA/PA, oversight and eDiscovery policy, laws, rules and regulations.
• Assist Chief Counsel and FOIA/PA Chief with other duties as assigned.

You may also work with other Division staff to advise on eDiscovery issues arising in affirmative and defensive litigation.

***This announcement has been amended to extend the closing date from March 13, 2023.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• All male applicants born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the selective service. If selected, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
• You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
• You must have a JD degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be a member in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.
• You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications :

Applicants must possess a J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school, been an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), and possess a minimum of five (5) years of post-professional law degree experience. Applicants also must have strong, demonstrated qualifications in the following areas: academic achievement; significant substantive knowledge and expertise in FOIA/PA policy, laws, rules and regulations; experience coordinating with governmental offices and requesters regarding FOIA/PA requests; civil litigation experience; written and oral communication skills; the ability to analyze complex issues; skill and experience working collaboratively and productively with others; organizational skills; professional judgment; initiative; and the ability to excel in a fast-paced, demanding environment. In addition, applicants must have outstanding professional references.

Preferred Qualifications :

Experience with FOIA/PA litigation; working knowledge of FoiaXpress and Relativity; experience with Congressional, GAO, OIG or other oversight audits or investigations; experience with eDiscovery. Judicial clerkships (especially in federal court), law review, moot court, clinical experience, and skill and experience working cooperatively and productively with a range of people, such as charging parties, witnesses, respondents, disadvantaged or disenfranchised groups, opposing counsel, judicial or administrative officials, advocacy groups, law enforcement personnel, and the staff of other federal or state governmental agencies are also preferred.

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 these criteria, see www.ed.gov.

OR

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 https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

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

Additional information

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 race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit 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 .

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 .

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.