ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER 23-WAW-08
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE December 1, 2022
CLOSING DATE Open until filled; interviews will begin immediately.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is seeking qualified candidates from all backgrounds for the position of Term Law Clerk for incoming United States District Judge John H. Chun in Seattle, Washington. The start date for this position is anticipated to be January 2, 2024. This position is full-time (80 hours per two-week period).
REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:
Law Clerks work closely with the Judge on civil and criminal litigation filed in District Court. They conduct research and prepare drafts of opinions and orders. Law clerks also have the opportunity to work on various long-term projects, be involved in courtroom proceedings, and assist in the development of a judicial extern program.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Candidates must be law school graduates from an accredited law school; be organized and work well independently; possess excellent research and writing skills; be experienced with Word, Westlaw, Lexis, and related software; and must have a demonstrated commitment to diversity and an inclusive work environment. Candidates must have at least one year of federal clerkship or litigation experience.
SALARY RANGE:
Judiciary Salary Plan (JSP) Grade 11 – 14, depending on experience, qualifications, and bar membership.
Salary range: $73,098 to $160,047 annually, full-time
BENEFITS:
The U.S. District Court provides a generous benefits package, competitive salary, ORCA transit pass and a dedication to work/life balance, including flexible schedules and telework opportunities. All law clerks are eligible for health and life insurance benefits, long term care options, annual and sick leave accrual, and eleven paid holidays per year.
Judiciary employees are not covered by the Office of Personnel Management’s civil service classification system or regulations. For additional information on employment with the federal courts, please visit www.uscourts.gov.
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:
Qualified applicants should submit the following:
• A letter of interest
• A current resume
• A response to the Statement of Qualifications, below
• A minimum of three letters of recommendation. Applicants with prior clerkship experience should include contact information for all judges for whom the applicant has clerked.
• A writing sample that is five to ten pages in length
• A completed AO78, Application for Employment. For this vacancy announcement (23-WAW-08) you do not need to complete the optional background information – questions 18, 19, and 20.
Candidates are encouraged to apply via OSCAR. Or, via e-mail (Word or Acrobat .pdf format) to:
seattle_personnel@wawd.uscourts.gov
or to:
U.S. District Court
Attn: Human Resources
700 Stewart Street, Suite 2218
Seattle, WA 98101
STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS:
The Statement of Qualifications must be 12-point font, single-spaced, minimum one-inch margins, and no more than three pages.
1. Please address the following:
a. Experience with issues of cultural competence and sensitivity to and understanding of diverse backgrounds of people in our community.
b. Experience and education outside the legal profession and how they enabled or encumbered your career and personal growth.
2. Explain why you think you will be compatible with Judge Chun as a person and as a judge. Please use publicly available information to respond to this question. Please use publicly available information to respond to this question.
Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Employees of the United States District Court are considered “at will” employees. Applicants selected for interviews must travel (for in-person interviews) or connect via Zoom (for remote interviews) at their own expense.
The United States District Court requires employees to follow a code of conduct which is available upon request. Reference checks with current and former employers will be conducted on top candidates. A background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record checks, will be conducted as a condition of employment. Any applicant selected for a position will be hired provisionally pending successful completion of the investigation. Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment.
The Federal Financial Management Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages. The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and seek a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and
expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, disability, religion, and socio-economic circumstance.
The Court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please notify human resources. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. If a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time from the original announcement, the court may select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position. More than one position may be filled from this announcement. The United States District Court is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace.