Summary
About the Position: This is a great opportunity to contribute to a positive work environment for a federal agency! You will provide legal advice on labor and employment law to Agency supervisors including advising on performance and discipline matters and personnel policies, as well as represent the agency in related litigation. Serves as agency ethics counselor providing ethics training and opinions. This position provides important support to leadership in all aspects of employment.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
U.S. Citizens
Duties
- Furnish expert legal advice and advocacy in the area of labor and employment law to the Jacksonville District Command and staff.
- Review and provide advice regarding personnel-related issues, including personnel policies and employee discipline and performance matters.
- Defend the Agency through all phases of employment litigation, including serving as first chair trial attorney in appeals before the Merit Systems Protection Board and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Serve as agency counsel and assists the Department of Justice in litigation before U.S. federal courts.
- Research and prepares opinions for District employees on government ethics, including interpretation of the Standards of Ethics Conduct for Executive Branch Employees and supplemental Agency regulations.
- Prepare and deliver training to District staff on all areas of employment law and government ethics.
- While the duties will focus on the practice of employment law, other duties include the practice of administrative and information law, such as the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
- You may be required to travel up to 25% of the time.
- You must complete an annual Financial Disclosure statement.
- May be selected at any grade level with non-competitive promotion potential to target grade. Non-competitive promotion potential to the target grade based on time-in-grade requirements and demonstrated ability to perform the higher graded duties.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet education and experience the requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
The following minimum qualifications requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:
Education: Applicants must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD) (NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts).
Bar membership: Applicants must currently be a member in good standing of a bar of a state territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A copy of your current certification must be submitted.
To be considered at the GS-12 grade level:
Specialized Experience: One or two years of legal experience acquired after admission to the bar, commensurate with the duties of the position. Examples of this experience are: 1. providing counsel on complex and difficult legal problems in the areas of labor and employment law. 2. providing legal advice on or representing clients in labor and employment law, litigation matters, and administrative law. 3. drafting and providing advice to clients including organizational leadership regarding policies, agreements, and decisions. 4. Serving as counsel and/or assisting lead counsel in litigation before U.S. federal courts or executive branch tribunals.
To be considered at the GS-13 grade level:
Specialized Experience: Two (2) or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after admission to the bar; commensurate with the duties of the position. Examples of this experience are: 1. providing counsel on complex and difficult legal problems in the areas of labor and employment law. 2. providing legal advice on or representing clients in labor and employment law, litigation matters, and administrative law. 3. drafting and providing advice to clients including organizational leadership regarding policies, agreements, and decisions. 4. Serving as counsel and/or assisting lead counsel in litigation before U.S. federal courts or executive branch tribunals.
Education
In order to qualify, you must meet the minimum education requirements below and specialized experience requirements described above. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
- Education: In order to qualify for this position, you must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).
- Bar Membership: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- Experience: Applicant must have one or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. Graduation from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class or an advanced law degree such as an LLM may substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience at the GS-11 grade level.
- Time-In-Grade Requirements: If currently employed as an Attorney in the Federal Government, must have completed 1-year at the next lower grade level within 30-days of closing date of this announcement.
- To be considered at the GS-12 grade level, must have one-year time-in-grade at the GS-11.
- To be considered at the GS-13 grade level, must have one-year time-in-grade at the GS-12.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
VETERANS PREFERENCE INFORMATION: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at http://www.opm.gov/.)
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.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist
(External).
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR THIS ATTORNEY POSITION: If you DO NOT provide the required documents listed below for this US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Attorney position, your application may be determined to be an 'incomplete application package' and may not receive further consideration for this position. As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply.
Resume:
- Your resume may be submitted in any format.
- If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content you will not be considered for this vacancy.
- For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). Resumes that do not contain this information may be marked as insufficient and applicants may not receive consideration for this position.
- For additional information see: What to include in your resume.
Cover Letter:
- Highlighting your relevant skills and experience as well as your interest in the position.
Official Transcripts:
- Official law school transcript and an official statement of relative standing in class.
- Photo static copies of documents are acceptable when applying but certified documents must be furnished before entering duty.
Official Certificate:
- Official certificate showing that you are a member in good standing of the bar.
- The Official Certificate must be dated within three months of the opening date of the announcement. If an official certificate is not immediately available, a personal signed sworn statement of good standing or a copy of a bar card or print out from a licensing authority denoting that the applicant is in good standing as a member of the bar of any state, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Territory of the United States, or District of Columbia dated within 90 days of the closing date of the announcement may be submitted with the application. IMPORTANT NOTE: A current Official Certificate of Good Standing from the bar of any state, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Territory of the United States, or District of Columbia dated must be provided before any offer of employment can be tendered and accepted by an applicant.
- The certificate is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates).
Sworn Statement:
- A sworn (notarized) statement from you that your fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction to the best of your knowledge, or if either has been challenged, a sworn (notarized) statement concerning the facts and circumstances, together with any explanation that you deem appropriate may be submitted.
- As an alternative to a sworn (notarized) statement, a statement which includes a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct...executed on (date).(your signature)." (28 U.S.C. 1746).
- The statement must be dated within three months of the date that the application package is submitted.
- The statement is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates).
Writing Examples:
- Examples of writing skills as demonstrated by legal briefs, memoranda, or letters.
- These examples should total no more than ten pages in length.
- Extracts of selected sections of larger documents are acceptable.
References:
- Must provide a list of 3 professional references familiar with the applicants' work history with complete contact information (name, email, phone, and address) from current members of the legal Bar, including your current or most recent supervisor. (References will not be contacted until confirmed with the applicant.)
Required Documents for current US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Attorneys:
1. Resume
2. Most recent annual performance appraisal
3. Your most recent non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50)
4. Completed Occupational Questionnaire
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 questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/27/2024 to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12543639).
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
- It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
- Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Next steps
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.
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