About the Position: This position is located at U.S. Army Legal Services Agency, Office of the Soldier's Counsel (OSC) Fort Cavazos with duty location at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. If you are currently serving in a permanent, competitive service appointment in the Federal service, and are selected for this position, the appointment will remove you from the competitive service while you occupy this position.

Duties

Responsible for developing, establishing, and ensuring implementation of regional policies, guidelines, standard operating procedures, reporting requirements, and work standards in accordance with Army, DoD, NOSC, and other pertinent authorities. Ensures consistent legal services are provided in compliance with applicable laws throughout the multiple state regions. Responsible for ensuring all Attorneys and para-professionals are certified, current, well-trained, and perform duties in the best interests of clients in accordance with Army Rules for Professional Conduct for Lawyers. Serves as the technical and subject-matter expert for all regional personnel and IDES stakeholders. Supervises assigned professional and paraprofessional employees, military personnel, and federal civilian employees assigned to the region. Plans and organizes work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts long and short-term priorities, and prepare schedules for completion of work. Assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and capabilities of employees. Responsible for providing services to the Soldier and Family Member in the capacity of Soldiers Medical Evaluation Board Counsel (SMEBC) and Soldiers Physical Evaluation Board Counsel (SPEBC). Ensures all regional legal personnel, are familiar with relevant medical terminology, treatment, and conditions; the availability and process to obtain VA and other governmental benefits; and the tax implications of various outcomes.

Requirements

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• A two-year trial/probationary period may be required.
• This position requires the incumbent to maintain active bar membership, in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• Position requires all employees assigned to a MTF are required to be screened for applicable immunizations regardless of series, based on occupational risk, and are subject to missing/required immunizations IAW AR 40-562, Chapters 3 and 4.
• Physical exam may be required.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens Applicants will be evaluated to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position. KSA's: Knowledge of the Army Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). Skill in managing a large number of personnel and projects in remote locations. Ability to identify legal problems, analyze COAs and perform legal reviews. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing, especially in front of a administrative forum. Ability to provide leadership and policy direction for the transformation and continued development of Army IDES programs. Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration: Education Requirements: Position requires the possession of the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) AND a member in good standing with the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Applicants for initial appointment into attorney positions within the Department of Army must be graduates of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of the applicant's graduation. As indicated below, a law school transcript must be submitted with your application materials. Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be a member in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. As noted below, proof of such membership and good standing must be submitted with your application materials. Experience: In addition to the requirements above, applicants for the GS-14 or equivalent Attorney positions must also possess 3 years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. Graduation from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class or an advanced law degree such as an LLM may substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience. Time in Grade: The Qualifying Authorities (QA's) will make a determination as to the applicability of time in grade based on the requirements of the position. If you are currently employed as an attorney by the Federal government you must have completed one year at the next lower grade level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade level as the position being filled. NOTICE OF VETERAN'S PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference", and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. The SF 15 will identify the supporting documentation required along with the list of the types of 10-point preference. The SF 15 is available from the OPM at https://www.gsa.gov/portal/forms/type/sf/.

Education

Only degrees from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education are acceptable to meet positive education requirements or to substitute education for experience. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education websites at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications and http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

Contacts

• Address HT-W0KE9V US ARMY LEGAL SERVICES AGENCY DO NOT MAIL Fort Cavazos, TX 76544 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk