Attorney-Adviser (General) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 2025-004 Department Office of Special Counsel
Salary $84,601.00 to $131,826.00 Grade 11 to 12
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/23/2025 Close Date 8/15/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is seeking recent law school graduates and early-career attorneys for entry-level Law Clerk or Attorney positions in our Washington, D.C. office. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to OSC's mission of promoting accountability, integrity and fairness in the federal workplace.

Duties

Why Join OSC?
OSC consistently ranks highly in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) for workplace satisfaction!

Division Overview
Selected candidates will gain hands-on legal experience working in one of OSC's many program areas, which may include:

  • Case Review Division (CRD)
  • Disclosure Unit (DU)
  • Investigation and Prosecution Division (IPD)
You can find additional information about our program units here.

Duties
Under the supervision of experienced attorneys, you may:
  • Conduct legal research and draft memoranda;
  • Investigate claims and interview witnesses;
  • Prepare pleadings and litigate before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB);
  • Participate in mediation and settlement efforts;
  • Appear as amicus in federal court;
  • Advise agency leadership on legal and policy matters involving federal personnel law, administrative law, constitutional law, and civil procedure.
Ideal Candidate
We are looking for candidates who embrace the privilege of public service, bring enthusiasm and dedication to such service, and work well within a team setting. Flexibility and a strong commitment to OSC's statutory mission are essential.

Positions may be filled on a permanent, temporary, or term basis, depending on agency needs, and may be offered as Law Clerk positions (for applicants who do not have active bar membership) or Attorney-Adviser positions (for applicants who have active bar membership).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship or National authorized to work in the U.S.
  • Individuals born after 12-31-1959 and required to register for Selective Service under the Military Selective Service Act of 50 USC App. 453, must be registered or otherwise exempt from Selective Service. See "Additional Information" section below.
  • May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
  • May be eligible for incentive pay.
  • May be eligible for superior qualifications/special needs pay setting.
  • Direct Deposit of pay is required.
  • E-Verify will be used to confirm employment eligibility on new employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Suitable for Federal employment as determined by appropriate background investigation.

Qualifications

Education Qualifications for all positions: A professional law degree (L.L.B., J.D., L.L.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

In addition to Education, applicants must meet the minimum Experience Requirements outlined below:
Position Title Bar
Membership 		Legal Experience Requirements
GS-11, Attorney-Adviser Required ** None
GS-11, Law Clerk N/A Law school graduates who have not yet been admitted to the bar and who have not served in a judicial clerkship may be temporarily employed at the GS-11 level, not to exceed 14 months as law clerk trainees
GS-12, Attorney-Adviser Required ** 1 year of professional legal experience post bar admission.
GS-12, Law Clerk N/A Law school graduates who have not yet been admitted to the bar and who have served one year in a judicial clerkship may be temporarily employed at the GS-12 level, not to exceed 14 months as law clerk trainees

**An active membership in good standing in a bar of a state, U.S. Territory, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth or Puerto Rico.

Your resume must explicitly outline your qualifications. We will not make assumptions on your experience.

NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-0905 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined above.

Applicants qualifying through education, but who have not yet graduated or received final grades, may apply using their current grades at time of application. If selected, you will be required to verify final grades and/or provide additional documentation.

Annual Leave Accrual Credit
Selectees for their first Federal position may be eligible to earn a higher annual leave accrual rate based on prior non-Federal or uniformed service work experience. The amount of service credited will be based on specialized experience or qualifying experience that is provided on the applicant resume and documentation submitted.

Additional information

ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: In accordance with VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 (Public Law 112-56),Current military members may apply by submitting a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain: (1) your rank; (2) dates of active duty service; (3) type of discharge and projected character of service (i.e. honorable); (4) projected Veteran's preference, if applicable; (5) date terminal leave begins, if applicable; (6) date of expected discharge or release that is within 120 days of your employment application submission; and (7) signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. If selected, your qualifying separation, veteran's preference, and/or appointment eligibility will be verified prior to appointment. Active-duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found to have an incomplete application. Military members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if on terminal leave.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: Individuals born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service. You can find more information on Who Must Register and Exemptions here. In addition, you can find more information on what to do if you failed to register here.

DEVELOPMENTAL POSITIONS: This position can be filled at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade level. If filled at the lower grade level, noncompetitive promotion to the next grade level is authorized but not implied. It is dependent upon meeting time-in-grade requirements, specialized experience, required training and any other management requirements to demonstrate ability to perform the next higher/target grade level.

These are not Bargaining Unit positions.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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 application process is complete, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Management will consider any Federal performance appraisals and/or awards you submit with your application as an indication of your experience and work history. These documents will not be scored as part of the assessment process.

In accordance with 5 C.F.R. Section 302.101(c), these positions are in the Excepted service and not subject to the provisions of Veteran's Preference. However, candidates who list and provide verification of their Veteran's Preference will have their Preference status identified to the selecting official for consideration as part of their application package.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  1. Resume, including a) personal information such as name, address, contact information; b) education; c) detailed work experience related to this position including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (month/year), title and Grade level for any Federal service, i.e. GS-9); d) scope and complexity of the functions, activities and services you managed and your level of contacts; and any other qualifications. We recommend that your resume not exceed two (2) pages as only the first two (2) pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications;
  2. Cover Letter, required;
  3. Writing Sample, dated within the last five (5) years;
  4. Other required supporting documents:
  • Law school transcript(s) to confirm your education;
  • Verification an active membership in good standing in a bar of a state, U.S. Territory, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth or Puerto Rico, if applicable;
  • Current or Previous Federal (whether Excepted or Competitive Service) employees:
    • Most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) with highest grade held (or promotion potential) on a permanent basis, position title, series and grade; AND
    • Most recent performance appraisal (dated within 18 months) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. A performance plan, without a rating, is not an acceptable substitute.
  • DD-214, SF-15 Form and VA letter, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty for consideration of Veteran status.

If you submit multiple copies of the same document, only your most recent uploaded document (by date & time stamp) will be considered. If your resume or supporting documents are illegible or unreadable, or if you fail to include any of the above-mentioned required documents, you may lose consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be considered further. If your application materials contain sensitive or inappropriate information, including but not limited to: photographs; classified or government sensitive information; copied and pasted portions of this job announcement; obscene information, etc., you may not be considered.

Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for non-selection, disqualification from further consideration or withdrawal of tentative or final job offers.

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 and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
Your application and supporting documents must be submitted and received through the online application process by 11:59 pm EST on the closing date of this announcement.

  • To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account if you do not have one.
  • You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
  • To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

Agency contact information

Human Capital Office
Address
Office of Special Counsel
1730 M St NW
Washington, DC 20036
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation notification by email that your application was received.
Your application will be evaluated as outlined above and if you are found to be among the qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. We anticipate a large number of applicants, and only the top candidates will be contacted for interview. You will receive automated notifications through the USAjobs system as updates are available.

Selecting officials may choose any appropriate competitive, non-competitive or alternative candidate under Federal regulations and Agency policy. Interviews may be conducted individually, by panel, by third party, teleconference, video teleconference, or in person. Selecting officials have the option to interview any, all or none of the referred candidates. Management has the right to fill or not a fill this vacancy, as well as to cancel and re-announce as appropriate.

Additional Vacancies
This announcement may be used to fill additional or similar vacancies at the same or equivalent grade level.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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