Summary
The Attorney Advisor position is in the Department of Program Services, Judicial Services Office (JSO), Judicial Policy Division. JSO provides support, services, and programs to address the needs and concerns of federal judges, Article III courts (court of appeals, district, and Court of International Trade), territorial district courts, the Court of Federal Claims, bankruptcy courts, and magistrate judges and their staffs.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This vacancy is open to the public. This position allows for situational and recurring telework, but does not qualify for full-time or remote work.
Duties
This position will report to the Chief of the Judicial Policy Division (JPD) in the Judicial Services Office (JSO). JSO serves as a liaison, consultant, advocate, and resource on matters that affect judges within the Administrative Office (AO), the Federal Judicial Center, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, executive and legislative branches of the federal government, the public, and others.
The incumbent will serve as an Attorney Advisor in the JPD and will perform complex legal and policy research and analysis. The incumbent will oversee various programs in support of the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of federal judicial administration and programs. Additionally, the candidate must possess outstanding legal writing, diplomacy, interpersonal, organizational, analytical, and communication skills. The candidate must have experience working independently with minimal supervision and working collaboratively with supervisors, colleagues, and external stakeholders.
The duties of this position include, but are not limited to:
- Informing, advising, guiding, training, and assisting federal judges, chambers staff, court executives, court staff, AO management, members of Congress, congressional staff, and the public on a variety of legal, policy, and administrative matters impacting federal judges, including issues related to magistrate judges authority, utilization, and security clearances; magistrate judge positions, vacancies, workload, duties, and statistics; magistrate judge selection, appointment, and reappointment; part-time magistrate judge positions, workload, duties, salaries, and reimbursement of expenses; and other committee initiatives.
- Providing attorney support for the new chief circuit, district, and bankruptcy judge orientation programs, chief judge follow-up programs, and judicial nominee orientation programs.
- Developing and updating publications and resources on uscourts.gov, the Judiciary's internet site, and JNet, the Judiciary's intranet site.
- Performing judgeship and judge position surveys, including the analysis of requests for temporary, new, and ongoing Article III and bankruptcy judgeships and magistrate judge positions, and cyclical reviews of judgeships and magistrate judge positions.
- Assisting other JSO attorneys in providing policy and program support to the other Judicial Conference committees.
- Assisting other AO offices with review and feedback on Judicial Conference committee, advisory council, and advisory group agenda items, topic briefs, and policy proposals impacting judges, chambers staff, and staff attorneys.
- Assisting other JSO attorneys in supporting the AO's Judicial Programs and Services Advisory Council, Magistrate Judges Advisory Group, Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Group, Chambers Staff Advisory Group, and the Pro Se Working Group.
- Attending committee meetings and, in coordination with Judicial Conference, the AO, and JSO management, providing the highest level of timely, professional advisory services and assistance to the committee chair and members regarding matters within the committee's jurisdiction.
- Coordinating with judges, court staff, internal groups, and AO and JSO management on the development of other projects, reports, and publications, as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
- All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
- Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
- All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.
- New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
- All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
- You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
- If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.
Qualifications
Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.
Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction (Attach a copy of license). Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Post J.D. Experience: Applicants must also possess at least 3 years of post J.D. experience.
Specialized Experience: Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience for this position is demonstrated experience performing legal work involving the interpretation and application of statutes and regulations; and preparing legal memoranda directly related to assessing judicial administration and/or operational matters.
Attaching a cover letter is highly encouraged but not required to qualify for this position.
Education
Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) (Transcript required). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/.
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.
We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.
You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
Required Documents
For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:
- Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
- Bar Membership/License
- Law School Transcript.
- Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
- Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
- Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.
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 below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 10/23/2024 to receive consideration.
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.
- You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
- You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
- To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, 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.
- Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12545463
Next steps
After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and referral to the hiring official if determined qualified. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.
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