Summary
Ethics Law & Disclosure Division is responsible for establishing and maintaining a uniform legal framework of Government ethics for Executive Branch.
This position is located at Office of Government Ethics, Ethics Law and Disclosure Division. As an Attorney-Adviser (General), you will exercise leadership in the Executive Branch to prevent conflicts of interest on the part of Government employees, and to resolve potential conflicts of interest.
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Clarification from the agency
U.S. citizens and U.S. Nationals; no prior federal experience is required.
Duties
The following are the duties of this position at the GS-15 . If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.
- The incumbent will provide oral and written advice to senior attorneys in the Office of Government Ethics and to agency ethics officials, ethics counselors, and others throughout the Executive Branch on a wide variety of topics of interest to the ethics community.
- The incumbent will research legal issues which are often complex and draft written letters, memoranda, and other legal documents on a variety of topics, which may include ethics law or general law topics such as the Freedom of Information Act and fiscal law.
- The incumbent will provide interpretive guidance on statutes and regulations to agency ethics officials, Congressional offices, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- A trial period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the trial period.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Obtain and use a government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
-The Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993 prohibits requesting, transmitting, accepting, or considering political recommendations for employment or other personnel actions for non-political positions.
-Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
Key Requirements:
- Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
- Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
- Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
Qualifications
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements, including the following, by the closing date:
1. Be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of graduation; AND
2. Be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state or territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
In addition, applicants must meet the following specialized experience requirement:
Specialized experience for the GS-15: You must have a minimum of 4 1/2 years of experience practicing as a licensed attorney. The experience must include 3 years of experience related to federal government ethics.
Specialized experience for the GS-14: You must have a minimum of 3 years of experience practicing as a licensed attorney. The experience must include 2 years of experience related to federal government ethics.
Specialized experience for the GS-13: You must have a minimum of 2 years of experience practicing as a licensed attorney. The experience must include 1 year of experience related to federal government ethics.
Education
MUST bea graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of graduation.
Additional information
Other Information:
- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- We offer opportunities for telework.
- We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
-Veterans preference does not apply to Attorney 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.
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.
You will be rated on the extent and quality of experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. All candidates who meet the basic requirements listed above will be considered best qualified applicants and may be sent forward to the selecting official. All application materials and interviews, if conducted, will be used in the final evaluation and selection process.
To be considered well qualified at the GS-13, GS-14 & GS-15 grade level, and in addition to meeting specialized experience, the applicant must have documented in his/her resume:
- A solid and comprehensive understanding of the position; AND
- Be able to perform the required tasks efficiently; AND
- Be proficient in applying the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the job.
Required Documents
A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
It is anticipated that there will be significant interest in the announcement. As a result, the announcement will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date of receipt of the 400th application or at 11:59 p.m. ET on 04/07/2026; whichever occurs first. Any required documents should be submitted at the time that you apply as documents will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.
All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) Please limit your résumé to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, your resume will still be accepted, however only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for qualifications and eligibility determination in whether or not the minimum qualifications for the position have been met. To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
VETERANS PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: Veterans preference does not apply, however, you are encouraged to submit your veteran documentation.
Transcript: If selected, you will be required to submit an official copy of your law school transcript(s) and a copy of your BAR Certification.
Recommended Document:
- A cover letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position.
- Unofficial copy of your law school transcript(s).
How to Apply
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
The Bureau provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
- 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 résumé 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 (
USAJOBS Login)
-Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status. For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to USAJOBS Help Center - How to see your application and job status. If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed. Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's
Go Government website.
To preview the assessment questionnaire:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12917271Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your résumé and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.
To check the status of your application for this position, please follow these steps:
1. Login to your USAJOBS account, select the "Applications" section and click on the vacancy you would like to view and have already applied for.
2. Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status. For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to USAJOBS Help Center - How to see your application and job status
If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to that portion of the application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed. Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.