Trial Attorney

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. This position is in the Excepted Service. For information on the Excepted Service, please visit: Excepted Service Appointing Authorities@ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/excepted-service/

As a Trial Attorney, you will:

• Represent or assist in representing the agency in a wide range of investigatory and enforcement activities pursuant to the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
• Represent or assist in representing the agency in a range of litigation over rules and regulations, such as motor vehicle safety standards and fuel economy regulations, and other agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act, Vehicle Safety Act, Freedom of Information Act, and other statutes.
• Represent the agency before administrative tribunals such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

As a Trial Attorney in the Litigation and Enforcement Division you will have opportunities to be involved with a diverse portfolio of high-profile and innovative legal issues including enforcing the Nation’s motor vehicle safety laws and the laws governing fuel economy. Attorneys in the Litigation and Enforcement Division lead investigations into potential violations of law and seek civil penalties or other sanctions when warranted. Attorneys work in close partnership with technical experts on recalls and on investigations of potential safety defects in motor vehicles and noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Attorneys also prepare regulations related to enforcement and advise on a wide range of other legal issues.

With the Department of Justice, attorneys in the Litigation and Enforcement Division also participate in a range of litigation over rules and regulations, such as motor vehicle safety standards and fuel economy regulations, and other agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act, Vehicle Safety Act, Freedom of Information Act, and other statutes. Attorneys in this Division also represent the agency in personnel cases before administrative tribunals such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

This position is perfect for a professional looking to grow with a great Federal agency. We are seeking highly qualified individuals who are willing to meet the challenges of public service and support our mission. NHTSA is looking for someone who is highly motivated and who can communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, at all levels of the organization.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, a customer/client service-oriented approach, creativity and initiative, and sound legal and practical judgment.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: 

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties. Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 263.

Qualifications

To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following:

GRADE 13 - Possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and be in good standing of a bar. Applicants must have 2 years of relevant professional legal experience.

• Experience conducting legal research and drafting legal analysis to support senior attorneys and managers.
• Experience drafting routine legal documents, discovery materials, or specific sections of pleadings and briefs for civil litigation or administrative proceedings.
• Experience assisting with the mechanics of civil litigation, enforcement activities, or investigations under the guidance of senior counsel. 

GRADE 14 - Possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and be in good standing of a bar. Applicants must have 3 years of relevant professional legal experience.

• Experience performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers.
• Experience composing pleadings, briefs, and other court documents involving legal issues in civil litigation; AND
• Experience conducting civil litigation.

GRADE 15 - Possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and be in good standing of a bar. Applicants must have 4 years of relevant professional legal experience.

• Experience independently performing legal analysis, composing pleadings, briefs and other court documents involving unique and/or difficult legal issues in civil litigation.
• Experience briefing clients or senior leadership on legal issues; AND
• Experience conducting highly complex civil litigation.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
2. Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
3. Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.
4. Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE:  Please be clear and specific when describing your experience, as HR evaluates applications strictly on the facts provided and will not make assumptions. To receive full credit, your narrative responses must be written in paragraph format and explicitly match your resume. Begin each response by listing the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full- or part-time status, average weekly hours, and federal series/grade (if applicable). Within the body of the paragraph, clearly describe your specific duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes. HR will cross-check these details against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every claim and timeframe, the experience will not be considered for credit, which may result in an ineligible determination.

You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• VETERANS: Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service. However, the Department of Transportation considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans’ preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation. 
• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If you are not admitted to the bar of a State, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to qualify on Education, you must possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.). An applicant who has not been admitted to a state bar may be selected for a Law Clerk, GS-0904-11 position.  Appointment as a Law Clerk is limited to 14 months, during which time appointee must be admitted in good standing to the bar of a court of general jurisdiction of a state, territory or possession of the United States. Upon admission to the bar, the position will be converted to a permanent appointment as a Trial Attorney.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

• Include a cover letter to share skills and goals relevant to this application.
• Some job applications require you to include a writing sample. See the announcement for details.

The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position. Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application.

RESUME:In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.  These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. 

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week) and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.

For assistance with the resume builder, please visit:  https://help.usajobs.gov/

PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.  

TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here. 

VETERANS: Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Transportation considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans’ preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.

SPECIAL ATTENTION: To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents by the closing date of the announcement.  Note: You must review and verify that all files are successfully transferred to our system before final submission.

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