Counsel Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-OGC-12578169 Department Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Salary $99,200.00 to $185,930.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/29/2024 Close Date 11/19/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Counsel position is in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Rules Committee Staff. OGC provides legal advice and services to the Director and Administrative Office of the U.S. (AO) staff, the Judicial Conference, judges, and senior court officials. OGC is responsible for rendering legal opinions and advice on a wide range of issues in federal judicial administration.

This job is open to

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.

Duties

The Office of the General Counsel, Rules Committee Staff (RCS) is seeking a self-motivated Counsel to join its team. RCS provides legal, operational, and logistical support to the Judicial Conference's Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure (Standing Committee), and the Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, Criminal, and Evidence Rules. RCS oversees the committees' work on proposed rule amendments and ensures compliance with the Judicial Conference's procedures and the Rules Enabling Act. The incumbent will support the six Judicial Conference committees RCS serves and will also collaborate with other OGC colleagues to provide advice on legal issues. The incumbent will report to the RCS Chief Counsel.

The ideal candidate must have excellent legal research and analytical skills and the ability to: write clearly and succinctly; 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.

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

  1. Providing primary attorney support for an Advisory Committee and its subcommittees and providing secondary assistance to other Advisory Committees.
  2. Assisting the Chief Counsel and RCS staff in providing overall support to the office and committees.
  3. Preparing agenda book materials for the Committee on Rules and Practice and Procedure and its advisory committees.
  4. Preparing reoccurring reports for the Judicial Conference from the Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure.
  5. Preparing rules to be published for public comment.
  6. Preparing the federal rules amendments packages to the Supreme Court and Congress.
  7. Working with AO offices and Judicial Conference committees on matters impacting the rules committees.
  8. Attending rules committee meetings and hearings.
  9. Serving as an expert resource to Judiciary clients on issues related to the rules of procedure and evidence.
  10. Collaborating with OGC colleagues to provide advice and counsel to Judiciary clients on other legal issues.

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 2 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 3 years)of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience is demonstrated experience as a practicing attorney providing legal advice and guidance on a broad range of issues, policies, procedures, and legislative matters or experience with civil or criminal litigation.

Highly Desired:
  • Experience handling civil or criminal litigation in federal courts.
  • Experience with Judicial Conference Committees and the Rules Enabling Act.

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 11/19/2024 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/12578169

Agency contact information

Rosemarie Thompson
Address
Office of General Counsel
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.


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