General Attorney (Program Litigation)

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to ALL U.S. Citizens. ***The selectees must relocate to the selected city or be willing to commute. These positions are not eligible for remote work, outstationing, or telework.***

• The incumbent serves as a General Attorney within Law and Policy (LP), providing legal services to the Social Security Administration (SSA).
• The incumbent advises other LP attorneys, Supervisory Attorneys, Senior Supervisory Counsel (SSC), and Executive Counsel (EC)
• (Cont'd) on unique, critical, and sensitive matters involving the individual's areas of responsibility, which may include program, non-program or personnel matters.
• Program litigation attorneys partner with the Department of Justice and often serve as Special Assistant United States Attorneys to directly represent SSA in federal district and circuit courts.
• Social Security touches the lives of millions, providing vital services and a social safety net through retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. Join the talented and dedicated attorney team supporting these services.
• LP is a modern public service law office with a highly skilled, engaged, and diverse workforce dedicated to protecting SSA's legal interests.
• We strategically shape a large national workload through effective collaboration and coordination. We offer the opportunity to handle meaningful and challenging legal work in a professional, team-oriented, and flexible work environment.
• Candidates should have a strong desire to serve the public; have excellent research, writing and communication skills; and have strong litigation experience or aptitude.
• We encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds, qualities, and experiences to apply.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• Fingerprinting and background and/or security investigation may be required.
• Job offers are contingent on fingerprinting and background / security investigation results.
• Selectees are required to serve a 2 year trial period.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• Applicant must submit proof of Active Bar Membership.
• Applicant must submit Law School Transcript with degree and date conferred.
• Relocation expenses will not be paid.
• These positions are in the Excepted Service.

Qualifications

Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered, please visit the new resume guidance for more information.

Positions will be filled in the Excepted through the use of Schedule A 213.3102(d) appointing authority. Competitive examining procedures will not be conducted. Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirements shown above.

Law Degree: Applicants must hold a law degree from a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association.

Bar Membership: Applicants must also be an active member of the bar, and in good standing. You must be duly licensed, authorized and eligible to practice as an attorney under the laws of a state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a U.S. Territory. This is a continuing requirement of the position. Below is a list of acceptable documents. To be considered, at least one of the following three documents is required. Any proof of bar document submitted must include your name, status, state, and must be dated within one year of the closing date of the announcement:

• Letter or Certificate of Good Standing dated within one year of the announcement; OR
• Copy of your Bar card with the current year if it reflects a date that is within one year of the announcement; OR
• Screen print from a Bar website that reflects your active Bar membership (must include the state and be dated within one year of the announcement).

In addition to the above requirements, applicants must also meet the following criteria to qualify at each grade level:

For the GS-11:

• J.D. or LL.B. and at least 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level or higher in the Federal service; OR
• A second professional law degree (LL.M) which requires one full year of graduate study; OR
• J.D. or LL.B. and superior law student work or activities as demonstrated by one of the following:

(a) Academic standing in the upper-third of the law school graduating class.
(b) Work or achievement of significance on your law schools' official law review.
(c) Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif.
(d) Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools
(e) Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation.
(f) Two significant summer law office clerk work experiences of at least 40 hours per week.

For the GS-12: Requires at least 2 years of professional legal experience working as an attorney with at least one year of this experience being equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service.

For the GS-13: Requires at least 3 years of professional legal experience working as an attorney with at least one year of this experience being equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.

For the GS-14: Requires at least 4 years of professional legal experience working as an attorney with at least one year of this experience being equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.

Applicants MUST meet all eligibility requirements on or before the closing date of the announcement to be considered for the position.

SSA has discretion to determine what grade level and salary may be offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be compared to the requirements for the position. It is your responsibility to include all information in your application that is needed to evaluate your qualifications and determine if you meet the requirements for the position. If there is insufficient information, your application will be found ineligible.

Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation. The questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To preview the questions, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12989553

You must submit supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered. To be considered, your resume must:

• Be no longer than two pages
• Clearly demonstrate your qualifications for the position
• Include your contact information

We recommend using a clear, easy-to-read format and focusing on information most relevant to the job announcement.

RESUME: Include the following information: 1) personal information (full name, mailing address, work and home phone numbers); 2) education; 3) work experience (paid and unpaid, including clerkships/internships). Show job title, including series and grade if Federal employment, detailed duties and accomplishments, employer's name and address, supervisor's name and phone number, starting and ending dates (mm/dd/yy), hours per week, and salary; 4) other qualifications (skills, certifications/licenses, honors, awards, special accomplishments, and job-related training courses). Please note that providing the mm/dd/yy for all work experience is critical for evaluating your application. If actual dates are not known, provide your best-estimated timeframes. Please refer to How to Build a Resume for instructions.

PROOF OF EDUCATION: Submit a copy of your law school transcripts with the course title, number of credits, grade, and date of completion. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application; however, self-prepared transcripts WILL NOT be accepted. The degree must be from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education completed in a foreign institution must be certified as equivalent to coursework completed at a U.S. college or university. Certification of equivalency must be submitted at the time of application. For a list of Credential Evaluation Services, log on to: Credential Evaluation Services. (See Education section for specific transcript information.)

PROOF OF CURRENT BAR MEMBERSHIP: Proof of active Bar Membership e.g., screen print of your profile from a bar web site which reflects your name and active status, a letter from the bar certifying that you are licensed and authorized to practice law, OR copy of a recent bar card. Such proof must include the state, status, and be dated within one year of the closing date of the announcement! (See Qualifications section for specific Bar Membership information.)

WRITING SAMPLE: One current substantive legal writing sample that reflects your own work and is no more than 15 pages in length. Your sample must be sanitized or redacted to prevent possible Privacy Act violations. Writing samples will be critiqued based on your ability to analyze a legal problem and clearly and concisely articulate legal rationale.

REFERENCES: List of three professional references. (Note: We will not contact references without first obtaining your permission to do so).

VETERANS' PREFERENCE: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD-214 member 4 copy preferred) or an official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty. To be acceptable, the document must contain dates and show Character of Service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference based on a service-connected disability, you must also submit an Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF 15) and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15. Applicants claiming derived preference must submit the SF-15 and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received.

Note: If you are a current active duty military member who does not have a DD-214 and are claiming preference under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces indicating that you will be discharged or released under honorable conditions from active duty within 120 days of the date on the certification. Certifications must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, the character of service, military rank, type of discharge, and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by or under the direction of military members' military personnel offices, unit commanders, or higher headquarters.

For more information visit the Vet Guide.

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