Law Department

2005-06 Academic Year

May 10, 2005

Dear Candidates:

The United States Postal Service Law Department invites talented individuals to apply for second-year summer internships and entry level Honor Attorney positions.

The Law Department, staffed with over 200 attorneys in offices across the country, provides in-house legal representation to the United States Postal Service, an independent establishment of the executive branch. The Postal Service is the largest postal service provider in the world. Were the Postal Service to be listed among the nation’s “Fortune 500” largest companies, it would currently rank in the top sixteen, as measured by annual revenue, and as the second largest civilian employer.

Our varied and diverse areas of practice offer summer interns and new attorneys challenging and rewarding assignments. Attorneys for the Postal Service practice in many areas, including: labor and employment, commercial, torts, economic regulation, finance, contracts, intellectual property, real estate, legal policy, legislation, administrative, international, information, government ethics, and consumer protection law. Attorneys demonstrating proficiency and creativity are rewarded with high levels of responsibility early in their careers.

Our Headquarters office is located in Washington, D.C., as is one of our field (“area”) law offices. Other area law offices are located throughout the country. With the exception of the General Law Service Center in St. Louis, which primarily handles tort, environmental and Facilities matters, the area law offices concentrate on labor and employment law. Most positions combine litigation and advisory responsibilities, although some attorneys practice exclusively in advisory capacities.

Each year, the Law Department manages an active recruiting program. In 2006, the Law Department is planning to fill several entry-level Honor Attorney positions. In addition, the Law Department plans to offer sixteen positions for summer clerks in its offices nationwide. Five of the second-year summer internships are expected to be in our Washington, D.C. Headquarters office; the remainder will be in our area law offices.

We look forward to interviewing at law schools throughout the country this academic year. Should you require further information, please feel free to visit our website at www.usps.com/lawdept/, or contact Ms. Elisa Edwards, Administrative Coordinator, Business Services, at (202) 268-3082.

Sincerely,

Mary Anne Gibbons

THE POSTAL SERVICE AS A CLIENT

THE POSTAL SERVICE AS A CLIENTThe United States Postal Service is an exciting and challenging client for any attorney. A unique hybrid combining attributes of a governmental agency and a business enterprise, it is governed by the provisions of the Postal Reorganization Act (as amended), 39 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.

THE POSTAL SERVICE AS A CLIENTThroughout most of the nation's history, the United States postal system was administered by the Post Office Department, a cabinet level agency in the Executive Branch. By the late 1960s, however, years of financial neglect and fragmented control had impaired the ability of the department to respond to changing conditions and rising mail volumes. Convinced that fundamental change was necessary, in 1970 Congress enacted the Postal Reorganization Act (PRA), sweeping legislation which created the Postal Service as an independent establishment of the Executive Branch and directed the new organization to bring modern business methods and practices to the national mail system.

The PRA established the current system for the provision of postal services in the United States. Since that reorganization, the Postal Service has made important progress, streamlining its operations, increasing productivity, holding rates equal to inflation, and structuring management to operate in a business‑like fashion that is more responsive to customer needs. Meeting our customers’ needs has been, and continues to be, one of the Postal Service’s top priorities. Recently, the Postal Service expanded its services to accommodate our customers’ busy schedules by: (1) providing self-service machines (Automated Postal Centers) which allow users to transact their postal business quickly and efficiently; (2) making shipping easier with flat-rate and pre-paid Priority Mail envelopes/boxes; and (3) providing online access to postal services and products.

Not surprisingly, today, the Postal Service is the world's largest mailing system, handling over 200 billion pieces of mail annually, over 40 percent of the world's mail volume. The Postal Service serves over 142 million delivery points and maintains operating revenues in excess of $69 billion, ranking in revenue among the nation’s top sixteen leading commercial enterprises. It operates over 37,000 post offices and other postal facilities throughout the nation and has substantial assets, including more than 8,000 owned facilities and over 200,000 motor vehicles. The Postmaster General, who is selected by nine Presidentially‑appointed Governors, directs a corps of professional managers and a workforce of over 700,000 career employees. The Postal Service ranks as the nation’s second largest civilian employer.

Because the Postal Service is the only federal government entity operating in virtually every community in the nation, it often attracts attention in the media and the consciousness of the American public. This increases the challenge of our practice, and enhances the visibility and excitement of our work.

In today's world, an operation of this size and complexity requires a broad range of highly skilled legal services to accomplish its mission. For an attorney, the Postal Service is a rewarding and challenging place to practice. It offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience and to assume substantial responsibility practicing law in ways more often encountered in legal departments of large corporations than in government. Because the Postal Service is freed by Congress from much of the day‑to‑day regulation controlling most government activities, many of the legal services it requires tend to be similar to those needed by private sector businesses. At the same time, the Postal Service is foremost a public service and one of the largest government establishments. It is subject to a broad variety of governmental laws and, unlike private delivery businesses, the Postal Service must litigate changes to existing postal rates and classifications before an independent federal agency.

Our lawyers' advice actively guides our clients through this unique maze of governmental and business law. In addition, many of our attorneys become actively involved in litigation. Although the Department of Justice represents the Postal Service in proceedings before the federal courts, Postal Service attorneys may have extensive involvement in federal court cases. Our attorneys also handle administrative litigation.

HOW THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS ORGANIZEDThe Law Department of the United States Postal Service effectively functions as a large law firm with an enormously varied practice serving a single client. Headed by the General Counsel and two Deputy General Counsel, the Law Department draws on the abilities of more than 200 career attorneys. Presently, about one-third of our attorneys work at Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the remainder are divided among area law offices located throughout the country. Each attorney is assigned to work either for one of five Sections at Headquarters or one of the area law offices. One area law office is located in the nation's capital; the others are located in Windsor, Connecticut; New York; Philadelphia; Chicago; St. Louis; Memphis; Dallas; Salt Lake City; and San Francisco. In addition, satellite offices are located in Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Long Beach, Miami, Tampa, and in the Portland, Oregon area.

Headquarters attorneys interact with clients at the highest levels of the Postal Service, as well as with Assistant United States Attorneys and other executives and leaders in government and the private sector. Headquarters serves as a centralized focus for the Postal Service's expertise in all areas of law in which the Law Department practices throughout the nation and directs certain specialized litigation and counseling. The area law offices handle advice and litigation outside of Headquarters.

LAW DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

THE POSTAL SERVICE AS A CLIENT

LAW DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

TYPICAL STRUCTURES