T5 ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (GENERAL) Job in Columbia, SC

Vacancy No. SC-13002461-26-219-AR Department Army National Guard Units
Salary $106,437.00 to $138,370.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 7/8/2026 Close Date 7/23/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Columbia, SC


T5 ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (GENERAL)

Department of the Army
Army National Guard Units

Summary

THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION.
This position is in the Excepted Service "under the authority of Title V, P.L. 114-328, Sections 932 and 1084 (FY17 NDAA)", and is open to US citizens interested in helping the Department of the Army meet our mission requirements.

This National Guard position is for a T5 ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (GENERAL) Position Description Number T5160P02 and is part of the, South Carolina Army National Guard.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to area 1 only. Please refer to the AOC definitions under the Qualifications Section.

Duties

The position is located in the Joint Force Headquarters - State (JFHQ-ST), Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) or the wing staff Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA). The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the full-time professional legal adviser and support to the Adjutant General, the Commander of federally recognized Army and Air National Guards, and state/territory unique public defense or safety structures or wing commander. Also serves as a professional legal adviser to the United States Property and Fiscal Officer (USPFO), state/territory National Guard Senior leadership, state/territory National Guard directorates, and subordinate National Guard commanded units or state/territory level divisions.

This Series includes professional legal positions that manage and provide legal services to preserve prerogatives of the United States Army National Guard and the United States Air Force and their Commanders. Judge Advocates are responsible for offering legal support that involves military operations. They primarily focus on the areas of criminal law; legal assistance; civil and administrative law; labor and employment law; international and operational law; intelligence law; and, contract and fiscal law. Judge Advocates perform duties prescribed by applicable state law, and prepare and provide legal opinions and decisions necessary for efficient and effective discharge of United States Army or the United States Air Force missions. Specialty encompasses administration of military justice, including counsel on disciplinary matters, pretrial advice, preparation for trial, trials by courts-martial, post-trial actions, and appellate review. Renders legal advice to commanders on all phases of Army National Guard and Air National Guard operations, including international law, operations law, procurement, claims, environmental law, military and civilian personnel issues, patents, litigation, military affairs, legal assistance and preventive law, taxes, and allied legal matters. The work of this series requires admission to the Bar. Attorneys tend to specialize in two respects. They may specialize as to the function they perform and the subject-matter area in which they work. Titles apply to the various functional and subject-matter specializations. Some positions in this Series require expanded security clearances and extensive knowledge of the laws, rules, regulations and procedures governing distinct sets of administrative management, legal requirements, duties, and responsibilities for performing Judge Advocate/attorney functions. The title of an attorney position is constructed by using the appropriate functional designation such as "Attorney-Adviser."

Requirements

Conditions of employment

THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION OPEN TO THE FOLLOWING AREA OF CONSIDERATION (AOC):

Area of Consideration (AOC): This position is open to area 1 only.


Area 1: Current employees (Tenure 1 and 2 / internal to the Agency)
Area 2: All other applicants (external to the Agency)

Applicants who meet one of the DoD Priority Placement Program categories below are eligible to apply with this preference. (See Required Documents section)
Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible
Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement
Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible"
Priority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade

Qualifications

General Experience - All series personnel must be competent at the next higher level before being eligible for that level. An applicant must have a validated understanding of the basic principles and concepts of the occupational series and grade.

Specialized Experience - Assignments require the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, and more than two years of professional legal experience that is equal to the duties and responsibilities of the position.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT & NOTES:

1. Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.

2. This position is covered by the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Amendment (30 Sep 96) of the Gun Control Act (Lautenberg Amendment) of 1968. An individual convicted of a qualifying crime of domestic violence may not perform the duties of this position.

3. Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.

*4. Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.

5. The duties and responsibilities of your job may significantly impact the environment. You are responsible to maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.

6. Work may require frequent travel away from the normal duty station on military and commercial aircraft. The work may require the employee to drive a motor vehicle. An appropriate, valid driver's license may be required for the position.

7. Must either be currently in good standing (certified) with a State Bar or able to obtain certification.

8. This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration. Head of Agency requests to exceed 14 days in a calendar year must be approved in advance by the National Guard, Director of Manpower and Personnel (NGB-J1). 10. Must be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school.

Education

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

Army National Guard Officers: For entry into the Air National Guard JAG Corps/ Attorney-Adviser, it is mandatory to have a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree in law issued by an ABA- accredited law school; and must be admitted to practice law in the highest court of any U.S. state, commonwealth, territory or the District of Columbia.

Air National Guard Officers: For entry into the Air National Guard JAG Corps/Attorney-Adviser, it is mandatory to have a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree in law issued by an ABA-accredited law school; and must be admitted to practice law in the highest court of any U.S. state, commonwealth, territory or the District of Columbia.

You must provide a copy of your degree and transcripts in addition to your resume for verification purposes. Failure to do so may impact your consideration for the position.

Additional information


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.

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.

Once the announcement has closed, your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine if you meet the qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application package, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this position. If you are found to be among the top qualified candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

External Awareness, Integrity/Honesty, Legal, Government and Jurisprudence, and Problem Solving

Required Documents

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

1. Federal agencies only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed- REQUIRED. Resumes that do not sufficiently show the required experience in detail, as well as resumes that list accolades and not relatable experience may not be considered.

2. Other supporting documents: DD-214's, Transcripts, Etc.

Applicants claiming Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician Eligible must submit the following documentation:

  • Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self Certification Checklist (DD 3145-3)
  • Termination SF-50 Separation stating that the applicant has Priority Placement Eligibility
  • Notice of Separation confirming of eligibility.
Applicants claiming Priority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability Retirement must submit the following documentation:
  • Military Reserve and Technician Disability PPP Self Certification Checklist (DD 3145-2)
  • Termination SF-50 Separation stating that the applicant has Priority Placement Eligibility
  • Notice of Separation confirming of eligibility.
Applicants claiming DOD Military Spouse preference must submit the following documentation:
  • Marriage Certificate
  • Spouses PCS Orders
  • Military Spouse PPP Self Certification Checklist
Applicants claiming DoD Retained Grade preference must submit the following documentation:
  • Retained Grade PPP Self Certification Checklist (DD3145-1)
  • SF-50 effecting the placement in retained grade status, and
  • A copy of the notification letter received (RIF or classification downgrade)

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 the closing date of the announcement 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 verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

Shanequa Pendergrass
Email
shanequa.s.pendergrass.mil@army.mil
Address
SC CHIEF OF STAFF
1 National Guard Road
Columbia, SC 29201
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Within 15 days of closing your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive email notification of your eligibility. You do not need to contact HRO regarding the status of your application- you may check the status of your application at any time in your USA Jobs account.

If qualified you will be contacted for interview and notified of your selection status within 30 days of the qualification date.

Army National Guard Units

The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States. Since the earliest American colonial days, citizens have joined together for collective defense. We have a proud tradition of coming to the aid of our friends and neighbors in times of serious emergencies. Join our National Guard team!

Agency contact information

Shanequa Pendergrass
Email
shanequa.s.pendergrass.mil@army.mil
Address
SC CHIEF OF STAFF
1 National Guard Road
Columbia, SC 29201
US

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