Senior Staff Attorney/Senior Attorney (Legal Services) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. GC-25-DE-12605208 Department Government Accountability Office
Salary $137,015.00 to $191,900.00 Grade 2 to 3
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/20/2024 Close Date 12/9/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

GAO - an independent, non-partisan Congressional agency that is rated one of the government's Best Places to Work - seeks an attorney for its Office of the General Counsel's Legal Services team. Legal Services serves as in-house counsel to GAO management on a range of matters including federal employment and labor law. This position represents GAO in administrative litigation, internal investigations, and researching and advising management on relevant statutes, regulations, and internal orders.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens

Duties

As a Senior Staff Attorney/Senior Attorney (Legal Services), PA-0905-2/3 in Legal Services, your typical work assignments may include the following:

  • Managing a docket of administrative litigation before the GAO Personnel Appeals Board (PAB) covering a wide range of personnel and labor matters (e.g., prohibited personnel practice and discrimination claims, bargaining impasses, negotiability petitions, and unfair labor practice charges). This includes the full range of motions practice, propounding and responding to discovery including taking and defending depositions, and acting as agency counsel at evidentiary hearings. The PAB is an independent entity that performs the combined functions of its executive branch counterparts: the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Federal Labor Relations Authority; the Merit Systems Protection Board; and the Office of Special Counsel.
  • Serving as the agency counsel and collaborating on litigation strategy with DOJ and USAO in Federal court litigation involving GAO and its employees.
  • Coordinating and directing GAO's responses to internal investigations, by the PAB/Office of General Counsel, GAO's Office Opportunity and Inclusiveness, and GAO's Office of Inspector General, including preparing witnesses for investigatory interviews and responding to document and information requests.
  • Providing innovative, timely, and solution-oriented advice and legal support to GAO management on a broad array of human capital matters, including but not limited to performance management, employee misconduct, hiring, compensation, and working in a hybrid environment.
  • Advising management on matters related to information technology, cybersecurity, and data; providing research and sound legal advice on relevant authorities; and reviewing related agreements.
  • Ensuring compliance with applicable human capital-related laws, rules, and regulations, including applicable provisions of titles 5 and 31 of the U.S. Code, the GAO Personnel Act of 1980, and anti-discrimination statutes such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
  • Drafting clearly written, legally sound, and persuasive legal analyses for GAO management on all aspects of Legal Services' portfolio.
  • Advising GAO's labor-management relations office and others concerning administration of GAO's labor-management relations program, and serving as management's legal representative in grievance proceedings under the negotiated grievance procedure, including representing management before third-party arbitrators.
  • Performing other duties as necessary to respond to novel and complex questions concerning GAO's personnel system, and to support GAO's efforts in carrying out its mission.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation
  • Completion of a of a two-year probationary period unless you previously completed a trial period at GAO after October 1, 1980.
  • Completion of a financial disclosure statement is required.

Qualifications

You must meet the minimum qualification requirements by the closing date of this job opportunity announcement
  1. Must have a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
  2. Must be an active member in good standing of a bar of a state, a territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
  3. Band II Senior Staff Attorney candidates must have a minimum of two years (104 weeks) of legal experience working with and applying the laws, policies, and regulations related to the duties of the position.
  4. Band III Senior Attorney candidates must have a minimum of four years (208 weeks) of legal experience working with and applying the laws, policies, and regulations related to the duties of the position.

Education

See Qualification section.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of 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

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Salary range:

PA-2: $137,015 - $191,760/yr

PA-3: $170,757 - $191,900/yr

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

Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, GAO considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15 which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s)). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more.

TRAVEL & RELOCATION EXPENSES: Travel and relocation expenses related to this hiring process will not be paid.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

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.

If your submission demonstrates that you meet the criteria listed in the Qualifications section and includes the documents as listed under the Required Documents section, your application will be further evaluated based on:

  • Your years and level of experience researching and analyzing complex legal issues and working with applying the law, regulations, and policies relevant to the issues and responsibilities described above under "Summary" and "Duties."
  • Experience and expertise that demonstrates superior legal research, analytical skills, and the ability to write about complex legal issues.
  • Experience that demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills, interpersonal skills, and sound judgment.
We may invite you to an interview. If we invite you to interview, we may ask you to provide references and provide a writing sample, which we will consider in the selection process. We may invite you to more than one round of interviews.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

  1. Cover letter.
  2. Resume.
  3. A statement on your resume confirming that you are a U.S. citizen.
  4. Information sufficient to establish that you have a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
  5. Information sufficient to establish you are an active member in good standing of one of the bars listed in the Qualifications section.
  6. Information addressing the factors on which your application will be further evaluated as set forth in the Qualifications and How You Will Be Evaluated sections.
Your application materials will not be returned. Do not submit original documents that you may need in the future.

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

  1. Submit your complete application package to LegalCareers@gao.gov
  2. Reference "Attorney (Legal Services)" in the email subject line.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. Please refer to the "Required Document" section for a list of documents to be submitted for a complete application package.

Agency contact information

GAO Legal Careers
Address
Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

  1. Applicants will be grouped and evaluated by prospective level (Band II or Band III). Band III Attorneys (PA-3) will be expected to possess a higher degree of professional knowledge, expertise, and experience than Band II (PA-2) Attorneys and will perform their duties with greater independence.
  2. Applicants may be invited to interview for the position based on the evaluation of their application package.
  3. If you are invited to interview, you may be asked to provide references and a writing sample, which will be considered in the selection process. Applicants may be invited to more than one round of interviews.
  4. The successful applicant will be hired at the grade level commensurate with their qualifications.


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


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