Job opening: GENERAL ATTORNEY
Salary: $88 520 - 159 950 per year
Published at: Nov 22 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
Do you desire to be a part of the vibrant United States immigrant admission process, to protect American interests and to secure our nation while building a meaningful and rewarding career? If so, United States Citizenship and Immigration (USCIS), and its Office of the Chief Counsel are calling!
The Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC) is seeking experienced attorneys for Associate Counsel positions to handle immigration and national security issues in 3 locations.
Duties
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, providing legal counsel and litigation assistance to the USCIS Office of Chief Counsel on matters pertaining to the Immigration and Nationality Act, national security and public safety, fraud and fraud detection, and other laws and procedures relating to immigration benefits. The attorney will coordinate appropriate action on cases where the issues in the matter are novel, unique, controversial, or have national implications. The attorney will coordinate with other USCIS and DHS counsel and attorneys from the law enforcement and intelligence community on issues related to national security, public safety, and fraud and with attorneys from the Department of Justice on cases in litigation. The attorney will review various documents including policy memoranda, memoranda of understanding, policy guidance, trainings, and case decisions for legal sufficiency. In addition to the review of documents, the attorney will also draft legal opinions and memoranda, draft briefs, and provide legal advice to other USCIS counsel and operational components and prepare and deliver training.
Qualifications
You qualify at the GS-13 level if you: are currently an attorney in federal employment with the equivalent of being a GS-12 and at least one year experience at that level, or if not a federal employee and you have at least one year of post-J.D. professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.
You qualify at the GS-14 level if you: are currently an attorney in federal employment with the equivalent of being a GS-13 and at least one year experience at that level, or if not a federal employee and you have at least two years of post-J.D. professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.
You qualify at the GS-15 level if you: are currently an attorney in federal employment with the equivalent of being a GS-14 and at least one year experience at that level, or if not a federal employee and you have at least three years of post-J.D. professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.
Applicants must possess a J.D. or LL.M. degree from an ABA-accredited law school or serve a legal apprenticeship in California, Virginia, Vermont, or Washington and pass the bar exam in order to be permitted to practice law in one (1) of those jurisdictions.
Bar Requirement GS-13 thru GS-15: Be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction).
Prior to entering on duty, all selected attorneys must provide a Certificate of Good Standing in holding an active Bar License to practice law in any state or territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
All applicants will be rated against the following factors:
Ability to resolve questions and provide accurate legal advice to both attorneys and non-attorneys on complex legal matters.
Ability to handle a heavy workload and meet deadlines.
Legal aptitude as reflected in the resume provided.
Quality of writing sample not to exceed 10 pages.
Quality of the cover letter addressed to OCC summarizing interest in the position not to exceed 1 page.
Quality of recommendations provided (No more than 3 recommendations total).
To preview the job questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12622456.