Duties
1. Responsible for the effective management and accomplishment of the day to day legal workload necessary to provide legal services and support to the Adjutant General, staff elements of both the Army and Air National Guard and subordinate units, as well as the United States Property and Fiscal Officer for the State and his staff. Provides professional legal advice and opinions, both written and oral, on issues arising from federal laws and regulations or concerning the federal mission of the National Guard. Serves as litigation point of contact for the State. Prepares litigation reports, briefs, pleadings and other papers associated with civil litigation involving the National Guard. Upon designation by the U.S. Department of Justice, or, in appropriate cases, when designated by the Office of Legal Advisor, National Guard Bureau, may appear as counsel for the National Guard or National Guard officials or employees in civil litigation. (25%)2. Acts as the State Adjutant General's representative in third-party proceedings under the Federal Labor-Management Relations Statute. Reviews technician collective bargaining agreements for legal sufficiency. Upon designation by the State Adjutant General, may participate in collective bargaining as a member of the management negotiating team. Serves as claims officer for the State. Prepares claims reports for the processing of claims by the appropriate claims office. Upon designation by the State Adjutant General, participates as Staff Judge Advocate to the Convening Authority in State National Guard courts-martial and as legal advisor or counsel in administrative board proceedings. Reviews Reports of Survey, Line of Duty determinations and similar administrative proceedings for legal sufficiency. (25%)3 Reviews contracts, procurement actions and real property matters involving federal funds for legal sufficiency. Upon designation by the State Adjutant General, participates in negotiations involving contracts, acquisitions, and real property matters. Assists in drafting of Drafts contracts, agreements and real property documents. Prepares and presents legal training for judge advocates and for other personnel as required. Acts as legal assistance officer for full-time active duty members of the National Guard of the State. Provides general legal counsel and assistance in preparation of simple documents and correspondence on a broad range of personal civil matters. Drafts wills, powers of attorney and similar personal documents. (25%)4. Acts as legal assistance officer for members of the National Guard of the State by providing the following: (15%)a. Domestic relations. Advises on legal and practical meaning and effects of divorce, legal separations, annulment, custody. Refers to appropriate agencies as necessary.b. Wills and estates. Provides legal advice and counseling on wills and estates. Drafts and executes wills and codicils. Advises on estate planning to include minor tax considerations and non-trusts under applicable state statues, or refers to private attorneys as necessary.c. Nonsupport and indebtedness. Advises and counsels on effect and procedures, to include garnishment rules, repossession procedures, default judgments, adverse personnel actions. Refers to appropriate agencies as necessary.d. Landlord-Tenant relations and customer affairs. Advises and counsels on tenant's rights; eviction procedures; the legal effect and meaning of leases, offers to purchase, sales contracts and customer's rights in dealing with merchants and lenders; credit reporting agencies; etc. Prepares correspondence and legal instruments. Provides advice on rights accorded by Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act and other statutory provisions.e. General. Prepares complex powers of attorney and other instruments, advises on immigration/naturalization procedures, insurance matters, general contracts, personal property law. Provides for client referrals to private attorneys as appropriate.5. Coordinates activities with part-time judge advocates to insure effective utilization of part-time JAG officers. (10%)Performs other professional legal and military duties as required.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation. May be required to successfully complete a probationary period. Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
1. Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.*2. Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day*** "This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration. This designation will not exceed 14 calendar days per year unless otherwise approved in advance by the TAG." ***
Qualifications
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Assignments involve extremely complex and difficult legal questions requiring extensive research, analysis, and evaluation of information in controversial scientific, financial, corporate, medical engineering, or other highly technical areas. Cases have an important impact on major private or public interests, such as cases concerning a major extension or revision in a grant program or a substantial question on civil rights. Interest in these cases is usually nationwide. (1) GS-12 or equivalent entry-level attorneys are entrusted with the initial preparation of proposed solutions to projects. They conduct investigations to obtain facts, study legal precedents, make recommendations, and prepare necessary documents. They receive preliminary instructions, their commitment authority is limited, and their completed written work is carefully reviewed. Assignments require the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, and one of the following: (a) Two years of professional legal experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level. (b) The second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus one year of professional legal experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level. An attorney without experience may be employed at the GS-12 or equivalent level if the individual has advanced educational attainments substantially beyond those required for work at the GS-11 or equivalent level and if their education clearly indicates ability to perform the type of work to be assigned, including courses directly pertinent to the work of the agency. The essential point in such cases is to ensure that the individual's education has enabled them to step into complex legal work characteristic of the GS-12 or equivalent level and to operate with the degree of independence and responsibility typical of that level
Quality of Experience - Length of time is not of itself qualifying. Candidates' experience should be evaluated on the basis of duties performed rather than strictly on the rank of the individual; however, established compatibility criteria/assignments must be followed. The applicant's record of experience and/or training must show possession of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to fully perform the duties of the position.
Education
If you are using Education to qualify for this position, Must have Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree in law issued by an ABA-accredited law school and must be admitted to practice law to practice law in the highest court of any U.S. state, commonwealth, territory or the District of Columbia
You must provide transcripts or other documentation to support your Educational claims. To receive credit for Education, you must provide documentation of proof that you meet the Education requirements for this position.
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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates (including Month and Year, e.g., 02/2017, Feb 2017, etc.) of employment and duties performed.
2. Other supporting documents: This position is open to current or former members of the Maryland National Guard only. You must submit Enlistment Contract, NGB 22, DD 214, Separation Orders from the MDNG or Memorandum from Your unit commander detailing current status as proof of current or former membership in the Maryland National Guard.
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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12622391
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.