Attorney-Adviser

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens

This is an open continuous announcement. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. The first review of applications will occur two weeks after the opening date. Applications received after this cut-off will be reviewed and referred as additional vacancies become available.

The selectee will serve as an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Chief Counsel. Typical work assignments include:

• Making recommendations and advising on regulatory and policy changes required by new legislation or court decisions.
• Engaging in legal research into problems that involve the interpretation and application of laws and regulations enforced by or affecting the Secret Service.
• Assisting with representing the agency in litigation matters by providing support to senior agency and/or Department of Justice attorneys, to include furnishing legal advice, and support regarding discovery matters, witness preparation, and preparing written and oral advocacy for litigation proceedings.
• Assisting with drafting legal instruments, letters, memoranda, documents and informal and formal legal opinions.
• Drafting, interpreting, or applying legislation, regulations, contracts, orders, or decisions.

Apply for this exciting opportunity to support the agency's protective and investigative mission by providing timely, thorough legal guidance for all agency operations, in-service legal training, legal representation in administrative and judicial forums, and on-scene at events and incidents.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

• Obtain and maintain a Top Secret Tier 5 clearance. For more information visit OPM Mythbuster Page.
• Submit a credit check after a conditional offer of employment has been accepted.
• Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
• Submit a financial disclosure report.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To be considered qualified for this position you must meet the following qualification requirements for the respective grade level in which you are applying.

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements AND Minimum Qualification requirements as listed below:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
A. A first professional law degree (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctor (J.D.)) obtained from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time the degree was obtained.
AND
B. Be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. (Note: Supporting documentation must be included with the application package).

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, YOU MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

You qualify for the GS-11 level if you possess one of the following:

Superior achievement as a law student that indicates the ability to independently perform legal work, as demonstrated by at least one of the following:

• Law school transcript that demonstrates successful mastery of law school curriculum.
• Work or achievement of significance on one of the Attorney's law school's official law reviews or journals.
• Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school (e.g., membership in the Order of the Coif, Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude)).
• Significant involvement in a moot court competition (e.g., winning a moot court competition, or membership on the moot court team that represents the Attorney's law school in competition with other law schools).
• Full-time or continuous participation in a legal services program while in law school (one-time, intermittent, or casual participation on its own would not demonstrate superior achievement).
• Significant law office clerk experience while in law school (involving legal or quasi-legal, not clerical, work).
• Other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement while in law school.

OR

• A second professional law degree (Master of Law (LL.M)) obtained from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time the degree was obtained, if at least one full year of graduate study was required to obtain the degree.

You qualify for the GS-12 level if you possess one of the following:

• One year of professional legal experience equivalent to the GS-11 level, following obtaining first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), that has equipped the applicant with the particular skills and experience to perform successfully the duties of the position (generally, the experience is in or related to the work of the position to be filled).

OR

• One year of experience in judicial clerkship(s).

The qualification requirements listed above must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

This announcement is being filled using the Schedule A Hiring Authority 5 CFR 213.3102 (D) under Excepted Service procedures. Traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply to attorney positions. Applicants who meet the qualifications for the position and submit a resume, and law school transcript will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

The Office of the Chief Counsel (LEG) will evaluate qualified applicants by comparing each candidate's qualifications to those pertinent to the position. LEG will consider relevant skills and experience, education and training. An applicant need not have specific knowledge and experience with regard to each item listed in the Duties section in order to qualify for the position. Applicants will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Decision Support
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence
• Written Communication

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Homeland Security considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference are encouraged to include that information in a cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214 or other substantiating documents) to their submissions. View information on veterans' preference.

Interviews are required for this position. As part of the interview process, you may be required to provide a legal writing sample and references, a second interview may be conducted. These additional assessments will be considered in the selection process. Failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

If selected this announcement confers a permanent appointment in the excepted service and will be filled on a full-time permanent basis. Employees hired under an Excepted Service appointment are required to serve a one (1) year trial period, unless already completed. Upon successful completion of the required trial period, this position will be permanent. This position does not confer non-competitive conversion to the competitive service. Acceptance of an excepted service appointment from applicants in the competitive service will require a written statement of understanding when voluntarily leaving the competitive service.

In addition to addressing the vacancy specific questions, you must also submit the following documentation:

• Resume - Limit your resume to no more than two pages. The USAJOBS database will not allow an applicant to submit an application that includes a resume over two pages. In order to receive credit for experience contained in an uploaded resume, your employment history should show relevant work experience in month/year format (MM/YYYY), reflecting starting date and ending date, and include the number of hours worked per week. To learn how to format and submit a two-page resume, please visit the USAJOBS Help Center.
• Transcripts- Submit a copy of your law school transcript accredited by the American Bar Association. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted that includes your name, name of the educational institution, declared degree program, course title(s), credits completed, grade, date of completion, Grade Point Average (GPA), and date of degree conferral. Your legal education must have been obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the American Bar Association. If selected, an official transcript will be required.
• Licensure- Submit a copy of your bar license, certificate of good standing, or other documentary evidence to prove that you are an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• Are you a veteran? Submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 or other (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) and/or documentation of service-connected disability. If claiming 10-point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. For more information view Veteran Information.
• Are you a Current or Former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title, Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee), Agency beginning and ending dates of appointment.

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