Attorney Advisor Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-OLA-12708392 Department Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Salary $167,617.00 to $207,500.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 3/20/2025 Close Date 4/7/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Attorney Advisor position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA). The OLA provides legislative counsel to the AO and the Judicial Conference; supports Judicial Conference committees; develops and promotes legislative initiatives; promotes communication with, and prepares and coordinates responses to inquiries from, Congress, the executive branch, and other entities; and analyzes the impact of legislative proposals on the Judiciary.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to candidates who live in the Washington, DC commuting area and/or current employees of the federal Judiciary (AO or U.S. Courts) nationwide. This position is designated as confidential or policy-determining under the Administrative Office (AO) Personnel Act, Section 3(a)(5)(B) and, as such, is not covered by the AO's personnel regulations developed under the AO Personnel Act of 1990.

Duties

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) is seeking a self-motivated, experienced Attorney Advisor to join its team. OLA is the Judiciary's point-of-contact with the Congress, other government entities, and private sector organizations on legislative issues. OLA works with the Judicial Conference of the United States (JCUS) and its committees to develop policy positions on legislative issues, promotes legislative initiatives, identifies and monitors congressional activity impacting the Judiciary, and develops and coordinates responses to policy and legislative inquiries from Congress. This position reports to the Legislative Affairs Officer.

The Attorney Advisor will serve as counsel and advise AO executives and the JCUS, especially the Committee on the Judicial Branch, on legislation and policy activities, including public outreach and public perception initiatives related to the Judiciary.

The incumbent must have excellent legal research and analytical skills and should possess strong professional management, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills. The ideal candidate must have experience in providing analysis of complex legal and legislative issues for executive-level decision-makers and exercising sound judgment to negotiate solutions and execute decisions on behalf of executive-level officials.

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

  1. Advising judicial branch officials, including Judicial Conference Committees, on the development of policy proposals related to the Judiciary and the status of federal judicial officers.
  2. Producing and reviewing legal memoranda, legislation, and accompanying documents describing and justifying legislative initiatives, positions or proposals; and incorporating the the agency counsel's legal advice in policy review and external advocacy.
  3. Collaborating with Judiciary staff on events, including media, law programs, and civics education events.
  4. Organizing, planning and executing meetings of the JCUS Committee on the Judicial Branch that facilitate the committee's ability to discuss and make sound recommendations on issues affecting the Judiciary and federal judicial officers, including the Judiciary's relationship with Congress, the executive branch, the media, the bar, the public, as well as judicial salaries, benefits, and travel regulations.
  5. Writing, reviewing, and managing the production of external communications, including written communications to Congress, the executive branch, the media, and the public; official correspondence; congressional testimony; speeches; reports; and press releases.
  6. Organizing, conducting, attending, and reporting on briefings, meetings, and presentations within the judicial branch, between the judicial branch and Congress, and between the judicial branch and the executive branch related to legislative priorities of the Judicial Conference.
  7. Attending and reporting on congressional hearings, markups, and briefings, as well as conferences and meetings conducted outside of Congress that bear on issues related to the Judiciary.
  8. Identifying and monitoring legislation throughout the federal legislative process and analyzing and providing expert advice on inter-branch negotiations on legislation.
  9. Responding to inquiries from congressional staff, executive branch officials, and the media and explaining the views of the Judicial conference.
  10. Serving as a point of contact for external professional associations whose mission includes promotion of federal judges or the federal Judiciary.
  11. Coordinating the production and distribution of statutory or regulatory Judicial Conference reporting requirements.

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. 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 4 years of post J.D. experience.

Specialized Experience: Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) (preferably 4 or more years) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience must demonstrate experience in ALL areas defined below:
  • Expertise in congressional procedures and processes to formulate, implement, and lead congressional activities.
  • Preparing legal memoranda, legislative documents, explanatory materials, congressional testimony, executive-quality correspondence, speeches, and reports.
  • Assessing complex information to identify key issues and appropriate solutions.
  • Staffing a judicial or legislative committee or working with judges, legislators, or executive-level officials.
Highly Desired:
  • Experience in the federal legislative or judicial branches.
Additional Assessment: Applicants must submit a writing sample which demonstrates their ability to analyze and present legal interpretations of legislation, statutes, regulations, decisional law, and opinions and/or provide advice to policymakers. The sample should be an original, self-edited work written solely by the applicant. If an applicant uses an AI editing tool, they should thoroughly describe the extent to which they did so. A writing sample must be uploaded and attached to your application. Please limit your response to ten pages.

Education

Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). 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.
  • 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 04/07/2025 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/12708392

Agency contact information

Rosemarie Thompson
Address
Office of Legislative Affairs
One Columbus Circle NE
Washington, DC 20544
US

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.


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