Summary
The position is located in the U.S. International Trade Commission, Office of the General Counsel. The incumbent serves as an Attorney Advisor for proceedings such as antidumping and countervailing duty investigations under the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and safeguard investigations under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, and is responsible for assisting in the carrying out of functions assigned in support of the Commission mission.
Duties
As an Attorney Advisor, you will primarily:
- Provide legal advice and support in proceedings such as antidumping and countervailing duty investigations under the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and safeguard investigations under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, including the preparation of memoranda and draft opinions that need little revision or editing;
- Handle the complex matters in the office while providing legal expertise in the preparation and presentation of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations and safeguard investigations, in the development of procedures and regulations implementing new or revised legislation, in the development and drafting of agency decisions, and in defense of agency decisions;
- Provide legal services in support of the Commission's decisions for both complex and routine litigation; and
- Provide litigation services, including preparing briefs and presenting oral argument in litigation matters before courts of the United States and other tribunals involving a sophisticated knowledge of laws concerning antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, as well as the ability to do an in-depth analysis of law and facts in order to develop litigation strategies for the protection of the Commission's interests.
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
- You will be required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
- You may be required to serve a two-year trial period.
- You must provide proof of your Bar membership.
- You may be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement.
- You must be able to obtain/maintain a SECRET security clearance.
- You are required to register for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959.
Qualifications
Applicants must meet all of the qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. Education may only be substituted in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must have the general and specialized experience outlined below which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.
- This is an open continuous vacancy announcement that will be used to fill vacancies as they occur.
- To receive consideration for vacancies, applicants must submit a complete application prior to the established cut-off date(s).
- The initial cut-off date will take place on December 28, 2023 to begin the initial applicant consideration. Applications received after the initial cut-off date will be considered upon receipt of the next cut-off date.
- The established cutoff dates are as follows:
- January 29, 2024
- February 29, 2024
- March 29, 2024
- April 29, 2024
- May 29, 2024
- June 28, 2024
- July 29, 2024
- August 29, 2024
- September 30, 2024
- October 29, 2024
- November 29, 2024
To be hired as an Attorney with us, you must:
- possess at least a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree or a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
- currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
You will be required to submit proof of your Bar membership as part of your application package to show that you meet this requirement. Any offer is contingent on receipt of a letter or certificate of good standing for each bar of which the applicant is an active member dated within 30 days of any offer.
IN ADDITION to meeting the requirements above, you must meet the specific and/or specialized experience below:
To qualify at the GS-11 level, have at least one (1) year of experience which provided the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience consists of the following:
- Superior achievement in legal education as evidenced by: (a) academic standing in the upper-third of law school graduating class; (b) work or significant involvement on law review or international journal; (c) election to the order of the COIF or equivalent honors for academic excellence; (d) significant involvement in advanced moot court competition; (e) judicial clerkship; (f) a graduate legal degree (LLM); or, (g) other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement, or
- General experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law, OR
- One (1) year of specialized experience, which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; conducting legal research and preparing legal documents; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; writing complex documents such as legal memoranda, opinions, and briefs (writing sample may be required during the second level review); making oral presentations, communicating legal research results, and defending legal positions; and experience providing legal guidance to attorneys and other professionals related to the USITC.
To qualify at the GS-12 level, you must have at least two (2) years of experience which consists of the following:
- Two (2) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC; OR
- One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND one (1) year of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, Executive Orders, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.
To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must have at least three (3) years of experience which consists of the following:
- Three (3) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC; OR
- One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND two (2) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, , court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.
To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have at least four (4) years of experience which consists of the following:
- Four (4) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC, OR
- One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND three (3) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, , court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.
To qualify at the GS-15 level, you must have at least five (5) years of experience which consists of the following:
- Five (5) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC; OR
- One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND four (4) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.
The employee may be required to serve a 2-year probationary period.
Education
Education Requirement:
All applicants must possess a first professional law degree: J.D. or LL.B from an American Bar Association Law School, or equivalent training. Equivalent training is training permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at a law school. To be acceptable, this training must be of the kind and nature required by the state in which the bar exam is taken. A copy of your transcript(s) is required to show proof that you meet this requirement. Please see the Required Documents section of the announcement for more specific information.
Submit a copy of your transcript(s) or list of courses with credit hours, major(s) and grade-point average or class ranking. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials: http://www.naces.org/members.htm.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- ORAL COMMUNICATION
- LEGAL ANALYSIS AND WRITING
- LEGAL KNOWLEDGE
We will evaluate your relevant education and/or work experience as they relate to the competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) mentioned above. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Based on the results of this evaluation, you will be placed in one of the following categories:
Best: Placement in this category indicates you have the type and quality of experience and/or education that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including any selective placement factors and/or appropriate quality ranking factor(s).
Better: Placement in this category indicates you have the type and quality of experience and/or education that exceed the minimum qualifications of the position.
Good: Placement in this category indicates you meet the minimum qualifications and/or education of the position and are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the position. You may require extensive training and/or orientation in order to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position.
Candidates in the Best category will be the first ones sent to the hiring manager for interview consideration.
Your resume, and supporting documentation for education, should contain sufficient information for us to make a valid determination that you fully meet the qualification requirements for this vacancy. We do not make inferences and can only consider the information you provide to us. Insufficient resumes and application packages will result in loss of consideration.
Your experience and education is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12216770
1. Resume: Your resume may be in any written format you choose, and to be sufficient, should contain the required information as specified in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. Insufficient resumes, or resumes that contain inappropriate information, such as privacy information or photographs, will result in an ineligible rating.
2. Occupational questionnaire: A completed job-specific occupational questionnaire should be submitted through your Application Manager account.
3. Proof of Bar Membership: Documentation must show that you are a member of the Bar of a state, territory or commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. If you are made an offer, you must submit a Certificate of Good Standing dated within 30 days of the offer.
4. Transcripts: You MUST submit a copy of your transcript(s), as specified under the Education section of this announcement. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application purposes, provided they show your classes, grades, dates of attendance and award of any degree. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
5. Cover Letter: This is optional.
6. SF-50: Current and former federal employees must submit a copy of an SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," which documents your highest permanent grade/step/salary held. Award SF-50s typically do not contain your grade/step/salary.
7. Performance Appraisal: Current or former federal employees must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal dated within 18 months. If you do not have one, you must submit a statement.
8. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney positions, which are in the excepted service; however, the Commission considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring of all positions. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include such information in their cover letter, or resume, and submit supporting documents (e.g. DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) as part of their application package. Although the point preference system is not used as in the competitive service, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15), and documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed, as listed on the SF-15. Specific information is available on the Office of Personnel Management website at: http://www.opm.gov.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/03/2024 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.
3. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
4. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
The Vacancy ID is 12216770.
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.
To check the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the More Information link under the application status for this position.
You will be notified up to four times during the hiring process:
- Upon receipt of your application
- Upon minimum qualifications determination
- After candidates have been referred to the hiring official
- Once a selection has been made
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