Jobs

Legal Director

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization based in Oakland, CA that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths. We do so through legal advocacy, policy engagement, and civic education, and by serving as a legal resource to promote the full and meaningful participation of Muslims in American public life.

We are seeking an exceptional attorney and leader to join our team. The legal director position currently focuses on impact litigation in Muslim Advocates’ three program areas: Ending Racial and Religious Profiling, Countering Anti-Muslim Hate, and Strengthening Muslim Charities. The roles and responsibilities of the legal director, as well as the skills and qualifications we are seeking, are described more fully below.

Roles & Responsibilities
• Plan and lead articulated legal strategies and promote systems for proactively identifying and carrying out high-quality, impact litigation and related advocacy in pursuit of our programs and mission.
• Lead all phases of litigation, including case development, client interviews, drafting pleadings and discovery, taking and defending depositions, briefing and arguing motions, trial, and appeals.
• Supervise, train and support the professional growth of staff attorneys and legal interns.
• Build, manage, and maintain relationships with outside counsel and other legal advocacy
and community organizations.
• Lead our team to identify, develop, revise and implement client intake, case management and litigation protocols and systems.
• Monitor legal developments and policies that affect American Muslim civil rights.
• Support deputy director and other staff in reviewing, analyzing and sometimes advocating on public policy issues, including federal legislation and regulatory and administrative matters.
• Develop and write advocacy, blogs, opinion pieces, and informational materials for lawyer and non-lawyer audiences.
• Speak and otherwise represent Muslim Advocates at public and community events and in the media, articulating our vision, mission, and programs.
• Support the executive director and development team from time to time with discrete development tasks.
• Develop and maintain relationships with external audiences and key stakeholders. Desired skills
• Extensive experience initiating, developing, and engaging in creative, high-impact litigation and other advocacy.
• Demonstrated leadership, good judgment, and a high level of initiative, reliability and strategic thinking.
• Strong leadership that inspires others and encourages professional growth of others on the team.
• Experience supervising and training less experienced lawyers and law students.
• Successful management experience in a civil rights, public interest, or legal services
organization.
• Outstanding legal research and writing, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent oral advocacy and communication skills, including the ability to translate complex legal information into easily understandable concepts and messages to lay audiences and media.
• Ability and desire to work cooperatively and collegially with coalition partners and diverse constituencies.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with clients, colleagues, and allies, and demonstrated ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Familiarity with the human rights impact of national security policies and practices.
• Exceptional work ethic, strong organizational and time-management skills and a proven ability and desire to work efficiently and effectively to deliver high-quality results in a demanding, fast-paced, multi-tasking professional environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest law and to our mission and values.
• Willingness to travel, as work requires.
• Personal enthusiasm, optimism, and a sense of humor. 

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have most or all of the following qualifications:
• Experience identifying legal challenges and opportunities, developing and bringing a case from beginning to end.
• Ten years of litigation experience, although exceptional candidates outside of that range may be considered. Experience in federal court appellate and trial courts preferred.
• Proven leadership ability and collaboration skills both within an internal team of advocates and among peer organizations.
• Demonstrated creativity in addressing complex legal and public policy challenges.
• Civil rights advocacy experience, particularly in one or more of our three programmatic areas: Ending Racial and Religious Profiling, Countering Anti-Muslim Hate, and Strengthening Muslim Charities.
• Experience cultivating relationships with law firm pro bono counsel.
• Passion about civil and human rights, especially addressing the needs of American Muslim communities.
• Media relations experience.
• Admission in good standing to the California bar, or to another bar and willingness to sit for the next California bar exam.

Compensation & Benefits
Muslim Advocates offers a generous and competitive salary and benefits package, commensurate with experience.

How to Apply
Muslim Advocates is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. To apply, candidates should submit a cover letter describing their interest, skills, and experience, a resume, three writing samples (at least one of which should be a legal brief, memo or article demonstrating excellence in legal and policy analysis), and three references. Please email your application to Administrative Assistant Fatima Azam at fatima@muslimadvocates.org.

Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to submit completed applications by April 15, 2016, although applications will be considered on a rolling basis and accepted until the position is filled.

The Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC) located in Washington, D.C. has an immediate opening for a Staff Attorney position. The APALRC is looking for an energetic attorney who is committed to advancing social justice through the use of legal tools. Working under the supervision of the Executive Director, the attorney will provide legal assistance to low-income Asian Americans with limited English proficiency in Maryland. The Staff Attorney is expected to develop knowledge in a range of substantive legal areas and will specialize in family and immigration law practice. The attorney will work with other members of the legal team to implement the overall legal services program of the APALRC. 

The APALRC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to advancing the legal and civil rights of Asian Americans in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia through legal services, education, and advocacy. The mission of the APALRC is to provide linguistically accessible and culturally appropriate legal services to low-income Asian immigrants to ensure their access to government services and the legal system to protect and enforce their rights, and to seek full participation in the American society. The APALRC provides legal services in a wide range of legal issues including abuse prevention, employment, family, housing, immigration, public assistance and community development matters. 

Qualifications: 

• 0-2 years of experience in the practice of law. 

• Licensed to practice law in Maryland required. Out-of-State attorneys must be able and available to take the next scheduled bar examination following date of employment. 

• Demonstrated commitment in public interest law and social justice advocacy, and experience in family and immigration law practice in a legal services setting highly desirable. 

• Experience working with immigrants, low-income individuals and those with limited English proficiency strongly preferred. 

• Experience working with Asian immigrant groups a plus. 

• Fluency in an Asian language, particularly Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Hindi or Urdu strongly preferred. 

Salary and Benefits: 

The annual starting salary is in the low 40’s depending on experience, with generous health and fringe benefits. 

How to Apply: Submit a cover letter detailing your interest in the position and work experience, along with a résumé, brief writing sample (5-10 pages), and three professional references to naznin.saifi@apalrc.org or by mail at Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, 1012 14th Street, N.W. Suite 450, Washington, DC 20005. 

Application closing date is March 19, 2016. No telephone inquiries, please. 

APALRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

This and other attorney vacancy announcements may be found at: http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies

National Security Division (NSD)

Counterterrorism Section

Attorney

Washington, DC 20530

United States

About the Office:   The mission of the National Security Division (NSD) is to coordinate the Department’s efforts in carrying out its core mission of combating terrorism and protecting national security.  NSD is responsible for supervising the enforcement of all federal criminal laws related to counterterrorism and counterespionage, except those specifically assigned to other divisions.  NSD also serves as the Department of Justice’s liaison to the United States Intelligence Community (USIC) and represents the government and the USIC before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.  NSD advises the Attorney General regarding all matters of national security policy.

CTS is responsible for assisting in the design, implementation, and support of law enforcement efforts and strategies relating to combating international and domestic terrorism.  Through investigation and prosecution, CTS seeks to assist in preventing and disrupting acts of terrorism which may occur anywhere in the world, and which impact U.S. persons and/or significant United States interests.  Through participation in terrorism training exercises with the interagency community and other emergency preparedness-related activities, CTS seeks to enhance the ability to combat, prepare for and respond to terrorist threats.

 Job Description:   CTS is seeking experienced attorneys to work in all areas of the counterterrorism mission, including the application of investigative techniques to the task of identifying and disrupting terrorist plots before they occur.  CTS Trial Attorneys work closely with agents from the FBI, the CTS Regional Coordinators, and the National Security Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) Coordinators and terrorism prosecutors in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country to support investigations, review intelligence, and assist in the resulting criminal litigation. CTS Trial Attorneys also develop policies, plans, operations and initiatives to promote the enforcement of terrorism statutes.  In addition to its case-related work, CTS Trial Attorneys are occasionally engaged in identifying terrorist trends and patterns, foreign and domestic training, public speaking, and topical writing in this enforcement area.  CTS Attorneys are also involved with the design of, and participation in, terrorism training exercises with the interagency community, and other emergency preparedness-related activities, as part of CTS’s efforts to prepare for and respond to terrorist threats.

Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, and have at least 4-5 years of post J.D. professional experience to be qualified at the GS-14 or GS-15 levels.  Applicants must also have superior academic credentials, writing and analytic skills, and have significant criminal trial experience.  Applicants must also be able to qualify for the highest and most sensitive security clearances.

Salary: GS-14: $108,887 - $141,555 (per annum), GS-15: $128,082 - $160,300 (per annum)

Travel: Periodic travel will be required.

Application Process: To apply for a Trial Attorney position with CTS, please submit a resume and a cover letter (highlighting your relevant experience), a writing sample (no longer than 15 pages which exhibits your own written advocacy skills), and a copy of your most recent performance appraisal (if available), to:

Michael J. Mullaney

Chief

Counterterrorism Section

National Security Division

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 2647

Washington, DC  20530

 No telephone calls please.

Application Deadline:  Friday, March 11, 2016

Relocation Expenses:  Relocation Expenses may be authorized

Number of Positions:  2

Salary Range: $101,268 – $105,508

The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia is seeking candidates for the position of Assistant Section Chief for the Juvenile Section of the Public Safety Division (PSD). The selected candidate will work under the supervision of the Juvenile Section Chief and Deputy Attorney General of the PSD. The Assistant Section Chief will support the Section Chief with the direct supervision of approximately 22 line attorneys and 5 support staff. The Juvenile Section is responsible for all juvenile prosecutions in the District of Columbia. These cases are brought in the Family Court of the District of Columbia Superior Court. The attorneys manage all aspects from intake and charging, through motions and trial practice, to sentencing and placement. The Section also participates in many interagency law enforcement and juvenile justice initiatives, participates in crime reduction programs, and works closely with the Neighborhood and Victim Services (NVS) Section to ensure fair and just treatment of victims and witnesses in juvenile cases. The Section also has a significant role in the Truancy Collaborative and Truancy Court, and works closely with partner agencies on these initiatives. In addition to delinquency cases, the Section also brings cases against parents who violate the District’s Compulsory School Attendance Act. The Assistant Section Chief has a leadership role in many of these interagency and internal projects. Primary responsibilities of the Assistant Section Chief include assisting with the supervision of staff and all other aspects of management related to a demanding criminal practice. Good judgment and experience working in a fast-paced environment are critical. Experience as a prosecutor and familiarity with the District’s criminal and juvenile systems is helpful, but not required. 

Responsibilities of the Assistant Chief will be set by the Deputy Attorney General for Public Safety and may include, but are not limited to, assisting with: 1) Establishing policies and priorities related to litigation of the cases within the Section’s purview; 2) Reviewing and approving pleadings, motions, memoranda, and correspondence; 3) Reviewing litigation outcomes and make timely recommendation where appellate review is needed; 4) Regularly monitoring progress by staff in assigned cases and other matters/projects; 5) Monitoring compliance of staff with the Attorney General’s Performance Plan requirements, including ensuring full compliance with customer service standards; 6) Working closely with the Chief of the NVS Section to coordinate the victim and witness assistance program and with the Special Counsel for Juvenile Justice Reform on the youth mediation program; 7) Attending community meetings related to concerns about juvenile crime, quality of life and public safety issues; 8) Collecting, maintaining, and disseminating timely, accurate and up-to-date data on the Section’s activities, including collecting and tabulating various statistics such as monthly performance results. The successful candidate for this position must be barred in the District of Columbia or eligible for waiver into the D.C. Bar. The ideal candidate should also have knowledge of District of Columbia criminal law and procedure and/or familiarity with Title 16 of the D.C. Code and rules governing Family Court proceedings. In addition, the candidate must have excellent interpersonal skills; outstanding oral and written communication skills and litigation skills; and the ability to manage in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate must have a law degree and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction. If not a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the candidate must be sworn into the District of Columbia Bar within 360 days of his/her initial appointment with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. This position is outside the Collective Bargaining Unit. Candidates for the position will be subject to a background check. 

If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit a PDF file to OAG.RecruitmentAttorney@dc.gov, by the end of the closing date below, which includes the following: 1) a cover letter referencing the vacancy announcement number and specifically addressing relevant experience; 2) a résumé; 3) a list of at least three references; and 4) a writing sample. 

Closing Date: March 11, 2016

Salary Range: $101,268 – $105,508

The Public Safety Division seeks candidates for the position of Assistant Section Chief of the Criminal Section. The selected candidate will work under the supervision of the Section Chief and assist in managing the attorney and support staff workforce. The Criminal Section prosecutes adults who commit certain types of offenses within the District of Columbia. Specifically, the Section prosecutes all traffic offenses, including drunk drivers and individuals who flee after accidents; quality of life offenses, including all offenses relating to providing alcohol to minors and possession of false identification to purchase alcohol, as well as indecent exposure; and fraud of government agencies, including tax fraud, welfare fraud, and other specific offenses as requested by the agencies (including some fraud cases that may be simultaneously prosecuted by the Civil Enforcement Section). Attorneys in the Criminal Section participate in the D.C. Superior Court's Traffic Community Court, and evaluate cases to determine whether to proceed to trial or to offer alternative means of resolving the cases, such as diversion into community service. The legal work is high volume and fast-paced. 

Primary responsibilities of the Assistant Section Chief will include supervision of the Section’s daily papering (intake) operations; ensuring that the courtrooms are staffed; making case assignments; assisting in training and all aspects of supervision of the attorneys, paralegals and support staff; providing advice to the attorneys; and all other aspects of management related to a high volume criminal practice. The selected candidate may be expected to make occasional court appearances, and may maintain a small and very specialized caseload. This position requires a relatively high degree of independence in day-to-day operations. The desired candidate should have experience in criminal litigation, including jury trials, preferably as a prosecutor. Knowledge of D.C. Superior Court is desirable but not required. In addition, the desired candidate must work well with other professionals in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate must have a law degree and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction. If not a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the candidate must be sworn into the District of Columbia Bar within 360 days of his/her initial appointment with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. This position is outside the Collective Bargaining Unit. Candidates for this position may be subject to a background check. 

If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit a PDF file to OAG.RecruitmentAttorney@dc.gov, by the end of the closing date below, which includes the following: 1) a cover letter referencing the vacancy announcement number and specifically addressing relevant experience; 2) a résumé; 3) a list of at least three references; and 4) a writing sample. 

Closing Date: March 11, 2016. 

Interested in Interning at The White House?

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, a component in the Executive Office of the President, seeks interns in four offices for Summer 2016. 

Applicants will be considered for all four opportunities, but are welcome to identify preferences.

OFFICE OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL & PUBLIC LIAISON (OIPL)  This office works closely with national, State, local and tribal leaders, law enforcement and substance abuse organizations to provide strategic outreach to further the Administration’s policies, priorities and objectives in addressing drug policy.

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS (OLA) This office works to advance the Administration’s drug policy with the Congress through outreach to Members of Congress, involvement in Congressional hearings and the development of legislative strategies for bills and issues.

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (OPA) This office shapes ONDCP’s public message by writing speeches, talking points and other materials in support of the Director and Deputy Director; manages ONDCP’s relationship with the press; represents ONDCP through official online channels and maintains the office’s social media presence.

OFFICE OF POLICY (POLICY) This office coordinates and oversees the implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy concerning emerging and cross cutting issues including prescription drug and medical consequences as well as marijuana and synthetic drugs.   

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Eligibility

In order to be an eligible applicant you must meet the following requirements:

o    be 18 years of age or older at the time at which application is submitted;

o    be a U.S. citizen;

o    be currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program; and

o    submit a complete application.

Accreditation

If a student would like to utilize the Internship for college credit, accreditation is at the discretion of the student’s college or university. The ONDCP Personnel Office will assist you in providing appropriate information as requested by colleges or universities. Arrangements for accreditation by any educational institute should be made before the student begins employment.

Background Investigation and Drug Testing

If selected for placement within the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the student will be asked to complete paperwork as part of a standard security investigation, in order to determine access privileges to the Executive Office of the President complex. The paperwork requires that the student provide extensive personal information about themselves and their family. It is important that all information and answers to questions be truthful and comprehensive in answering such questions. Applicants must submit to urinalysis, in order to screen and confirm no illegal drug use. A negative drug test result is required for appointment.

An ideal candidate would begin in May or early June 2016 and serve with the White House through the end of the Summer; the Office is open to continuing the internship into the Fall semester as well.

Please send cover letters and resumes, as well as any questions, to FN-ONDCP-internship@ondcp.eop.gov. Due to the high number of applications received, we will not be able to respond to all inquiries.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut is seeking applications for an Assistant United States Attorney to work in the Civil Division of our offices in New Haven, Bridgeport, and/or Hartford, Connecticut.  

The Civil Division handles a wide variety of cases where the United States or its employees are plaintiffs or defendants.

Justice seeks to attract, retain, and promote individuals of exceptional ability and talent from all walks of life. The work environment and atmosphere is open, diverse, collegial, and inclusive. There are active affinity groups for African-American; Asian-American; Hispanic; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT); and Native American employees, which are open to all DOJ employees regardless of background. Justice fosters a work environment where people of all backgrounds and experiences may reach their full potential.

This and other attorney vacancy announcements may be found at:http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies

USAO District of Connecticut

United States Attorney's Office - District of Connecticut

Attorney

157 Church Street

New haven, CT 06510

United States

CT-16-001

For your convenience, all current Division job announcements that are open to the public are listed below.  Please also remind members of your organization that all job announcements can always be found on the Division’s homepage, http://www.justice.gov/crt/employment.  In addition, if you know of other organizations that might want to receive our job announcements, please let them know the process is very simple.  They just need to send an email to CRT.Jobs@usdoj.gov.  There are no elaborate forms to fill out – just an email indicating that the organization wishes to receive future job listings and the e-mail address for us to contact them.  Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have suggestions on how we can improve our outreach efforts. 

The chart below includes the Civil Rights Division job opportunities currently available to the public. 

Individuals interested in applying for these positions should comply with the application procedures and closing dates in the vacancy announcement.  The Division does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications (i.e., those not submitted in response to a particular vacancy announcement).  If you need more information about a specific Civil Rights Division vacancy, please call the Human Resources Office, Team 1 on (202) 514-3934.

Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA)

Attorney

Washington, DC 20530

United States

OLA-2016-01

About the Office: The Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) is seeking an experienced attorney. OLA has responsibility for devising and implementing the legislative strategy to carry out the Attorney General's initiatives requiring congressional action. Similarly, OLA articulates the views of the Department, including its components, on congressional legislative initiatives. OLA responds for the Department to requests and inquiries from congressional committees, individual Members of Congress, and their staffs. OLA coordinates the Department's responses to congressional oversight activities involving the Department, as well as the appearance of Department witnesses at congressional hearings and the interagency clearance through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of all congressional testimony by representatives of federal agencies. In addition, the Office participates in the Senate confirmation process for federal judges and Department nominees, such as Assistant Attorneys General and U.S. Attorneys.

For more information about OLA, please visit our Web page at: http://www.usdoj.gov/ola/

Job Description: 

The attorney will be responsible for:

• Coordinating between the Department of Justice and the Congress, communicating frequently with congressional staff about the Department's interests in legislation and other congressional matters.
  
• Keeping Department officials apprised of the current status and outlook for congressional action on matters of interest to the Department.
  
• Assuring that the Department's views are articulated to Congress in a timely and effective way.
  
• Developing written views based upon input from Department components and the ability to present those views to congressional staff in order to advance the Department's mission, protect the Department's equities, and promote a constructive relationship with the Congress.
  
• OLA is seeking an experienced attorney for this position who performs well in a fast-paced, highly professional environment.
  

Qualifications: 

Required qualifications: Interested parties must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least 3* years post-J.D. experience.

Preferred qualifications: It is desirable that applicants have security clearances and knowledge of the Department of Justice and/or United States Congress.

Salary: The grade range for this position is: GS-13; GS-14; GS-15 ($92,145 - $163,000 per year including locality.)

Travel: There is no travel associated with this position.

Application Process: Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (highlighting relevant experience) and a resume or Optional Form 612 (OF-612 Application for Federal Employment) to: OLA.Resumes@usdoj.gov

Email links icon

No telephone calls please. This position is open until filled.

Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Number of Positions: One