Summary
The Attorney Advisor position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Judicial Conference Secretariat Office (JCS). JCS supports the Judicial Conference of the United States and its committees and coordinates the advisory group process for the AO. The Judicial Conference, a standing body of federal judges, serves as the national policymaking arm of the federal judiciary and sets policies governing the operation of federal courts and federal defender offices.
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Federal employees - Excepted service
Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.
Clarification from the agency
This vacancy announcement is open to the public. This position allows for recurring and situational telework but does not qualify for full-time or remote telework. The duty station is in the Thurgood Marshal Federal Judiciary Building at One Columbus Circle NE in Washington, DC, across the street from Union Station with easy access to Metro (red line), VRE, MARC, and Amtrak.
Duties
The incumbent of this position will occupy an entry-level Attorney Advisor position. This opportunity offers tailored learning and development activities to include formal and informal instruction, guidance, and mentoring. The goal of this career development plan is to enable the selected individual to meet the requirement of the full performance level. At the successful conclusion of the development period, the full performance salary range increases to $102,415 to $191,965.
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Judicial Conference Secretariat Office (JCS), seeks a motivated, professional entry-level Attorney Advisor to join its team. This position reports to the Judicial Conference Secretariat Officer.
JCS activities are highly visible to senior officials of the federal judiciary and high-level staff in the
AO. JCS provides procedural guidance, advises on policymaking, and addresses inquiries regarding Judicial Conference policies and actions.
The Attorney Advisor reviews and suggests revisions to policy proposals concerning the governance and administration of the federal judiciary that are presented to the Judicial Conference and its committees; prepares agenda materials for the Judicial Conference's Executive Committee; guides and supports committee staff; and helps with logistical and administrative arrangements for Judicial Conference sessions and Executive Committee meetings.
The ideal candidate must have excellent research, critical-thinking, and analytical skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly. The ideal candidate can plan, organize, and work under demanding circumstances and time constraints; identify and resolve problems; work collaboratively; and effectively communicate with AO management, judges, senior court personnel, and employees of the executive and legislative branches.
At the entry level, the incumbent performs professional entry-level assignments specifically designed to prepare the incumbent for higher-level professional work. The incumbent will participate as a team member working under the direction of the Judicial Conference Secretariat Officer. As competencies in entry-level assignments increase, the incumbent will be assigned progressively more complex work with an appropriate level of supervision.
At the full performance level, the duties of this position include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting senior attorneys in providing legal, policy, and professional staff support to the Judicial Conference and its Executive Committee.
- Assisting senior attorneys in responding to inquiries concerning Judicial Conference policy positions.
- Assisting senior attorneys in advising Judicial Conference and committee members and AO leadership and staff on procedural matters.
- Identifying, researching, and analyzing relevant legal, policy, and factual issues pertaining to Judicial Conference policy and policymaking.
- Reviewing draft internal policies, regulations, and briefing papers from the Judicial Conference committees to provide the analysis and justification for a policy proposal and working with committee staff to address concerns.
- Assisting in the drafting, preparing, and reviewing materials distributed to Judicial Conference members, including consent and discussion calendars, and the preliminary and final reports of Judicial Conference proceedings.
- Managing the process for finalizing Judicial Conference committee reports and reviewing draft reports to ensure both format and substantive changes are incorporated prior to distribution to the Conference.
- Providing advisory process support and assistance to advisory councils and groups.
- Maintaining the office's subject-matter database of Judicial Conference positions and assisting with recordkeeping and related functions.
- Providing support and back up to the JCS Policy Analyst, supporting the Judicial Conference appointments process and AO Advisory Group process.
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. 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 2 years of post J.D. experience.
NOTE: THIS ANNOUNCEMENT ALLOWS APPLICANTS TO QUALIFY USING EITHER THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION. DETAILS ARE LISTED BELOW.
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 must demonstrate experience in ALL areas defined below:
- Providing legal and policy advice and guidance on a broad range of issues, policies, procedures, and legislative matters.
- Analyzing and presenting interpretations of statutes, regulations, decisional law, opinions, and legal or policy issues.
- Preparing written communications, such as legal or policy memoranda, judicial opinions, executive-quality correspondence, and reports.
Highly Desired:
- Federal judicial law clerk experience.
- Experience or knowledge of federal judiciary policies, procedures, and regulations, and membership on law review editorial board.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat.
OR
Education: If you are using your education to qualify for the specialized experience requirement, you must submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of courses (which includes equivalent information from the transcript e.g., course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade), from an accredited college or university, with a major in a field that provided you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This information must show superior academic achievement. Superior academic achievement is defined as a 3.5 GPA in your major or an overall GPA of 2.9. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
Evaluation of Foreign Education: Evaluation of Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants must provide the following in order for foreign education to be acceptable: A copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation; the type of education received; the level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the U.S. National Council for the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials; the content of the education program earned abroad and the standard obtained; the status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; information on what the evaluation service did to obtain this information; and any other information of interest pertaining to the assessment/evaluation of the foreign education. Failure to provide required/sufficient documentation will result in lost consideration.
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.
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.
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 05/08/2026 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/12931892
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.