Summary
THIS IS A NATIONAL GUARD TITLE 5 EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITION.
This National Guard position is for a TITLE 5 ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (GENERAL) (MI JFHQ J9/JAG), Position Description Number NGT0097000 and is part of the MI JFHQ Army, National Guard.
This job is open to
Federal employees - Competitive service
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Federal employees - Excepted service
Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.
Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.
National Guard and reserves
Current members, those who want to join or transitioning military members.
Clarification from the agency
Area 1: Open to on-board current federal technicians of the Michigan National Guard.
Duties
***THIS IS A TITLE 5 EXCEPTED NATIONAL GUARD POSITION***
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 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 . In this primary purpose, this position also serves as the full-time professional legal advisor and support to Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and State Equal Employment Opportunity advisors, and subordinate commanders to support the state prevention efforts relating to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse . This position 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.
1. Acts as a legal adviser and attorney for the state/territory National Guard, responsible for the formulation of state/territory legal policy and its execution legal representation; legal initiatives; interpretation and litigation of U.S. and state/territory(s) constitutional, civil, criminal, labor law; international law and treaty agreements; and a full spectrum of expert legal advice. Acts as a legal adviser and attorney for the state/territory National Guard, responsible for assisting in the formulation of state/territory legal policy pertaining to prevention of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse, while serving as the special legal advisor to the Adjutant General, the Office of Staff Judge Advocate (OSJA), Commands SHARP and SEEM programs.
2. Responsible to advise on the legal, factual, and other impacting aspects of drafting, interpretation and application of legislation, regulation, tasking orders, decision, opinions or other guiding, or lack thereof, instruments associated with emerging or highly conflicted, sensitive and emotionally charged issues relating to sexual crimes, harassment, domestic violence/abuse, and to the prevention and response of sexual crimes, harassment, and domestic violence/abuse. Serves as legal counsel to Adjutant General and Commanders on legislation, regulation, or guidance as to creating protective environments and promoting healthy social norms specific to military communities, which can include advising on any collaborations with local, state, and federal partners such as county health departments, State health departments, schools, the CDC, Department of Education, other government agencies, academia, and/or other industry that can ensure that the military can evaluate and assess the impact of their community-level prevention strategies both in the short and long-term.
3. Serves as the state/territory National Guard litigation point of contact. Represents the state/territory National Guard in all legal matters in state/territory of original or appellate jurisdictions, to include matters pertaining to sexual crimes, sexual harassment, and domestic violence/abuse.
4. Serves as an attorney/adviser providing acquisition and fiscal legal advice to the state/territory's assigned United States Property & Fiscal Officer, particularly in the area of emerging requirements in victim support and legal resourcing (the Chief of the National Guard Bureau's agent in the state/territory) and active-duty military advisers. Advises Army National Guard (ARNG) and Air National Guard (ANG) contracting officers, reviews contracts, procurement actions and real property matters involving Federal and state/territory funds (some involving substantial amounts of money) for legal sufficiency, appropriate titling and claim initiation or resolution actions.
5. Acts as the Adjutant General's representative in third-party proceedings under Federal labor-management and equal employment opportunity statutes and regulatory provisions.
6. Serves as the state/territory Ethics Adviser. Reviews sensitive financial disclosure statements for General Officers and other key personnel.
The above duty description doesn't contain all details of the official position description.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
- May be required to successfully complete a trial period
- Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
- U.S. Citizenship is required.
- Irregular and overtime hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies.
- The employee may be required to travel in military and/or commercial aircraft/vehicle to perform temporary duty assignments.
- Must have a valid civilian driver’s license.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.
- 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.
- Ability to establish effective professional working relationships with coworkers and customers, contributing to a cooperative working environment and successful accomplishment of the mission.
- May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours; overtime may be required.
- Duties and responsibilities of your job may significantly impact the environment. Responsible to maintain awareness of your environmental responsibilities as dictated by legal and regulatory requirements, your organization, and its changing mission.
- The employee is required to properly carry, maintain, load, unload, and fire various weapons. The employee will have resource protection (weapons and ammunition) responsibilities that could include the use of deadly force.
- 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.
- Must either be currently in good standing (certified) with a State Bar. Must be a graduate of an ABA-accredited law school.
- 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.
Qualifications
Effective September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length. We highly encourage the use of the USA Jobs resume builder to meet this requirement.
In your resume MUST address the minimum requirements listed below. Please use as much detail as needed, giving dates (months and years) of the experience, position title and how the experience was gained. This information is needed to determine if you are qualified for the position.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
Attorneys search case reports, legal documents, periodicals, and textbooks, and prepare drafts of letters, memorandums, and legal documents for use by higher-level attorneys. Assignments, while still developmental, involve complex and difficult legal questions requiring extensive research, analysis, and evaluation of information in controversial areas.
Cases have an important impact on major public and private interests, such as cases concerning a major extension or revision in a grant program or a substantial question on civil rights. Cases are vigorously contested by capable legal talent, as in a contracts dispute case. In cases of this scope, attorneys prepare drafts of pleadings and motions in connection with cases in litigation and conduct investigations to obtain facts, study legal precedents, and prepare recommendations while assisting attorneys in charge of court cases by cross-examining witnesses and by drafting findings of fact, conclusions of law, and orders based upon the record.
Assignments involve extremely complex and difficult legal questions requiring extensive research, analysis, and evaluation of information in controversial scientific, financial, corporate, medical engineering, or other highly technical areas. Cases have an important impact on major private or public interests, such as cases concerning a major extension or revision in a grant program or a substantial question on civil rights. Interest in these cases is usually nationwide.
Attorneys are entrusted with the initial preparation of proposed solutions to projects. They conduct investigations to obtain facts, study legal precedents, make recommendations, and prepare necessary documents. They receive preliminary instructions, their commitment authority is limited, and their completed written work is carefully reviewed.
Education
You must meet the following requirements perform at the GS-13 or Equivalent Level to qualify for this position:
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.
You must provide Transcripts and Certificates are required to be submitted upon application submission.
Additional information
If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency (https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx).
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (for example, DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form SF 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at.)
Veteran's Preference: Veteran's preference must be validated by formal submissions of necessary supporting documentation. You must provide acceptable documentation of your preference or appointment eligibility. Failure to submit all supporting documentation WILL result in the loss of veteran's preference, and could possibly impact your placement on the certificate sent to the selecting official. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" AND required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference of any kind. An SF-50 is NOT sufficient to adjudicate preference.
For more information on Veteran's Preference, please visit: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx
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.
Effective September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length. We highly encourage the use of the USA Jobs resume builder to meet this requirement.
Resume MUST include the following:
- Job Title
- Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
- Employer's name and address
- Supervisor's name and contact information
- Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
- Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
- Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
Area of Consideration Explanation:
- Area 1: Current Federal Technicians of the Michigan National Guard
- Area 2: Any qualified U.S. citizen.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, start and end dates (format must include Month and Year; MM/YY - MM/YY) of employment and a full, complete explanation of job experiences.
2. For Veteran's Preference: You must submit all supporting documentation for your preference claims. Which includes, but is not limited to: SF-15, Veterans Administration Preference/Disability memo, DD214(s), Written correspondence from your branch for discharge/release pending. If supporting documentation is not submitted to support your claim, it WILL result in losing your veteran's preference for this announcement and will possibly impact your placement on the certificate sent to the selecting supervisor.
3. Other supporting documents:
- BAR License (Required)
- Transcripts (Required)
- DD214 (Optional)
- SF 50 (Required)
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/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12827894
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/.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. 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 another notification regarding the status of your application.