Law Clerk (Honors) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. OGC-25-01 Department Federal Housing Finance Agency
Salary $90,241.00 to $121,823.00 Grade 11 to 11
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 10/11/2024 Close Date 11/4/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The employee shall serve as a Law Clerk in OGC as a participant in the agency's Legal Honors program. Under the supervision of senior legal staff, the Law Clerk will conduct legal research; draft legal opinions, regulations, regulatory guidance, and other documents; interpret federal statutes and regulations; provide legal advice; and represent FHFA related to all aspects of FHFA's operations.

*This posting is intended for candidates that haven't been admitted to the BAR*

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens. If you have been admitted to the BAR, please see announcement number OGC-25-02.

Duties

This program is available to current law school students who expect to complete their degree by June 2025, full-time graduate students in their final year of study in a program that began immediately upon completion of law school and who have not yet been admitted to the bar, and December 2024 law school graduates who have not yet been admitted to the bar. Successful completion of the J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school will be required to begin the program.

The law clerk will work on assignments from each of the three branches within OGC:

  • Mission Branch supports FHFA's activities as supervisor and regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance, including with respect to safety and soundness, charter compliance, executive compensation, and their housing and community investment missions; as conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and as a member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Also supports the agency's legislative activities.
  • Administrative Law and ADEO Branch provides overall direction, coordination, leadership, and representation on ethics, procurement and contracts, employment, trademark, mortgage fraud, Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, data, research, and statistics and other administrative law matters.
  • Enforcement & Compliance Branch supports FHFA's administrative actions to enforce compliance by its regulated entities with applicable laws, regulations, Agency decisions, and safe and sound practices.
  • Litigation Branch provides oversight of litigation related to FHFA.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

General Duties
  1. Analyzes issues, conducts research, and prepares memoranda for senior attorneys on a wide variety of legal issues.
  2. Develops, drafts, and/or reviews documents such as legal opinions, regulations, policies, guidance, and related documents, legislation, contracts and other agreements, correspondence, pleadings, legal briefs, and other documents of importance to the agency.
  3. Reviews and interprets legislation, regulations, and policy.
  4. Works as part of a collaborative team with fellow legal staff, support staff, and subject matter experts on issues related to assigned areas of law or policy, including attending meetings with colleagues across FHFA.
  5. Researches, analyzes, and evaluates legal issues pertaining to FHFA in order to prepare legal documents, reports and memoranda for review, approval, and use by the General Counsel or other senior legal staff.
  6. Consults various electronic and hardcopy sources, including statutes, regulations, and case law.
  7. Researches, assembles, and summarizes legislative histories on issues of interest to FHFA staff.
  8. Performs legal research by utilizing a wide variety of electronic and hardcopy resources including electronic search engines and resources on the Internet. Contacts other regulatory and federal agencies to obtain information relevant to FHFA issues.
  9. Cite-checks, proofreads, and edits legal opinions and other OGC documents.
  10. Assists senior attorneys in litigation matters, including conducting research, drafting, and/or reviewing pleadings, and implementing strategies to address emerging challenges.
  11. Attends meetings with regulated entities and external parties on matters related to assignments, as appropriate.
  12. Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Appointments for Law Clerks are 14-month temporary positions, pending admission to a Bar in at least one State, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or territory.
  • This is not a remote/virtual position, however, pursuant to the Agency's Telework Policy, some telework may be considered and approved.
  • Once bar admission is obtained, the Law Clerk will be reassigned, in their temporary position, into an EL-11 Counsel position.
  • Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
  • Upon bar admission and successful completion of the program, the employee may apply for available vacancies in the Office of General Counsel.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation
  • FHFA participates in e-Verify. All new hires must complete the I-9 Employment Verification form either on or before their first day of employment. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
  • If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
  • This position may require the completion of a financial disclosure report.
  • This position is eligible for inclusion in the bargaining unit. The union that represents employees in this position is the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Chapter 343.

Qualifications

This program is available to current law school students who expect to complete their degree by June 2025, full-time graduate students in their final year of study in a program that began immediately upon completion of law school and who have not yet been admitted to the bar, and December 2024 law school graduates who have not yet been admitted to the bar. Successful completion of the J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school will be required to begin the program.

Qualifying experience for the EL/GS-11 level includes:

Applicants should possess at least two of the following criteria:
  • A record of high academic achievement during law school (e.g., graduated with academic honors, ranked within the top 25% of class, Dean's list, Order of the Coif, or similar academic achievement);
  • Legal research and writing experience separate from academic requirements (e.g., serving on a law journal, serving as a research assistant, participation in a writing competition, or similar experience);
  • Moot court or mock trial experience;
  • Experience with public interest law (e.g., legal internship or externship with a non-profit organization, legal clinic work, or similar experience);
  • Legal internship, externship, or clerkship in local, state, or federal government.

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.

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

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

Additional information

Appointments for Law Clerks are 14-month temporary positions, pending admission to a Bar in at least one State, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or territory.

This is not a remote or virtual position, however, pursuant to the Agency's Telework Policy, some telework may be considered and approved.

Once bar admission is obtained, the Law Clerk will be reassigned, in their temporary position, into an EL-11 Counsel position.

Upon bar admission and successful completion of the program, the employee may apply for available vacancies in the Office of General Counsel.

FHFA is looking to fill multiple of these temporary positions.

This position is in the excepted service. Veteran's preference does not apply to this series.

An Overview of FHFA's Benefits for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 provides a summary of benefits for the current fiscal year.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).


FHFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability (physical or mental), age (40 years of age or over), genetic information, parental status, marital status, prior protected EEO activity, political affiliation, or other non-merit factors.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

FHFA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, except when doing so would pose an undue hardship on the Agency. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify FHFA. The Agency's decision on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.


Ethics: FHFA employees are subject to government-wide ethical standards of conduct, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment prohibitions. In addition, certain FHFA employees are prohibited from accepting compensation from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for a two-year period after terminating employment with FHFA. Furthermore, to avoid financial conflicts-of interest or the appearance of conflicts-of-interest, FHFA employees may need to divest or sell certain assets they, their spouse, or minor children own or control, including securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or the Federal Home Loan Banks. Employees who work on Federal Home Loan Bank issues may need to sell or divest financial interests with any of the Federal Home Loan Bank members, which may include stock in bank holding companies, insurance companies, and other financial services firms. Questions regarding these requirements and prohibitions should be directed to the Office of General Counsel at (202) 649-3088.

In accordance with the Fair Chance Act, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) may not request, in oral or written form, that an applicant for an appointment to (FHFA) disclose criminal history record information before the appointing authority extends a tentative offer to the applicant. Allegations of FHFA violations of this Act may be submitted to fairchanceactcomplaints@fhfa.gov or to Fair Chance Act Complaints, Office of Human Resources Management, Employee Relations Branch, FHFA 400 7th Street, SW Washington DC 20219 within 30 days from the agency employee's alleged non-compliance with the law.

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.

This position is in the excepted service. All applicants meeting the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. Veteran's preference does not apply to this series.


We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12574228


All of the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application forms, by checking references or through other means, such as the interview process. This verification could occur at any stage of the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for rating you ineligible.

Required Documents

FHFA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. All applicants are required to submit the following supportive documents:

1. Your Resume: If you have not written a federal resume before, you may want to watch this Resume Writing Tutorial video on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQ on the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.

  • Your resume should list all work experience (paid and unpaid); you must list the full name of each employer.
  • For all types of work experience, you should indicate the start and end date (include month and year); you must also list the average number of hours per week that your worked.
  • Your resume should also include any education and training you have completed (list the program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).


2. Law School Transcripts, Required

3. Other supporting documents:

  • Cover Letter, optional

Important Notes:
  • Utilize the preview feature of USA Jobs to view your documents and ensure the formatting remains and all documents are legible.
  • Additional materials will not be accepted after the announcement closes (e.g. updated grades, updated resume, etc.).
  • Your full name must be clearly visible on all documents.
  • Do not submit encrypted documents.
  • Tips: Encrypted documents do not transmit properly through USA Jobs. We recommend, you save the document as a new PDF, or Print to PDF to ensure the document comes through properly and is displayed properly using the USA Jobs preview feature.
  • If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualification.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

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.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/04/2024 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.
  • 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.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Devin Hinkle at devin.hinkle@fhfa.gov or (202) 649-3777 to obtain an alternative application.

Agency contact information

Devin Hinkle
Address
FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20219
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After all application packages have been received, we will review your materials to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided in his/her resume and the completed Occupational Questionnaire. Applicants will be reviewed based on Merit Promotion or US citizen described above. Applicants referred may be contacted for an interview. We anticipate making a final job offer for this position within 45 days after the deadline for applications. All candidates will be notified of the final disposition.

Political appointment: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office.

***There may be multiple vacancies available. However, should additional vacancies become available within three months from the opening date of this announcement, eligible applicants for this position may be referred for consideration for the additional position(s). Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for FHFA to share your application with others in FHFA for similar positions.

FHFA may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Federal Housing Finance Agency.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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