Trial Attorney Job in Philadelphia, PA

Vacancy No. 25-HUD-107-X Department Office of General Counsel
Salary $95,694.00 to $174,811.00 Grade 12 to 14
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/13/2024 Close Date 11/22/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Philadelphia, PA


Summary

This position is located in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of General Counsel.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals; No prior Federal experience is required.

Duties

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-14. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

As a Trial Attorney, you will:

  • Participate with U.S. Attorneys in preparing and handling both affirmative and defensive litigation cases involving all HUD programs and participate with private attorneys in handling cases involving HUD-funded activities.
  • Defend the agency in state court proceedings and before the Merits System Protection Board, Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission, Federal Labor Relations Authority, Government Accountability Office, Board of Contract Appeals, and other administrative bodies and tribunals.
  • Prepare all pleadings, motions, briefs, and memorandum of law to be filed in cases. These documents are invariably used without detailed review or alteration.
  • Perform legal research, often on novel and difficult questions of law, and prepare memoranda of law based upon the products of his or her research.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

The official duty station for this position will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

Key Requirements:

  • Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
  • A 2-year trial period is required. (unless already completed)
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • File a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of appointment and annually from then on.
    • This requirement is applicable for GS 12, GS 13, and GS 14 attorney position(s).
  • Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
  • Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment."

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:
Applicants MUST:
(1) be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.;
(2) be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
(3) meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.

AND

Specialized Experience: For the GS-14, you must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

  • Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
  • Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement; OR
  • Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
  • Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
  • Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.

AND

For the GS-14, you must:

Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus four (4) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.


Specialized Experience: For the GS-13, you must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

  • Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
  • Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement; OR
  • Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
  • Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
  • Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.

AND

For the GS-13, you must:

Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

Specialized Experience: For the GS-12, you must have one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

  • Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
  • Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement; OR
  • Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
  • Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
  • Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.

AND

For the GS-12, you must:

Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus one (1) year of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus one (1) year of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.


The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/date/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

Education

Attorney positions do have an education requirement.

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. In addition you must provide proof of bar or your bar number in the vacancy questions.

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid.
  • Relocation incentive will not be paid.
  • Recruitment incentive will not be paid.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
  • HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.
  • This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for similar positions across HUD. During the online application process, you will be asked to specify if you would like your application information shared with other hiring managers in the Program Office listed in this announcement or in other HUD Program Offices. Opting to share your application information will not impact your application for this announcement, nor will it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):

HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics.

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.

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

1. Minimum Requirements: Your application must show that you meet all requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. You will be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible.

2. Referral: Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used. We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements. Although competitive examining rules for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply, veteran's preference will be considered as a positive factor. Candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration and possible interview.

Required Documents

A complete application includes:

1. A resume: All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)

  • Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, your resume will still be accepted, however only the first 5 pages will be reviewed and considered for qualifications determination in whether or not the minimum qualifications for the position have been met.
  • To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
  • It is suggested that you preview the online assessment questionnaire, to ensure that your resume thoroughly describes how your skills and experience align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and support your responses to the online assessment questionnaire.
  • For resume writing guidance, please visit USAJOBS Resources Center.

2. Vacancy assessment question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.

3. Submission of any required documents identified below, if applicable: Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible)

  • VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION:
    • If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
  • ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP:
    • You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.
  • EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:
    • Attorney positions do have an education requirement. Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. In addition you must provide proof of bar or your bar number in the vacancy questions.
    • For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
  • RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTS: In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:
    • A legal writing sample of between 5 - 10 pages containing legal analysis.
    • A copy of all pages of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal, dated within the last 12 months, that includes the final rating.

How to Apply

HUD has partnered with the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Fiscal Service's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.

Please review the entire announcement before applying.

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.

HUD provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.

  • 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 (USAJOBS Login) A list of announcements in which you have applied will be at the Welcome screen
  • Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status. For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
  • If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
  • Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.


For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.

To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12601275

Agency contact information

Applicant Call Center
Address
Office of General Counsel
Administrative Resource Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.


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


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