Summary
As an Attorney Adviser in the Environment and Natural Resources Division, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing critical legal advice in support of the Division's internal operations, litigation, and other work.
One or more vacancies may be filled.
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 or nationals
Duties
The attorney will advise ENRD's Office of the Assistant Attorney General and Division managers and staff on a wide range of novel and cross-cutting legal, jurisdictional, and operational issues, addressing areas of potential legal vulnerability and risk. The attorney will be called upon to assist with many of the same duties as a general counsel's office. They may work on matters within the full range of substantive environmental and natural resource laws handled by the Division, as well as issues of constitutional, administrative, Freedom of Information Act, ethics, appropriations, and general law topics. The attorney would be responsible for analysis of legislation, regulations, international, and trade matters. Attorneys may also handle litigation in cases in which the United States appears as amicus curiae and undertake other special litigation projects. In addition, they may support the Division's responsibilities in responding to Freedom of Information Act requests and providing ethics advice.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
- You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.
- Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
- You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.
- J.D. degree required, must be an active member of the bar, any jurisdiction.
- Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
Qualifications
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and be a U.S. citizen or national.
Applicants must have the years of post J.D. (or equivalent) legal experience for the specific grade level requirements listed below:
- GS-12: At least 1 year post-J.D. experience or post clerkship litigation, significant litigation experience, or substantive experience as a legal advisor in the assessment of legal authorities and resources.
- GS-13: At least 1.5 years post-J.D. experience or post clerkship litigation, significant litigation experience, or substantive experience as a legal advisor in the assessment of legal authorities and resources.
- GS-14: At least 2.5 years post-J.D. experience or post clerkship litigation, significant litigation experience, or substantive experience as a legal advisor in the assessment of legal authorities and resources.
- GS-15: At least 4 years post-J.D. experience or post clerkship litigation, significant litigation experience, or substantive experience as a legal advisor in the assessment of legal authorities and resources.
The Division's docket is demanding and requires top caliber work products. Successful applicants will have a demonstrated record of analysis of complex legal problems, initiative and creativity, and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards. Applicants must also demonstrate outstanding legal research, analytical, and writing abilities, good judgment, and be able to balance a diverse and constantly evolving workload. Ability to work and communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is essential. Litigation experience (trial or appellate court) and judicial clerkship experience is desired. Experience in one or more of the Division's substantive areas of responsibility (environmental, natural resources, public lands, and Indian law, and/or other constitutional, ethics, FOIA, or administrative law topics) is preferred.
The possible salary range is:
- GS-12 ($102,415 - $133,142)
- GS-13 ($121,785 - $158,322)
- GS-14 ($143,913 - $187,093)
- GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200)
YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
Education
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
Additional information
Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/. To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. Citizens are extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy
Selective Service: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs:Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after HR office issues the certificate of eligibles.
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.
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.
Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions.
Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes the following:
- Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained
- Cover letter with brief statement of interest
- Writing sample
- Copy of J.D. degree transcripts
- DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable
Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties.
If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).
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
You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY Online button. Follow the prompts to answer a few questions and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.
Applicants must submit a current resume, cover letter with brief statement of interest, writing sample, law school transcript, and DD-214 (if applicable).
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/
Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd .
This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 80 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified of the outcome.