Job opening: Attorney-Advisor
Salary: $117 962 - 181 216 per year
Published at: Sep 02 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 U.S. Department of the Interior and manages the Departmental Ethics Office and Departmental FOIA Office. With more than five hundred total employees, more than four hundred 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 (DOI), Office of the Solicitor (SOL), Departmental Ethics Office, National Office and Bureau Programs, National Park Service (NPS) Branch in Washington, D.C.
At the full performance level (GS-14), the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Serving as a legal adviser for the Department and advising on all legal issues pertaining to Government ethics, including criminal conflict of interest laws, Executive Branch Standards of Conduct and the Hatch Act.
2. Writing opinions for the Designated Agency Ethics Official and Deputy Ethics Counsels of various Offices and Bureaus as appropriate in response to requests from current or former employees.
3. Reviewing public and confidential financial disclosure reports, providing cautionary guidance, and recommending appropriate action.
4. Coordinating advice and guidance provided to Department employees with the Office of Government Ethics, the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, the Office of Special Counsel, the Office of White House Counsel, and other agencies' ethics officials as necessary.
5. Ensuring that information regarding possible violations of law is referred to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) as required, referring other matters for OIG investigations as appropriate and providing technical assistance to the OIG in the analysis of potential ethics violations.
6. Recommending possible disciplinary or remedial actions to program officials arising out of OIG reports of investigation.
7. May be reviewing legislative proposals and helping the Departmental Ethics Office to coordinate the Department's response on items that affect the Department's ethics program.
Salary Information: First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.
GS-13: $117,962 (Step 1) - $153,354 (Step 10*) per annum.
GS-14: $139,395 (Step 1) - $181,216 (Step 10*) per annum.
*First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.
This position is in the excepted service and not subject to competitive service procedures.
Merit promotion procedures do not apply.
This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.
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:
possess at least 1-year of professional legal experience following law school graduation; OR
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;
graduation with academic honors;
significant participation on the law school's law review;
significant participation in the law school's moot court competition;
significant participation in a clinical legal aid program;
significant summer law office clerk experience; OR
other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.
GS-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:
GS-13 = 2 years
GS-14 = 3 ½ years
Candidates should have excellent oral communication, writing, research and analysis skills, and the ability to work effectively with other people, and exercise sound judgment.
Applicants who are found to be qualified and referred to the selecting official for consideration may be asked to provide a writing sample. Instructions will be included in the email communication sent to qualified candidates.
All applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the 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.
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
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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