Department of Justice Seal

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL
FIELD DIVISION COUNSEL-PHILADELPHIA, PA.
ATTORNEY/GS-15


The Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management, U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking an experienced attorney to work in the Philadelphia, Pa. Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Office of Chief Counsel, as Field Division Counsel. The position is part of the staff of the DEA Office of Chief Counsel.

Position Description: The Field Division Counsel is involved in all legal matters and issues concerning the Philadelphia, Pa. Field Division, including, criminal, civil and administrative law. This includes substantive drug-related and money laundering statutes, investigative methods and techniques, search and seizure, electronic surveillance, interview and interrogation, evidence, discovery, drafting and reviewing legislative proposals relating to criminal law and procedure, and Federal sentencing guidelines, legal training, and legal review of operational policies and procedures. It also includes matters relating to support of civil and administrative litigation, including regulatory issues under the Controlled Substances Act (21 USC 801 et seq.), as well as personnel and fiscal law questions.

Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction), have at least 10 years of post J.D. legal experience, and have at least three years experience in grade as a GS?905?14 attorney or equivalent at time of selection. Applicants must also have 1) Significant experience in criminal law, preferably federal, including at least three years prosecutorial experience, with Federal prosecutorial experience preferred; 2) Excellent academic credentials; 3) Strong oral and written communication and advocacy skills; 4) Superior legal research and analytical skills; 5) Experience in dealing with complex legal and policy issues; and 6) Ability to formulate and implement Department of Justice and DEA policies on all matters pertaining to assigned areas. Proficiency in computer?aided legal research and computer word processing is required.

Salary : Current salary and years of experience will determine the appropriate salary step within the GS?15 level ($100,231 to $130,305). Promotion potential: None.

Application Procedure: Applicants must submit a detailed resume, a cover letter highlighting relevant experience, and a professional legal
writing sample to:

HQs, Drug Enforcement Administration
ATTN: Robert T. Richardson
Field Division Counsel Program Manager
2401 Jefferson Davis Highway
Alexandria, Virginia 22301

No telephone calls please. Applications must be received by November 5, 2004.

Applicants who are found, through investigation or personal admission, to have experimented with or used narcotics or dangerous drugs, except those medically prescribed, will not be considered for employment with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Exceptions to this policy may be made for applicants who admit to limited youthful and experimental use of marijuana. Such applicants may be considered for employment if there is no evidence of regular, confirmed usage and the full-field background investigation and results of the other steps in the process are otherwise favorable.

Compliance with this policy is an essential requirement of the position. All applicants must complete the DEA Drug Questionnaire and submit that Questionnaire with their application package. A copy is included with this announcement.

Additional Information: This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at: www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html

Department Policies: 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, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. 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. 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.

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and the 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. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointment 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. Dual citizens of the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

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 are encouraged to include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions.

DRUG QUESTIONNAIRE