Trial Attorney (Detail to Camp Lejeune Justice Act Unit)

The Civil Division is seeking up to 10 attorneys to serve on non-reimbursable full-time details to CLJA for a period of six months, potentially renewable for a second six-month period by agreement between Civil Division and the originating agency or office. The CLJA is a fast-moving litigation that is a high priority for the Department of Justice. It is purported to be the largest mass tort in United States history. The cases present interesting issues of scientific and medical causation. Some of the pending cases are expected to go to trial in the Eastern District of North Carolina in 2026. The Camp Lejeune Unit consists of a team of dedicated employees who energetically provide the defense of the CLJA. This litigation provides unique opportunities in many components of litigation, including fact and expert discovery, working with scientific and medical expert witnesses, interacting with various federal agencies, robust motion practice, oral advocacy, settlement negotiations, and trials. Other responsibilities include working with the Department of Justice Civil Appellate Section and representing the United States in certain appellate matters, including CLJA statutory construction matters. This Unit also works closely with the Department of the Navy on administrative claims and related settlement matters. This Camp Lejeune team also provides relevant litigation training sessions. CLJA litigation is a complex, high-stakes, and high-visibility toxic tort matter where multi-trillions of dollars in damages are sought from the United States. This litigation is of substantial public and Congressional interest. There are over 3,700 CLJA lawsuits pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina and over 409,000 administrative claims pending with the Department of the Navy. The Camp Lejeune team provides the defense for all of these matters. The judges of the Eastern District of North Carolina established a Track System for handling the discovery in these cases. Five diseases are being litigated under Track One. CLJA has completed fact and scientific expert discovery for 25 Track One Plaintiffs, and trials are expected to begin in 2026. Discovery for Tracks Two and Three diseases could begin while Track One is underway. Among other responsibilities, detailees may be taking and defending fact (plaintiffs, family members, employers, treating physicians, etc.) and expert depositions; working with expert witnesses; assisting with discovery matters and motions; and possibly assisting with trials. The issues will include whether and to what extent the plaintiff was exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, whether the scientific evidence makes it at least as likely as not that the claimed illness was caused by water exposure, and whether and to what extent the plaintiff has suffered damages as a result of the alleged injury.

Applicants must be in possession of a JD degree.

This announcement is intended to provide readily available applicants for detail positions within the Torts Branch, Camp Lejeune Justice Act Unit, Civil Division. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Qualified applicants will be reviewed and referred to Management. Please Note: The Selecting Official may select additional candidates if more positions become available within 120 days after the closing date of the vacancy.

DOJ EEO Statement/Policy: http://www.justice.gov/jmd/eeos/08-eeo-policy.pdf Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and 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. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes to [email protected], and reference "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line. Additional information is found at: www.benderconsult.com. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/06/2026 to receive consideration. 1. Click "Apply Online" to get started. 2. If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one. 3. You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application. 4. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous. 5. You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS. You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS. 6. Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options. 7. After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device. 8. If you opt to upload a document directly, click the "Upload" button and select the document on your device, then wait for the upload to finish. Repeat as needed. Documents must be less than 3 MB each and should be in a compatible file format. 9. Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category. Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed. You can have up to 15 document assignments. 10. Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit. 11. If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required. If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side). Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.

You must submit the following documents: Cover Letter Resume showing relevant experience (not to exceed 2 pages)