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This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until filled or September 10, 2025. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applicants will be 9/24/24. Qualified applicants will be referred to selecting official at 2-week intervals. Eligible applicants reviewed after that date will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified applicants will be considered as vacancies become available.
Learn more about this agency09/11/2024 to 11/07/2024
$0 - $0 without compensation
AD 30
5 vacancies in the following location:
No
No
Not required
No
Temporary - One Year
Full-time
Excepted
None
No
Yes
24-SDCA-12543002-SAUSA03
809087200
The Southern District of California (SDCA) is one of the largest United States Attorney's offices in the country. The office prosecutes federal crimes and defends the interests of the United States Government in civil cases. The SDCA encompasses San Diego and Imperial Counties and includes a branch office located in Imperial, California. This position is located in the Criminal Division, General Crimes Section of the United States Attorney's Office.The Criminal Division is organized into seven sections: General Crimes, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Violent Crimes and Human Trafficking, Major Frauds and Public Corruption, National Security and Cybercrimes, Appellate, and Asset Recovery. (See the San Diego U.S. Attorney's website www.justice.gov/usao-sdca for a detailed description of each section.)
The General Crimes Section is the largest section in the Criminal Division and accounts for approximately 95 percent of the cases prosecuted in the Southern District of California.The General Crimes Section handles a large volume of reactive cases that arise from policing the 141-mile long border between California and Mexico, six Ports of Entry, and the roughly 70 miles of coastline stretching from the U.S.-Mexico border to the northernmost tip of San Diego County. Cases commonly include illegal entry and reentry, drug importation and alien smuggling prosecutions. This section consists of an Intake Unit, Fast-Track Unit, Immigration Unit and four Trial Teams. General Crimes Section attorneys try a large number of cases and often oversee the use of investigative tools like search and tracking warrants, undercover operations and confidential sources. The Office's other sections largely focus on proactive investigations and prosecutions. These sections prosecute a wide variety of sophisticated criminal activity commensurate with San Diego's standing as one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
Salary Information: None - This is a uncompensated position and appointment will not exceed 12 months.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Travel: Occasional both within and outside the district as necessary.
Note: Employees of the Department of Justice, including Uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys, may not engage in the compensated practice of law outside the office. Attorneys are not eligible to serve as UncompensatedSpecial Assistant United States Attorneys if they have had an employment offer deferred by a law firm and received a payment for the period of their deferral with the expectation of future employment with the law firm, or if they will receive any payment from a law firm during their unpaid employment with the Department of Justice. In addition, contractors, including employees of contractors who do business with the Department of Justice, and who also are attorneys, are not eligible to serve as Uncompensated Special Assistant United States Attorneys.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview.
The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Veterans' Preference: 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 indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. 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, http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf 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).
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/10/2025 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Southern District of California at (619) 546-8973 or email at Sylvia.Rojas@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit and tax checks, and a drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 120 days after the closing date of the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/809087200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html.
For more information on the Southern District of California, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca.
The SAUSA position is an uncompensated position and appointment will not exceed 12 months.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States and is commonly referred to as America's Finest City! San Diego has year-round perfect weather with 70 miles of coastline and amazing beaches. Some local major attractions include: Balboa Park, the World Famous San Diego Zoo, LEGOLAND, Belmont Park and Seaport Village. San Diego has beautiful golf courses, hiking trails, the Del Mar Race Track, and Comic-Con. San Diego is also home to nationally recognized colleges and universities, including University of California at San Diego, San Diego State University and University of San Diego. The SDCA is home to the largest concentration of Navy and Marine Corps installations in the world. As a result, San Diego has a vibrant defense industry community. In addition, San Diego is an international leader in life sciences, bio-tech, and healthcare.
