Job opening: Attorney Advisor
Salary: $99 200 - 181 216 per year
Published at: Feb 07 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
With an emphasis on high ethical standards, excellence in public service and the delivery of superlative advice and counsel, DOI Solicitor's Office performs the legal work for the United States Department of the Interior and manages the Departmental Ethics Office and Departmental FOIA Office. With more than 500 total employees, more than 400 of which are licensed attorneys, the Office strives to provide sound legal services to fulfill the Department's diverse and wide-ranging mission.
Duties
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Division of General Law, Branch of General Legal Services in Washington, DC.
At the full performance level of GS-14 the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Defending the Department of the Interior, in coordination with the Department of Justice, in Freedom of Information Act Federal court litigation, including preparation of declarations, draft motions, status reports, and development of the administrative record.
2. Analyzing and interpreting federal administrative-law statutes, rules and regulations, and other guidance, including program authorities, relating to departmental program goals.
3. Providing on-the-spot legal guidance in the resolution of complex administrative law and program issues
4. Conducting legal research and producing opinions and memoranda requiring a high degree of creative legal effort, judgment, and discretion, often harmonizing conflicting positions in areas with little or no precedent, while promoting goals of uniformity, simplicity, and efficiency.
5. Performing legal research concerning novel and complex issues, reviewing documents for the Associate or Assistant Solicitor and for DOI agencies, drafting legal opinions, providing formal and informal advice to DOI agencies, and drafting or reviewing agency decisions.
Qualifications
Basic Qualification Requirements
Applicants must be law school graduates with LL.B. or J.D. degrees AND applicants must be an active member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.
Applicants must also meet one of the following: GS-12/13/14: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements described above, applicants must also have the following additional years of professional legal experience for the grade level indicated:
To qualify for a GS-12 applicants must possess at least 2-years of professional legal experience following law school graduation;
To qualify for a GS-13 applicants must possess at least 3-years of professional legal experience following law school graduation;
To qualify for a GS-14 applicants must possess at least 4.5-years of professional legal experience following law school graduation
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 any of the grades indicated above you can substitute one year of experience with any of the following:
have a second professional law degree; OR
meet any of the criteria indicated below:
academic standing in top one-third of law school graduating class;
other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.
significant summer law office clerk experience; or
significant participation in a clinical legal aid program;
significant participation in the law school's moot court competition.
significant participation on the law school's law review;
graduation with academic honors;
Candidates should have excellent oral communication, writing, research and analysis skills, and the ability to work effectively with other people, and exercise sound judgment. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.
Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
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