Clarification from the agency

This announcement is NTE 2 years and open to all United States Citizens.

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, May 20, 2026.

We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application.

As a General Attorney, GS-0905-11, you will be responsible for:
•    With significant oversight, prepares preliminary memoranda/reports outlining facts and legal issues, analyzing the factual and legal issues involved, explaining the application of legal principles and precedents to the relevant facts, and justifying recommendations or conclusions.
•    Conducts research in connection with legal questions, such as questions concerning the interpretation and application of statutes, rules, and regulations as they pertain to Enforcement matters.
•    Reviews and synthesizes evidence to support legal theories.
•    With significant supervision, investigates and/or adjudicates borrower defense claims involving varied factual and legal issues.

As a General Attorney, GS-0905-12, you will be responsible for:
•    Prepares preliminary memoranda/reports outlining facts and legal issues, analyzing the factual and legal issues involved, explaining the application of legal principles and precedents to the relevant facts, and justifying recommendations or conclusions.
•    Conducts research of statutes, regulations, ED and FSA policies and legal opinions bearing on the legal issues involved in the development and implementation of investigation activities and borrower defense decisions.
•    Gathers, reviews, and analyzes evidence to support case development.
•    Investigates and/or adjudicates borrower defense claims involving varied factual and legal issues.

Conditions of employment

• Relocation will not be paid.
• You may be subject to serve a two-year trial period.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Background Investigation is required.

Condition of Employment:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: • your performance and conduct; • the needs and interests of the agency; • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience.

Qualifications

This is an open continuous announcement with cutoff dates. Applications will be referred based on receipt of application and established cutoff dates as follows:

 1st cutoff date: 03/05/2026

2nd cutoff date: 04/06/2026

3rd cutoff date: 05/06/2026

Last cutoff date: 05/20/2026

Minimum qualifications requirements for the GS-11:

Is an active member in good standing in the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. You must be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.

AND

One year of professional legal experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility at the next lower grade level or equivalent.

OR 

Second professional law degree (LL.M.) which requires one full year of graduate study; OR

The applicant’s record shows superior law student work or activities as demonstrated by one of the following: 

1. Academic standing in the upper third of the law school graduating class; or
2. Work or achievement of significance on his/her law school’s official law review; or
3. Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif; or
4. Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team which represents the law school or in competition with other law schools; or
5. Full-time or continuous participation, for one year or two semesters of law school, in a legal aid program (as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation); or
6. Significant summer law office clerk experience after beginning law school; or
7. Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-11
One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-09 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:
1. Experience applying specific facts to individual cases or applications pursuant to relevant legal standards. 
2. Experience adjudicating claims or applications seeking legal remedies with daily or weekly deadlines.
3. Experience in legal research.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1.    Skill in legal analysis and legal writing.
2.    Skill in legal research.
3.    Skill in analysis of evidence.
4.    Skill in applying the law to specific facts, cases, or claims

Minimum qualifications requirements for the GS-12:

A. Is an active member in good standing in the Bar of a State, Territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. You must be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.

AND

B. Has obtained the first professional law degree or training which is permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at the law school.

AND

Two years of professional legal experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility at the next lower grade level or equivalent.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-12
One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-11 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:
1. Experience applying specific facts to complex individual cases or applications pursuant to relevant legal standards. 
2. Experience adjudicating complex claims or applications seeking legal remedies with daily or weekly deadlines.  
3. Experience reviewing and analyzing evidence and conducting legal research. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1.    Skill in legal analysis and legal writing.
2.    Skill in legal research.
3.    Skill in analysis of evidence.
4.    Skill in applying the law to specific facts, cases, or claims.

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 application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies 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 Subject Matter Expert assessment. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

We will refer the best qualified candidates to the Selecting Official of the job for further review and consideration. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined below. Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled.

• Your resume should include relevant work experience, applicable education and your contact information. For current or previous federal employees, include the pay plan, series and grade.
• Transcripts may support your qualifications for a federal job and can include high school, college or other schools.
• Some job applications require you to include a writing sample. See the announcement for details.

You must submit (REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS):

•A resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire. 

You are not required to submit bar card or transcripts to apply to the vacancy announcement, but you will be required to submit them upon request from hiring panel or the HR Specialist.  Writing sample and/or list of references may be required of selected applicants at later stages in the selection process.

If you are claiming Veterans’ Preference you must submit: •A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, member copy 4 (Separated Members only); OR •A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR •The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference; AND/OR •Proof of Sole Survivorship Preference (e.g., certificate of death or 100% disability as a result of serving in the armed forces). Veteran's Preference: Department of the Education attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Education considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor consideration in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation. 

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