Summary
The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes federal criminal offenses, seeks recovery of government funds fraudulently obtained, litigates affirmative civil fraud and enforcement actions, and defends the U.S. Government's interest in civil cases. The United States Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania has staff in three offices: Harrisburg, Scranton, and Williamsport, and maintains an unstaffed office in Wilkes-Barre.
Responsibilities
The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is accepting applications to fill a permanent Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) position in the Civil Division. The Division is comprised of approximately 12 attorneys, paralegals, an auditor and an investigator. The candidate selected for this position will be handling defensive litigation. Areas of practice will include inmate litigation, habeas corpus, complex defensive litigation matters, including personal injury and medical malpractice, constitutional torts, and employment discrimination. Attorneys in the Civil Division perform tasks related to all stages of litigation. The successful candidate should have experience in motion practice, drafting pleadings, conducting witness interviews, taking depositions, and negotiating settlement. 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:United States citizenship is required. Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have at least one year of post-J.D. experience or other relevant experience. Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have civil litigation experience, superior academic records, strong analytical abilities and judgment, excellent oral advocacy and writing skills. Successful candidates must demonstrate an ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, client agencies, opposing counsel, and court staff. Because most of the civil practice in the U.S. Attorney's Office involves pretrial litigation, applicants must possess superior research and writing abilities and must be able to prepare high-quality and persuasive pleadings. Applicants should possess experience in taking or defending depositions and conducting witness interviews. Applicants should have strong interpersonal skills and demonstrate the capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment. Applicants will conduct their own legal research and writing and will be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. Applicants must also 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. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. 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 targeted/severe 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
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree