Trial Attorney (Detail to Camp Lejeune Justice Act Unit)

Full Job Description

The CLJA Unit defends litigation brought under the "Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022" (CLJA), Pub. L. No. 117-168, § 804, 136 Stat. 1802, 1802-04 (2022).

This statute aims to provide appropriate relief to service members and others who were injured as a result of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

This is a 6-month non-reimbursable detail with the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) Unit with an option to extend. Applicants should receive supervisory approval before applying.

Applicants must have a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least one year of post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

Applicants should also have excellent academic credentials and outstanding advocacy and legal writing skills.

Experience drafting and arguing motions, handling discovery, taking and defending depositions, developing expert witness testimony, and trying cases are highly desirable.

This is a public trust position that is subject to a current background investigation but does not require or provide a clearance.

Under a detail assignment, there is no change to the selectee's base pay. The positions will be filled at the employee's current grade level. Major Duties:

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.