DOJ, Office of Tribal Justice Seeks Attorney Advisor

The Office of Tribal Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as Attorney Advisor to provide counsel and assistance to the Director and senior staff.
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 can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies.

Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ)<http://www.justice.gov/otj/index.html>
Office of Tribal Justice
Attorney
950 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20530
United States
OTJ ATY-1601

About the Office: The Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ) is the primary point of contact for the Department of Justice with federally recognized Native American tribes, and advises the Department on legal and policy matters pertaining to Native Americans. OTJ promotes internal uniformity of Department policies and litigating positions relating to Indian country and ensures that the Department clearly communicates policies and positions to tribal leaders.
Job Description: OTJ is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as Attorney Advisor to provide counsel and assistance to the Director and senior staff. OTJ attorneys:
·         Provide advice on significant tribal justice matters and assist in policy and legislative development and review.
·         Provide advice to OTJ leadership on Department components litigating, protecting or otherwise addressing Native American rights and/or related issues.
·         Review proposed legal actions submitted by divisions that require OTJ approval or coordination.
·         Perform legal research on assigned questions or law or policy and prepare reports and memoranda.
·         Assist in coordinating with attorneys and officials of the Department, other government agencies, and interested parties to provide guidance and advice to ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory and policy requirements.
·         Support the office in outreach activities involving federally recognized tribes, federal agencies, state and local officials, as well as professional associations and public interest groups
·         Develop, coordinate and execute special projects as assigned by the Director or the Deputy Director.
Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree with at least three years of post J.D. experience, and be an active member of a bar (any jurisdiction). Applicants must be proficient in analyzing complex legal information and producing clear and thorough written work, and have excellent interpersonal skills. Experience with Federal Indian Law is required. Knowledge of or experience with federally-recognized Indian Tribes is required. Prosecution and/or litigation experience is strongly preferred. The incumbent must be able to obtain a Secret-level security clearance.
Salary: GS-14 to GS-15 ($108,887 – $160,300) range.
Travel: Frequent
Application Process: Applicants are required to submit a cover letter (highlighting relevant experience) and résumé or OF-612 (Optional Application for Federal Employment). Please reference announcement OTJ ATY-1601 in your cover letter.
Applicants are encouraged to email applications to OTJ@usdoj.gov<mailto:OTJ@usdoj.gov>
or fax them to (202) 514-9078 rather than mail them. No telephone calls please. This vacancy will be open until selections have been made.
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Tribal Justice (Attn: Application Coordinator)
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 2318)
Washington, D.C. 20530
Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Number of Positions: 1
Updated January 19, 2016
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity:  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, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit factor.  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.

Reasonable Accommodations:  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.
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 register for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared List of People with Disabilities (the Bender Disability Employment Registry) by submitting their resume to resume@benderconsult.com<mailto:resume@benderconsult.com>
and referencing “Federal Career Opportunities” in the subject line.  Additional information about the Bender Registry is available at www.benderconsult.com [external link]<http://www.benderconsult.com/>.  Individuals with disabilities may also contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC).  See list of DPOCs<http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/disability-points-contact>.
Suitability and Citizenship:  It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and 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 and the United States Attorneys’ Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments 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.  Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans:  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 include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. 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, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf <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).
*         *         *
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies<http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies> and Volunteer Legal Internships<http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/volunteer-internship-opportunities>. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.

DOJ Office of Tribal Justice Job Posting

Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ)
Office of Tribal Justice
Attorney
Washington, DC 20530
United States
OTL-ATY-0114

About the Office:
The Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ) is the primary point of contact for the Department of Justice with federally recognized Native American tribes, and advises the Department on legal and policy matters pertaining to Native Americans. OTJ promotes internal uniformity of Department policies and litigating positions relating to Indian country and ensures that the Department clearly communicates policies and positions to tribal leaders.

Job Description:
OTJ is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as Attorney Advisor to provide counsel and assistance to the Director and senior staff. OTJ attorneys:
Provide advice on significant tribal justice matters and assist in policy and legislative development and review.
Provide advice to OTJ leadership on Department components litigating, protecting or otherwise addressing Native American rights and/or related issues.
Review proposed legal actions submitted by divisions that require OTJ approval or coordination.
Perform legal research on assigned questions or law or policy and prepare reports and memoranda.
Assist in coordinating with attorneys and officials of the Department, other government agencies, and interested parties to provide guidance and advice to ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory and policy requirements.
Assist in maintaining liaison with federally recognized tribes, and work with the appropriate federal, tribal, state, and local officials, professional associations, and public interest groups.
Develop, coordinate and execute special projects as assigned by the Director or the Deputy Directors.
Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree with at least two years of post J.D. experience, and be an active member of a bar (any jurisdiction). Applicants must be proficient in analyzing complex legal information and producing clear and thorough written work, and have excellent interpersonal skills. Experience or familiarity with Federal Indian Law is required. Knowledge of or experience with federally-recognized Indian Tribes is required. Prosecution and/or litigation experience is strongly preferred but not required. The incumbent must be able to obtain a Secret-level security clearance.

Salary: The salary level is in the GS-13 to GS-14 ($89,924 – $138,136) range.
Travel: Frequent travel is required.
Application Process: Applicants are required to submit a cover letter (highlighting relevant experience) and résumé. Please reference announcement OTJ ATY-0114 in your cover letter.
Applicants are encouraged to email applications to OTJ@usdoj.gov
Email links icon
or fax them to (202) 514-9078 rather than mail them. No telephone calls please. This vacancy will be open until August 1, 2014 or until selections have been made.

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DOJ to consult with tribes on possible voting rights legislation

The DOJ is considering recommending that Congress pass legislation requiring state and local election administrators whose districts include Indian or Alaska Native lands to allow tribes to designate at least one polling place. Consultations are to begin shortly. It seems to me that such legislation would be very helpful in reducing the barriers to voting for Native persons who live on reservations and in similar communities.

The official notice is here: DOJ Consultation Announcement–Voting Rights (1). More information can also be found on the website for the Office of Tribal Justice.

BIA/DOJ Tribal Court Training Announcements

Here:

Training Announcement (Trial Advocacy)-Chinle, AZ

Training Announcement (Trial Advocacy)-Seattle, WA

Prior announcement was here.

Joint Interior-Justice Tribal Court Advocacy Programs for Tribal Prosecutors

Here:

Interior Press Release on Trial Ad Programs

Trial Advocacy Training Announcement (Great falls, MT)

Trial Advocacy Training Announcement (Ignacio, CO)

From the press release:

A pilot training session on domestic violence held by the OJS and the ATJ in August 2011 in Rapid City, S.D., proved so successful that the OJS and its federal partners provided funding for seven additional sessions. The first of those, which focused on illegal narcotics, was held March 13-15, 2012, in Phoenix, Ariz. Each of the six remaining sessions, to be held through the rest of 2012 and into 2013, will focus on one training topic. The schedule for the coming sessions is:

• July 24-26, 2012, Duluth, Minn.
• August 14-16, 2012, Durango, Colo.
• September 11-13, 2012, Great Falls, Mont.
• October 2-4, 2012, Seattle, Wash.
• October 23-25, 2012, Chinle, Ariz.
• January 15-17, 2013, Albuquerque, N.M.

DOJ Consultation on Proposed Eagle Feathers Policy

Materials here:

Eagle feather letter — includes the relevant logistics

Consultation on Proposed DOJ Eagle Feathers Policy – Framing Paper

Office of Tribal Justice Job Posting

Here.

DOJ Consultation on Violence against Women Act Reauthorization and Possible Responses to Violence against Indian Women

Here are the documents:

DOJ Invitation to Tribal Consultation May 20 2011

DOJ Framing Paper May 20 2011

BLT: DOJ Promises Increased Crime-Fighting in Indian Country

From BLT:

The Justice Department announced today a renewed effort to improve law enforcement on tribal land through a partnership among Native American leaders and the federal government.

Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli, addressing more than 500 attendees at the National Congress on American Indians in New York, said the department later this year will convene a Tribal Nationals Listening Conference to address public safety concerns on tribal land. Click here for a copy of Perrelli’s prepared remarks, provided by the Justice Department.

The listening conference and a planned series of regional summits are expected to address, among other topics, federal prosecution in Indian country, development of tribal courts, domestic violence, substance abuse, civil rights and litigation involving tribes. The initiative, Perrelli says, is “tremendously important.”

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