Summary
This position is in Office of Mission Support; Environmental Appeals Board. About the Office of Mission Support | US EPA.
This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section.
If you have already graduated law school, please see announcement EPA-HG-OAE-2024-0005 for law school graduates.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Graduates of recognized law schools or persons having equivalent experience (see Qualifications and Education sections) and pending admission to the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction
OR
Current students who will complete a qualifying degree by the end of Spring semester 2025
NOTE: You are not eligible for this Law Clerk position if you pass the bar prior to onboarding. If this occurs, we encourage you to search for Attorney positions on USAJOBS.gov.
Duties
You will:
- Conduct legal research for the Environmental Appeals Judges and one or more Senior Attorney-Advisers in connection with cases under administrative appeal to the Environmental Appeals Board.
- Interpret and apply statutes, rules and regulations relating to the provisions of appropriate Acts and other pertinent laws, regulations, court decisions administrative rulings.
- Search case reports, briefs, hearing records, transcripts, memoranda and legal documents.
- Assist one or more Senior Attorney-Advisers in the preparation and review for legal sufficiency of all matters on appeal to the Environmental Appeals Board under major environmental statutes administered by the Agency.
- Analyze legal and scientific data pertinent to the case, including testimony and pleadings, and evaluates the relevant facts and law.
- Prepare reports, exhibits, and legal memoranda, outlining the factual and legal issues for evaluation by the Environment Appeals Judges for a final Agency decision.
- Analyze complex, legal, scientific, engineering and other information and interprets the significance of this data under prevailing legal principles, as expressed in statutes, regulations and case law.
- Assist in the preparation for, and conduct of, oral argument and analysis of the hearing record as directed by the Environmental Appeals Judges and/or Senior Attorney-Adviser.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
- This is a temporary position (see Other Information on assignment limits).
- You must be a U.S. citizen.
- EPA and non-EPA applicants must submit transcripts/course listings.
#LI-Onsite
If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.
This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.
If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year trial period.
If you are still completing coursework, offer of employment will be contingent upon completion of degree/certificate program. Proof showing confer date by Spring 2025.
Qualifications
Candidates may be in their third year of law school or may have completed law school, obtained a J.D. and are pending admission to a State bar.
You must must meet the following basic requirements, by the end of the Spring semester 2025:
To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must have either:
-an LL.M. degree
OR
-at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level defined as experience searching case reports, legal documents, periodicals, and textbooks and preparing drafts of letters, memoranda, and legal documents.
OR
-completed superior law student activities while earning a J.D. degree. Superior law student activities include:
(A) Academic standing in upper third of law school graduating class;
(B) Work or achievement of significance on law school’s law review;
(C) Special high-level honors for academic excellence, such as election to Order of the Coif;
(D) Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team representing the law school in competition with other law schools;
(E) Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program or significant summer law office clerk experience; or
(F) Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement, as determined by the hiring office and documented in writing for the case file.
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. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
*If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
Education
You must possess a J.D. or LL.M. degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university or equivalent apprentice experience as allowed per state law by the end of Spring semester 2025.
For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
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.
Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.
EPA offers workplace flexibilities as described on the EPA Benefits page. These flexibilities are not guaranteed, and eligibility will be determined in accordance with position requirements, policy, and/or applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement after you are hired.
PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF): As a federal employee, you may be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer, including EPA. Learn more: pslf.gov
This position has portable work. If selected for this position, you may be eligible for partial work-from-home flexibilities after meeting eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.
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.
Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications, and then may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).
EPA considers veterans’ preference as a positive factor. Applicants who have veterans’ preference are encouraged to include their information in their cover letters or resumes and attach supporting documentation to substantiate their preference.
Excepted service positions are not covered by regular civil service hiring procedures. You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required Documents
Documents to be submitted online:
--Cover letter expressing your interest in the position and explaining how your qualifications meet the requirements of the position.
--INTERESTED CANDIDATES MUST PROVIDE A COVER LETTER, A RESUME, AND LAW SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE TRANSCRIPTS. FAILURE TO INCLUDE ALL REQUESTED DOCUMENTS WILL RESULT IN CANDIDATES NOT BEING CONSIDERED.
--Resume clearly stating your experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications and Education sections. In describing your experience, you need to be clear and specific. We may not make assumptions regarding your experience. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO A MAXIMUM OF 7 PAGES.
--A legal writing sample not-to-exceed 10 pages (for which the applicant is the primary author-with only minor (if any) edits by others). The writing sample should include a legal analysis section.
--Law school transcripts - if qualifying for this position based on education, you are required to submit either unofficial transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter or semester hours earned. NOTE: Official educational transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work with EPA. IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION: You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
--Superior law student activities - if qualifying for this position based on superior law student activities, you must submit the applicable information/documentation.
--Veterans' Preference Documents:
Separated veterans claiming 5-point preference:
- - DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge)
Separated veterans claiming 10-point preference based on compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more:
- - DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service); document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge); and
- - VA letter stating overall/combined disability rating (percentage); and
- - SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form) (see page 2 for documents that can be submitted in lieu of the DD-214 and VA letter)
Other separated veterans claiming 10-point preference OR spouses, widows/widowers, or mothers claiming 10-point derived preference:
- - SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form); and
- - Other required documentation indicated on the SF-15
Active duty service members:
- - Certification from the armed forces documenting active duty dates, expected discharge/release date, campaign medals/badges, and character of service (a certification is any written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged/released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge) within 120 days after you submit the certification)
--Name, address, and telephone number of three references, including a current or former employer.
To learn more about submitting documentation, visit Uploading Documents to USAJOBS.
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
You are strongly encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position.
To begin the application process, click the Apply button to the top right on this screen, follow the prompts to log-in/register, submit all required documents, and complete the assessment questionnaire. To be considered, you must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the day the announcement closes.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS document portfolio feature.
If you cannot apply online, you must contact the Human Resources Office listed below for assistance no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement. You must provide complete application materials by the day the announcement closes.
For detailed instructions to assist you in ensuring your application package is received, go to EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
EPA welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. Through the reasonable accommodation process, we provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment that persons without disabilities enjoy. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done. An accommodation removes workplace barriers and enables an applicant with a disability to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process, be considered for a position, and, if hired, perform the essential functions of their job.
The EPA National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators will provide assistance to you, the Human Resources Office, and/or the hiring official as needed. For more information, refer to EPA’s Reasonable Accommodation website. Below is more detailed information about how to request a reasonable accommodation during the application, selection, and hiring process:
• If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process (submitting the application or completing the application process), contact the Human Resources Office listed below no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement, and the Human Resources Office will work directly with you.
• If you are referred to the hiring official for consideration and need an accommodation during the selection process, including the interview, notify the person who contacted you from the hiring official’s office. If you do not hear back within three days about your reasonable accommodation request for the selection process, please notify EPA’s National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators via email at disabilityaccommodations@epa.gov.
• If you are selected and need an accommodation during the hiring process up to orientation, notify the HR Specialist who made the job offer to you.
Please note: Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Next steps
You can track the progress of your application via your USAJOBS account by clicking the Track This Application link. Through your USAJOBS account, you will be notified of the status of your application at four touch-points (some of these notifications may be combined): (1) when your application is received; (2) when we conduct an eligibility and qualification review of your application package; (3) when applications are referred (or not) to the hiring manager; (4) when a selection is made (or not) for the position or the job is canceled. It is your responsibility to check your USAJOBS account for this application status information. In addition, you will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the human resources office posting this announcement.
NOTE: We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses through reference and/or background check, and/or verification of your education. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.
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