Staff Attorney Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 26-06 Department U. S. Sentencing Commission
Salary $102,415.00 to $158,322.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 8/5/2026 Close Date 9/4/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Staff Attorney

Judicial Branch
U. S. Sentencing Commission

Summary

The United States Sentencing Commission is seeking a Staff Attorney to participate in the substantive policy development of the Commission and provide legal support for the Commission's training, research, data, legislative, and administrative functions.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

The staff attorney participates in the substantive policy development of the Commission and provides legal support for the Commission's training, research, data, legislative, and administrative functions. Responsibilities include, but are not be limited to: (1) Analyzing federal case law, circuit conflicts, and crime and sentencing legislation; (2) Conducting in-depth legal research related to the application of the federal sentencing guidelines, administrative law, and federal agency practice; (3) Preparing correspondence, legal memoranda, and analytical reports; and, (4) Participating in staff working groups that focus on new legislation, guideline amendments, or other sentencing issues.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

MANDATORY QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must possess a law degree (JD) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be a member of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a Federal court of general jurisdiction. Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. Applicants must have one year of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. This one year of specialized experience must have been at, or equivalent to, the next lower grade from the grade being considered. For example, to qualify for the GS-13, one year of specialized experience must have been gained at, or equivalent to, the GS-12.

To be considered for this position, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter or separate narrative statement that addresses each KSA factor listed below. Each factor should be addressed separately and include a description of the demonstrated experience that is directly related to the duties, responsibilities, and KSA factors for this position.

  1. Knowledge of federal sentencing and criminal law.
  2. Experience conducting in-depth legal research involving analysis of case law, statutes, and legislation. Excellent legal analysis, writing, and editing skills.
  3. Ability to express, orally and in writing, complex legal issues in clear and succinct language so that the concepts are understood by both lawyers and non-lawyers.
  4. Skill in planning, organizing, setting priorities, and completing multiple tasks of varying complexity.

Qualifications

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Preference will be given to applicants who have one or more of the following qualifications:

  • Federal criminal trial or appellate experience.
  • Experience as a federal judicial law clerk.
  • Outstanding academic credentials and/or law review or moot court experience.
BENEFITS
The Commission participates in the following federal benefits: The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program; the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program, federal retirement, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and the federal leave program. In addition, the Commission participates in the Judiciary's Flexible Spending Program for dependent care, health care, and commuter reimbursement, the government-wide Long Term Care Insurance Program, unemployment, and workers' compensation benefits.

The Commission offers a monthly transit subsidy to employees who use mass transit to commute to and from work, subject to the availability of funds. The Commission offers alternative work schedules (AWS), which are fixed work schedules that enable full-time employees to complete the basic 80-hour biweekly work requirement in less than 10 workdays.

The position is eligible for regular telework (not full-time) at home or at an approved telework site for employees who meet the requirements of an approved telework arrangement.

The Commission also offers training opportunities to employees through LinkedIn Learning, and the Judiciary's Online University, which offers academic credit and professional credit programs through web-based learning. These training tools assist Commission employees with taking online courses in a flexible way, by offering training courses in the areas of: staff training and development; credit toward undergraduate degree programs; continuing education and non-credit certificate programs; executive education; contract training; credit credentials courses for continuing professional education and credit for individuals who hold credentials and achieve certifications associated with several globally-recognized sponsored organizations.

The Commission is conveniently located next to Union Station on Capitol Hill, and is easily accessible by public transportation, including the Metro, and the MARC and VRE commuter trains. In addition to the federal benefits package, the Commission's location in the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building offers various amenities such as a health unit, credit union, day care center, food services, and free on-site fitness center.

Education

Applicants must possess a law degree (JD) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

Additional information

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

  • The selected applicant must relocate to the Washington DC Metropolitan area.
  • This position is in the excepted service and does not carry the tenure rights of positions in the competitive Civil Service.
  • All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
  • Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship or, for noncitizens, proof of authorization to work in the United States and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/non-citizensFor a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
  • The Commission participates in E-Verify and will confirm your authorization to work in the United States.
  • A background security investigation is required for all selectees. Appointment will be subject to a selectee's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements may be grounds for appropriate personnel action. A background security reinvestigation or supplemental investigation may be required at a later time.
  • All new Commission employees must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment, mandated by the Federal Compensation Act.
  • All new Commission employees, those converted from a temporary appointment to a permanent appointment, and all rehired former Commission employees are required to serve a one-year probationary period. The probationary period begins on the effective date of the employee's appointment, conversion, or rehire.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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.

The Commission evaluates applicants through a structured interview process. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary remote interview. Applicants who do not address the mandatory and preferred qualification requirements in their application materials as stated in the "How to Apply" section of this vacancy announcement will be disqualified from consideration and must re-apply before the closing date to be considered for employment. A candidate may be considered even if they do not meet the preferred qualifications, so long as those qualifications are addressed in their application materials.

The Office of Human Resources:

  • Reviews the applicant's application to ensure the proper materials are submitted.
  • Ensures that the application addresses all qualification requirements stated in the vacancy announcement (mandatory and preferred).
  • Determines whether the applicant meets the qualification requirements for the position, and notifies the applicant of the status of their application.

Application materials for those applicants who meet the mandatory qualification requirements will be forwarded to the screening panel for review.

Required Documents

  • Resume (limited to 2 pages)
  • Cover Letter: To be considered for this position, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter or separate narrative statement that addresses each KSA factor listed below. Each factor should be addressed separately and include a description of the demonstrated experience that is directly related to the duties, responsibilities, and KSA factors for this position.
    • Knowledge of federal sentencing and criminal law.
    • Experience conducting in-depth legal research involving analysis of case law, statutes, and legislation. Excellent legal analysis, writing, and editing skills.
    • Ability to express, orally and in writing, complex legal issues in clear and succinct language so that the concepts are understood by both lawyers and non-lawyers.
    • Skill in planning, organizing, setting priorities, and completing multiple tasks of varying complexity.
  • If available, college transcripts
  • If available, a recent job performance evaluation

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

In order to be considered, all applicants must submit an electronic resume (limited to 2 pages) and cover letter that together address all of the mandatory and preferred qualification requirements listed in this announcement, and if available, provide a recent job performance evaluation. Applicants are responsible for citing mandatory qualifications such as J.D. degree, bar membership, and experience to include institution name, state(s) for bar, and date(s) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute incomplete applications. All mandatory qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants will also need to complete the online occupational questionnaire. All applications must be submitted at www.usajobs.gov.

Agency contact information

Corinne Smith
Phone
202-502-4500
Email
hr@ussc.gov
Address
United States Sentencing Commission
One Columbus Circle NE Suite 2-500
Washington, DC 20002
US

Next steps

Applicants who meet the mandatory qualification requirements will be considered and their application materials will be forwarded to the screening panel for review. Applicants who do not meet the mandatory qualification requirements for the position are automatically disqualified from consideration. In addition, some applicants may be tested using various assessment tools not listed on the vacancy announcement to verify an applicant's experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for consideration and selection.

U. S. Sentencing Commission

The United States Sentencing Commission is an independent federal agency in the Judicial Branch of government consisting of a bipartisan group of seven members appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate and two non-voting ex-officio members. The agency staff consists of approximately 100 employees. The Commission is tasked by Congress with establishing sentencing policies and practices for the Federal criminal justice system that assure the meeting of the purposes of sentencing, provide certainty and fairness in meeting the purposes of sentencing, and reflect, to the extent practicable, advancement in knowledge of human behavior as it relates to the criminal justice process. The Commission is further tasked with measuring the degree to which the sentencing, penal, and correctional practices are effective in meeting the purposes of sentencing. To fulfill these purposes, the Commission develops and revises guidelines for federal district court judges to consider in sentencing defendants convicted of federal crimes, monitors and evaluates the use of the guidelines, conducts research and education programs on guideline application and sentencing matters generally, produces sentencing-related reports, and recommends improvements in federal sentencing practices and policies to Congress. Additional information about the Commission can be accessed via the Commission's website at http://www.ussc.gov.

Agency contact information

Corinne Smith
Phone
202-502-4500
Email
hr@ussc.gov
Address
United States Sentencing Commission
One Columbus Circle NE Suite 2-500
Washington, DC 20002
US

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http://www.ussc.gov


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