Attorney Advisor Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-DPS-12632237 Department Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Salary $117,962.00 to $191,900.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/12/2024 Close Date 1/2/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Attorney Advisor position is located in the Department of Program Services, Court Services Office, Programs Division, Special Programs Branch. For more information on the Jury Act and the federal jury program, visit: https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/jury-service.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This position is opened to the public. This position allows for situational and recurring telework, but does not qualify for full-time or remote telework. Occasional travel away from the normal duty station is required.

Duties

The incumbent reports to the Special Programs Branch Chief and supports senior leadership, judges, and court executives. The position provides legal and policy guidance on the Jury Selection and Service Act ("Jury Act"), related laws, and Judicial Conference policies. The incumbent supports the federal jury program by delivering legal and operational advice on jury management in federal district courts. This work involves conducting legal research, participating in pilots or studies, delivering presentations and advice, preparing legal briefs, and serving as an expert on the federal jury program, the Jury Act, and jury policies.

The duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

  1. Serving as the Judiciary's primary subject matter expert on federal district court jury operations and Judicial Conference jury management policies.
  2. Tracking and studying trends in federal district courts and state jury systems to guide Judiciary policymakers in the development of jury-related policies.
  3. Developing policies in coordination with internal experts, court stakeholder advisory groups, and court subject matter experts for consideration by the Judicial Conference.
  4. Researching and preparing legal, policy, and operational advice on jury management, including best practices, for federal judges, court executives, and court staff.
  5. Preparing and updating publications and memoranda that accurately communicate jury policies and methods of compliance.
  6. Making oral presentations and preparing clear and accurate written presentation materials on jury laws, policies, and best practices for jury management.
  7. Assisting the agency in preparing responses to congressional inquiries, feedback on proposed legislation impacting federal jury management, and public inquiries concerning jurors and jury requirements.
  8. Supporting the agency's jury working group by researching, writing, and editing meeting materials.
  9. Presenting issues to the working group and taking the lead on executing group recommendations where appropriate.
  10. Supporting the jury program's technical team to ensure legal and policy compliance within the jury management system.
  11. Supporting product owners of the system and providing advice to developers and system vendors.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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/.
  5. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
  6. 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.
  7. 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 providing complex legal and policy advice to an organization and developing policies and procedures to improve a program.

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/.

Additional information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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.
  • 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.
  • College Transcript.
  • BAR License.

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 01/02/2025 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/12632237

Agency contact information

Nida Khan
Address
Department of Program Services
One Columbus Circle, NE
Washington, DC 20544
US
Learn more about this agency

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.


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