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Posted April 12, 2024

Supervisory Trial Attorney (Deputy Chief)

Offices, Boards and Divisions
Washington, D.C. Full Time
Reference: Offices,BoardsandDivisions785280900

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The Voting Section (VOT) is seeking an experienced attorney for the position of Supervisory Trial Attorney (Deputy Chief). The attorney selected for this position will be dedicated to the Section's work enforcing the federal civil rights laws that safeguard citizens' right to vote. You must have a J.D. degree. The Supervisory Trial Attorney (Deputy Chief) selected for this position will be responsible for addressing all aspects of the Voting Section's enforcement duties. Typical responsibilities include:
  1. Assisting the Chief and Principal Deputy Chief and working collaboratively with other Section managers to handle all aspects of Section management, including supervising, training, and evaluating staff;
  2. Developing and supervising investigations and cases initiated under the statutes the Section enforces, and personally litigating sensitive or particularly complex cases as assigned; managing trial attorneys, professionals, and support staff; and working cooperatively with other individuals and organizations to further the mission of the Section;
  3. Reviewing allegations of violations and identifying potential matters for investigation; developing strategies for investigations; identifying relevant factual and legal issues; developing evidence to support recommended cases; and providing appropriate recommendations on whether to pursue litigation, including written justification memoranda and supporting analyses and documents;
  4. Preparing, reviewing, and editing of motions, pleadings, and briefs; conducting pretrial discovery and motions practice; developing testimonial and documentary evidence for trial, including expert witness reports and testimony; and all necessary post-trial briefing;
  5. Planning appropriate strategies for pre-suit negotiations and identifying possible settlement opportunities at all stages of a case, conducting formal or informal settlement discussions or mediation, and preparation of appropriate settlement documents;
  6. Communicating and coordinating effectively with entities outside the Section as appropriate;
  7. Assisting in the supervision of election monitoring, participating in meetings within the Division or Department and coordinating with United States Attorney's offices and other relevant agencies, conducting or attending legal training sessions, participating in various forms of outreach, meeting with interested persons regarding our enforcement work, and other non- litigation duties; and
  8. Assisting the Chief and Principal Deputy Chief in evaluating attorneys and support personnel, including providing timely substantive feedback for performance ratings; participating in hiring-related activities; identifying development and training needs and participating in training activities; performing numerous administrative, reporting, and non-litigation assignments assigned by the Chief or other officials in the Division; and assisting the Chief on special projects related to the mission of the Voting Section.
Required Qualifications:

Applicants must possess a J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction) and must have at least six years of post-J.D. work experience. Applicants also must have strong, demonstrated qualifications in the following areas: academic achievement; substantive knowledge and expertise in the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the work of the Section or substantially similar laws, rules, and regulations; 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. In addition, applicants must have the ability to motivate and engage employees; the skill to build relationships that create trust, open dialogue, and full transparency; the assertiveness to drive outcomes and overcome adversity; the capacity to create a culture of clear accountability; and the integrity to make decisions based solely on merit.

Preferred Qualifications:

The following demonstrated qualifications are preferred but not required: experience supervising attorneys, experts and support staff in litigating voting rights cases in federal court; experience supervising staff in investigating potential violations of the federal voting rights statutes; experience supervising staff in negotiating settlements in federal voting rights cases: the ability to delegate appropriate responsibility to staff; and the ability to manage a significant docket and ensure applicable deadlines are met. 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.

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