GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

*AMENDED*

This announcement has been amended to reflect the position is not in the collective bargaining unit.

This position is outside of the collective bargaining unit.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:   The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia seeks a trial attorney for the Equity Section of its Public Interest Division. The Equity Section defends the District of Columbia in class actions and other major civil lawsuits filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, particularly those cases that seek declaratory and injunctive relief. 

The successful candidate will defend the District of Columbia and its executive level agencies, officials, and employees in complex constitutional litigation brought against the District challenging its laws, regulations, policies and practices. These cases are high profile and seek injunctive and other declaratory relief, with substantial impact on executive level agencies and their programs and policies. The cases often implicate claims under the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendments to the Constitution. The candidate will defend all class action and other systemic challenges to the services, practices, conditions and care provided by District agencies and departments, and challenges to their component operations; civil actions seeking to enjoin enforcement of or otherwise challenge District laws; and civil actions challenging many regulatory actions taken by District agencies. These cases vary from individual to class action complaints and from singular to system-wide challenges. Because the cases often address purported systemic problems with agency programs, practices, and policies, the candidate typically will advise several constituent District agencies on matters related to pending litigation and matters where there are orders awarding permanent injunctive relief. This includes Court oversight of various consent decrees and other ongoing court monitoring of judicial relief. 

The successful candidate will file pleadings, conduct and respond to written and oral discovery, file dispositive motions, negotiate settlements, advise agency personnel on policies and practices challenged in litigation, and conduct trials and contested hearings. There is substantial contact with client agencies. The position requires knowledge of municipal law and significant civil litigation experience. Prior civil litigation experience must include trials or evidentiary hearings, motions and discovery practice, taking and defending depositions, and a thorough knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.                                                                

QUALIFICATIONS:  The successful candidate must possess strong negotiation, litigation, and analytical skills, and excellent legal research, oral and written advocacy skills. The candidate also must have the ability and willingness to manage several complex cases at one time. 

ELIGIBILITY:  The successful candidate must have a law degree and be an active member in good standing of the bar of any jurisdiction.  If not a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the candidate must be sworn into the District of Columbia Bar within 360 days of his/her initial appointment with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. 

OTHER INFORMATION:  The selected candidate will be subject to a background investigation including reference checks.

Please see below attachment for details.

**En español**

Everyone Has an Obligation to Report Child Sex Abuse

Under District of Columbia law (see D.C. Code §22-3020.52[a]), any person 18 or older who knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, that a child under the age of 16 is a victim of sexual abuse must immediately report such knowledge or belief to the police (911) or the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency (202-671-SAFE).

There are Mandated Reporters Who Must Report All Child Abuse or Neglect

Mandatory reporting requirements help protect children from harmful situations and ensure that law enforcement officials and social workers can immediately begin investigating. In addition to the general obligation to report suspected sexual abuse, D.C. law also requires certain people who regularly work with children to be “mandated reporters” for suspected child abuse or neglect of any kind and for certain other injuries to children under the age of 18 (see below). This means they have a legal obligation to report any kind of suspected mistreatment of children to law enforcement and social services immediately and without delay.

Who Is a Mandated Reporter?

Mandated reporters are defined by law (see D.C. Code §4-1321.02) as people who must report suspicions of child physical or sexual abuse or neglect. These are people who work in certain professions where they come into regular close contact with children, such as:

• School officials, teachers, and athletic coaches;
• Department of Parks and Recreation employees;
• Public housing resident managers;
• Social service workers;
• Daycare workers;
• Persons involved in the care and treatment of patients, including: physicians, psychologists, medical examiners, dentists, chiropractors, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses;
• Law-enforcement officers;
• Humane officer of any agency charged with the enforcement of animal cruelty laws;
• Child and Family Services Agency employees, agents and contractors;
• Human trafficking counselors as defined in D.C. Code §14-311(2);
• Domestic violence counselors as defined in D.C. Code §14-310(a)(2); and
• Mental health professionals as defined in D.C. Code §7-1201.01(11).

When and What Kind of Information Must I Report to Authorities?

Mandated reporters must report when they know or suspect that a child whom they have encountered through their professional work:

• Is being neglected (his or her parent or guardian is not providing adequate housing, food, clothing, hygiene);
• Is being abused (physically or mentally);
• Is being exposed to domestic violence;
• Is in imminent danger of being abused due to the abuse of a sibling or other child living in the same household;
• Has a parent who is intoxicated, incarcerated or suffering from a fault in their mental or physical capacity (i.e. drug use or mental illness) and is unable or unwilling to provide care;
• Is being regularly exposed to illegal drug activity;
• Has been or is in immediate danger of being the victim of sexual abuse or attempted sexual abuse; is a victim of human trafficking; or has been injured by a bullet, a knife or other sharp object by non-accidental means – regardless of whether the perpetrator was a family member, acquaintance, or stranger.

How Do I Report This Information to Authorities?

You can report this information to the District of Columbia at 202-671-SAFE (202-671-7233).

In addition, here are some important things to know:

• A mandated reporter working in a hospital, school, social agency, or similar organization, is also required to inform the person in charge of that organization of suspected child abuse.
• The person in charge of a hospital, school, social agency, or similar organization who receives a report about suspected child abuse from a mandated reporter is also required to report the suspected abuse to the authorities.

• Listen when a child is telling you about an event to determine if it appears to be child abuse or neglect, but do not attempt to investigate further. Immediately report the child’s account to the authorities and let trained professionals determine if a crime has occurred or if a child-welfare intervention is needed.

What Happens if a Mandated Reporter Doesn’t Report?

Under D.C. law, mandated reporters who fail to report can be prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General. Penalties include a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both.

What Happens if I Do Not Report Child Sex Abuse?

Under D.C. law, failure to report that a child under the age of 16 may be a victim of sexual abuse could result in a $300 fine.

What if I’m Unsure if I Am Required to Report or Concerned About Confidentiality?

If you are unsure if you must report, do not delay and report immediately.

Learn more about mandated reporting at: https://dc.mandatedreporter.org/

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

                                                POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

This position is not in the collective bargaining unit.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:  The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) seeks a Statistician with a policy or social science background to work with its policy team within the Immediate Office of the Attorney General.  As the chief legal office for the District of Columbia, OAG enforces the laws of the District, defends and provides legal advice to the District’s government agencies and protects the interests of the District’s citizens.  In this new position, the Statistician will, under the guidance of the Senior Counsel for Policy, develop a program of research and analytics work to support the core mission of the agency.  

The first priorities for the position will focus on juvenile and criminal justice: using agency data to evaluate the effectiveness of the office’s criminal and juvenile justice reforms; looking at data from the juvenile justice, abuse and neglect, and child support systems to inform the work the office does with vulnerable youth; and making appropriate aggregate public safety data available to the public in line with open and transparent government.  Future projects might include incorporating predictive analytics into the office’s criminal justice, child support, and litigation work, and spearheading projects to use data analytics to initiate or support public interest litigation.  The Statistician will also seek out opportunities for learning that will complement the office’s existing capabilities, provide expert guidance to other senior members of the OAG team, and assist in training, mentoring, and hands-on assistance as needed. Specific near-term duties include: 

• Collaborating with internal partners to evaluate the effectiveness of juvenile and criminal justice reform initiatives within OAG;
• Collaborating with internal and external partners to create accessible open data platforms for public safety and other agency data;
• Working with OAG IT staff to design and create dashboards, maps, or other data visualizations;
• Contributing to interagency data efforts sponsored by the Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council;
• Writing or contributing to white papers and other reports for public consumption;
• Cultivating partnerships with universities and technology start-ups to enhance the office’s technological capacity;
• Consulting on statistical and research matters relevant to OAG’s work;
• Training staff on clean data collection, entry and storage;
• Participating in relevant academic and professional conferences; and
• Otherwise designing and consulting on OAG priorities and projects that involve data and statistical analysis.

Future duties could include:

• Designing and consulting on open source intelligence research and big data analysis projects in order to support OAG’s public interest litigation and proactively identify new arenas for investigation or analysis; and
• Designing and consulting on predictive analytics projects to help guide OAG’s work. 

QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree and have at least three (3) years of specialized experience. A master’s degree in statistics, economics, or a related field and at least one year of experience, or a Ph.D. in statistics, economics, or a related field is preferred. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. 

The ideal candidate will also have the following qualifications/skills:

• Expertise with common statistical analytical tools
• At a minimum, strong interest in common program languages, data visualization software and mapping tools
• Considerable experience evaluating program effectiveness and using data for continuous program learning
• Experience working with data scientists and technical staff to create and support business intelligence or other technology programs
• Significant project management experience, from the inception and design phase through to full implementation
• Willingness to tackle data collection and management challenges with an eye toward moving the agency to best practices
• Curiosity and interest in public policy and public interest work, particularly in the criminal justice realm
• Excellent communication skills, including with people who do not have an analytics background
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment
• Self-starter with a desire to design and launch new initiatives
• Experience working with lawyers, law offices, and/or in District of Columbia public policy is a plus.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION:  A substitution of education for required experience will be allowed as defined in OPM’s Qualification Standards. However, in order to receive credit, applicants must submit official proof of educational attainment at the time of application. 

SUBMISSION OF RANKING FACTORS:  The following ranking factors will be used in the evaluation process.  All applicants MUST respond to the ranking factors by submitting responses in the relevant area provided on the DC 2000 Employment Application.  Please describe specific achievements, experience, education, training, etc. that demonstrates the degree to which you possess the job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities described in the ranking factors.  The information given in response to the ranking factors should be complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge.   

FAILURE TO RESPOND TO ALL RANKING FACTORS WILL ELIMINATE YOU FROM CONSIDERATION.  

Ranking Factor #1: Mastery of and skill sufficient to visualize statistical and analytical methodology in relationship to the broad research, investigative or policy problem at hand.  Ability to advise on the optimum use of and possible expected contributions of statistics and analytics, as well as the limitations of those methods, to the initiatives of the office.

Ranking Factor #2: Mastery of statistical and analytical theories, principles, concepts and practices, and skill in applying statistical procedures, data or quantitative analysis, data collection techniques, and reduction of data from multiple sources. Mastery of statistical methods to include data experimental design, analysis of variance/regression, logistic regression as well as cost benefit analyses.

Ranking Factor #3: Significant project management skills and experience in planning, organizing and directing a program of work.  Demonstrated skill in problem solving, multitasking, and marshalling resources to design and conduct in-depth research and analysis and successfully complete complex projects. 

Ranking Factor #4: Superior skill in oral and written communication to prepare and present recommendations and solutions regarding complex issues based on analysis and evaluation, including the preparation and presentation of reports and proposals. Ability to interact well with and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Ranking Factor #5: Demonstrated curiosity and interest in public policy and public interest work and applying statistical and analytical methods to public policy problems.

OTHER INFORMATION:  A background investigation will be conducted.

Please see below attachment for details.

Emoluments: Defendant's Support to Certification of Interlocutory Appeal

Solicitation OAG-RFP-DCCB-2018-R-0019

The Office of Attorney General (“OAG”) is seeking a contractor to support its child support collection and enforcement responsibilities. The current automated system, the District of Columbia Child Support Enforcement System (DCCSES) needs programming updates and enhancements as well as day-to-day operational maintenance.

Emoluments: Plaintiffs' Opposition to Certification of Interlocutory Appeal

Emoluments: Joint Discovery Plan

Emoluments: Trump Official Capacity Response

Solicitation OAG-FY18-R-0008

Emoluments: Motion for Certification of Appeal