Summary
About the Position: Serves as the Assistant District Counsel for Procurement and Real Estate law. Provides expert legal advice on contract formation and contract disputes, real estate matters, including acquisitions, condemnations, leasing and other real estate matters related to Norfolk District projects. Also provides legal advice on environmental issues related to Civil Works and Regulatory programs.
Duties
- Advise the Norfolk District on complex legal matters pertaining to real estate activities, to include Federal Civil Works, Military Construction, the Residential Communities Initiative (RCI), and Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI).
- Present the USACE position in order to resolve legal and factual issues and balancing the competing interests of local sponsors, landowners, state, and Federal agencies, USACE and applicable laws, regulations, and policy.
- Communicate with landowners, real estate professionals, other federal agencies and the highest level of local and state sponsors and government and the attorneys representing such entities.
- Advise and perform legal services, including assessment of risks, in contract formation activities and contract disputes.
- Advise on environmental laws including NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and applicable state laws.
- Represent the Norfolk District in meetings with the USACE vertical chain, other federal agencies and the highest level of local and state sponsors and government, and the attorneys representing such entities.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
- Appointment to this position is subject to a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
- This position requires pre-employment financial disclosure and annually thereafter in accordance with DoD Directive 5500-7-R.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration.
Education: Successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree (L.L.B or J.D.) (Note: Must provide a copy)
AND
Bar Membership: Currently an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, and be admitted to practice before a state or federal court. (Note: Must provide a copy)
AND
Specialized Experience for GS-13 Level: Two or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position: Providing legal services and interpreting laws and regulations for real estate acquisitions, civil works, environmental, and regulatory matters.
OR
Graduated from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class or obtained and advanced law degree such as Master of Law (LLM) and have one year of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, which commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.
Specialized Experience for GS-14 Level: Three or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position: Providing expert legal advice and trial advocacy regarding contract formation, administration, and litigation, and real estate acquisitions and matters related to Federal projects and property.
Time in Grade Requirement: If currently employed as an attorney by the federal government you must have completed one year of time-in-grade at the next lower grade level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.
Notice of Veterans Preference Information: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov.)
Education
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
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, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.
As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
1. Your resume:
- Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
- If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
- For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
- For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
2. Other supporting documents:
- Cover Letter, optional
- Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
- This position has an individual occupational requirement and/or allows for substitution of education for experience. If you meet this requirement based on education you MUST submit a copy of your transcript with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
- This position requires a job-related license or certification. You MUST submit a copy of your license or certification with your application package or you will be rated ineligible. See: Transcripts and Licenses
- SWORN STATEMENT: Submit a sworn [notarized] statement from you that your fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction to the best of your knowledge, or if either has been challenged, a sworn [notarized] statement concerning the facts and circumstances and any other explanation that you consider appropriate may be submitted. As an alternative to a sworn [notarized] statement, a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct executed on (date) (your signature)" (28 U.S.C. 1746). The statement and certificate must be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The statement and certificate are required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General, Army (including active-duty Army Judge Advocates). (Current Corps of Engineers Attorneys need not submit).
- CERTIFICATE: Submit an official certificate showing you are in good standing with the Bar. Current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Attorneys need not submit this certificate. Official certificate showing that you are a member in good standing of the bar. A copy of the certificate may be provided with the application. The official certificate must be provided prior to an interview being held.
- TRANSCRIPTS: Submit official college and official law school transcripts. A copy of the transcript may be provided with the application. The official transcript must be provided prior to an interview being held. Current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Attorneys need not submit.
- PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS: Submit copies of your last two (2) performance appraisals if applicable. All Federal employees MUST submit.
- SF-50: Submit your most recent SF-50. All Federal employees MUST submit.
- WRITING SAMPLE: Submit one example of writing skills as demonstrated by legal briefs, memorandum, or letters. These examples should total no more than ten pages in length. Extracts of selected sections of larger documents are acceptable.
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
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 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 06/20/2024 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 (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12416399).
- 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. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
- It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
- Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
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
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
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