Duties
Serve as an OIG OGC attorney primarily assigned to support the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Unit as a client. The attorney will work on matters of national scope that involve the balancing of public access with effective law enforcement. The selected candidate will be required to coordinate with DOJ litigators and U.S. Attorneys' offices across the country. The attorney will ensure that OIG equites are protected in a host of high- profile and complex matters, including those in litigation.
Provides legal advice to, and consults and coordinates with, personnel in DOJ and other federal agencies on issues at the intersection of law enforcement and civil litigation with an emphasis on FOIA and other information disclosure-related matters, including in complicated multi-agency FOIA and Privacy Act (PA) cases. To that end, drafts, edits, and reviews legal documents, including briefs and declarations, relating to FOIA and PA cases in litigation and keeps others within the OIG, as well as Department leadership, apprised of the status of litigation.
Provides guidance in the development and establishment of FOIA/PA policies and procedures to ensure that significant FOIA/PA issues are identified and addressed.
Provides legal advice and guidance in connection with classification reviews, especially those that may impact release of information pursuant to FOIA requests. Provides legal advice and guidance regarding records and information retention and related issues as needed.
Provides support to the OIG FOIA Unit and the OIG General Counsel as needed to advance the OIG mission.
Assists with other OGC responsibilities as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- You must register with Selective Service, if applicable.
- Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
- You must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
- J.D. degree and active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
- You may be required to serve a trial period for this position.
- It is DOJ policy 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.
- Financial Disclosure: If selected, you will be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position you must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, possess a J.D. Degree, and be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).
Possessing the minimum post law degree legal experience does not guarantee the applicant will be selected at that grade level.
Specialized Experience:
In addition, to qualify for this position at the GS-15 level, applicants must have at least 4 years or more post-J.D. legal experience, one (1) of which was specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include providing legal opinions or memoranda on complex and difficult issues of law; reviewing and preparing recommendations for responses to subpoenas and other requests for production of materials; in depth knowledge of FOIA rules and regulations; and conducting litigation, including trying cases, before courts and administrative tribunal.
You must meet all qualifications by the closing date of this announcement. Your resume and supporting documents must also clearly demonstrate that you have the experience listed to qualify for this position.
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.
A J.D., or equivalent, degree. Applicants who possess an equivalent degree rather than a J.D. may be subject to additional review by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management.
Additional information
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. Additional information on DOJ's EEO policy can be found on our website.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?
title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born 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.
Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes.
Veterans Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. 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, http://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).
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.
USA Hire Assessment: Applicants will be required to complete a USAHire Assessment. This assessment is online and measures the following competencies:
- 4 or more years post-J.D. legal experience
- Active member in good standing of the (any U.S. jurisdiction)
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Graduate of ABA-accredited law school
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Specialized Experience
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the USAHire assessment.
You will be evaluated by a panel of subject matter experts through the following assessment process:
Resume Review: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position and a review of your application by a panel of subject matter experts. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
- Litigation experience, including drafting and filing legal briefs or memoranda as well as drafting FOIA declarations and serving as the declarant.
- Extensive experience analyzing complex legal issues, making statutory interpretations, and developing sound and supportable legal recommendations and arguments.
- Thorough knowledge of legal principles and federal law, including familiarity with the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, and federal records regulations.
- Ability to represent an organization professionally and articulate the organization's position at meetings and in interactions with high-level officials, and to coordinate with internal and external offices.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. A subject matter expert will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview.
Subject Matter Expert (SME) Resume Review:In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. A subject matter expert, or SME, is a person with bona fide expert knowledge about what it takes to successfully perform in a particular job. The SME(s) will measure potential applicants for the critical competencies. Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications, as well as any required certification(s) applicable to the position. Applicants found to meet the requirements will be eligible to move forward for additional hiring consideration
To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13040198