Summary

The position is located in the Federal Maritime Commission, Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations, and Compliance. The incumbent of this position serves as an Investigative Counsel relating to investigations and related enforcement actions pursuant to the Shipping Act of 1984 as amended, 46 U.S.C. § 40101, et seq. and the implementing regulations.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

The duties of an Investigative Counsel include a broad legal practice that centers around uncovering and advising on potential misconduct of regulated entities under the Federal Maritime Commission's jurisdiction as well as providing enforcement-related legal advice on Shipping Act-related enforcement matters.

As an Investigative Counsel you will:

Provide expertise in investigation and in potential enforcement-related litigation under the Shipping Act.
Investigate and administratively prosecute Shipping Act violations, including conducting fact-finding and non-adjudicatory investigations; develop and follow leads; conduct interviews with witnesses and subjects; participate in discovery; and participate in motions practice and briefing before administrative law judges and the Federal Maritime Commission.
Draft investigative and enforcement-related documents and other materials to support Shipping Act-related investigations and prosecutions, including drafting investigative plans, audit letters, subpoenas and other document requests, legal memoranda, and memoranda of activity.
Review emails and other documentary evidence gathered in connection with investigation into possible Shipping Act violations and be able to organize that evidence into a compelling case narrative.
Conduct legal research and advise Bureau leadership on substantive legal matters encountered during investigations and enforcement, including determining legal precedent applicable to investigations, applying applicable laws to specific fact patterns, and assessing sufficiency of evidence following investigative activities.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
A 2-year trial period may be required.
May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
Must have an Active BAR Membership in Good Standing. If selected, must maintain active bar membership in good standing while employed as an attorney with FMC.
May be required to obtain and use a government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
May be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
This position is in the Excepted Service.

Qualifications

In addition to the above minimum requirements, you must meet the following:

GS-12: The first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D) or the second professional law degree (LL.M.); and specialized professional legal experience in excess of two (2) years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

GS-13: The first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D) or the second professional law degree (LL.M.); and specialized professional legal experience in excess of three (3) years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

GS-14: The first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D) or the second professional law degree (LL.M.); and specialized professional legal experience in excess of four (4) years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. The quality of the individual's background may be evidenced by the relatedness of his or her specialization.

GS-15: The first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D) or the second professional law degree (LL.M.); and specialized professional legal experience in excess of five (5) years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. The quality of the individual's background may be evidenced by the relatedness of his or her specialization.

Education

Applicants must have a professional law degree (LLB or JD) from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). You must submit a copy of both your law school and college transcript with your application. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position. 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; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov.

Attorney's appointed in the excepted service are required to maintain active membership in a bar within U.S. jurisdiction, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia. Active bar association and a certificate that the member is in good standing will be verified prior to appointment and employees must maintain active bar membership in good standing while employed as an attorney with the FMC. Attorneys must provide documentation supporting active membership and good standing status (or equivalent) on at least an annual basis.

Additional information

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

You will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across FMC.

The Commission encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the FMC mission.

This is appointment in the excepted service and will be filled on a full-time permanent basis. Employees hired under an Excepted Service appointment are required to serve a two (2) year trial period, unless already completed. Upon completion of your probationary or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.This position does not confer non-competitive conversion to the competitive service. Acceptance of an excepted service appointment from applicants in the competitive service will require a written statement of understanding when voluntarily leaving the competitive service.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Reasonable accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the contact listed on the vacancy announcement. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation is made on a case-by-case basis

Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the FMC considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their application submission documentation.

All employees of the Federal government are subject to the conflict-of-interest statutes and regulations including the Standards of Ethical Conduct that govern activities with outside organizations and reporting financial holdings. This position may require the incumbent to complete a confidential financial disclosure report within 30 days of appointment.

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 to determine that you possess at least two years of professional, specialized law experience. Please ensure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position.

Professional law experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position being filled. Law clerk experience (post J.D.) can be considered professional law experience if the candidate performed attorney duties.
Specialized experience is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include conducting complex and sophisticated investigations as they relate to regulatory, enforcement, and administrative investigations and prosecutions. Investigations involve major worldwide coverage with international implications upon the U.S. foreign ocean borne trades, both import and export.

Rating: Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and the result of the online assessments required for this position. Subject matter expert(s) may evaluate your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the specialized experience (under the qualifications section).

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You will be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site. If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)), you must be assigned to the Well Qualified category or better to receive special selection priority.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Your Resume (NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES) showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page 2 or may be disqualified. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of your qualifications, you will not receive consideration for the position.
Cover letter (of no more than 2 pages) that clearly indicates your relevant experience in rulemaking, litigation, and/or antitrust and competition review.
This position has a basic education requirement; you must submit a copy of your official or unofficial law school Transcripts for further consideration. An official transcript is required before being appointed.
Proof of current and active BAR Membership in good standing. During the initial review of applications, the Agency will accept photocopies of BAR Membership Cards or screenshots providing proof of active membership in a BAR Association that reflects the bar's jurisdiction or territory, the attorney's full name, bar number, date of admission, and bar status (i.e. active, inactive, retired, etc.).
Please provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, if applicable, "Notification of Personnel Action" which shows your appointment eligibility for the position for which you are applying. Your most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action showing your career/career-conditional status, title, series and grade (do not submit an Award SF-50). Also provide the SF-50 that reflects the highest grade level held on a permanent basis or the full performance level of your current position, whichever is higher.
Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable.
Copy of one recent Legal Writing Sample, of no more than 10 pages reflecting your ability to clearly state, analyze, and discuss complex factual and legal issues.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50.
Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g. DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service); Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter.

Failure to submit documents required may result in loss of consideration.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon EST on the announcement's closing date.
To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, 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 Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to saved application at a later date, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Office of Human Resources

Phone: 2025235773
Email: OHRMaritime@fmc.gov

Next steps

Once you submit your application, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best-qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. We will notify you by email after each of these steps has been completed. Your status will also be updated on USAJOBS throughout the process. To check your status, log on to your USAJOBS account, click on "Application Status," and then click "More Information." We expect to make a job offer within several weeks after the deadline for applications. If you are selected, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. View more information on applying for federal employment.

FMC uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about e-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. Any Offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Personnel Management guidance and U.S. Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

Attorney Advisor (Investigative Counsel) Job in Washington, DC