Duties

The subject areas include, but are not limited to, subpoenas and lawsuits against judiciary personnel, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other disclosure requests for judiciary information, criminal law matters pertaining to pretrial and supervised release conditions and sentencing, and reviewing and advising on policies and proposed legislation in these areas.

The incumbent must have excellent legal research and analytical skills; the ability to write clearly and succinctly; the ability to plan, organize and work effectively under demanding circumstances and time constraints; the ability to identify and resolves problems effectively; and the ability to communicate effectively with judges and other judiciary personnel on complex issues.

Duties of the position include, but are not limited to:

Performing legal research and providing advice on matters handled by the Office of General Counsel.

Responding to written, telephonic and other inquiries from judges, court executives and other judiciary personnel, and Department of Justice (DOJ) and other attorneys outside the judicial branch.

Advising in areas involving litigation, criminal law and national security matters.

Coordinating with the DOJ in defending judiciary personnel sued on account of the performance of their official duties.

Reviewing and authoring pertinent sections of the Guide to Judiciary Policy and drafting legislation affecting the judiciary.

The Assistant General Counsel may also perform other duties for the Office of General Counsel, including providing advice on employment law and ethics issues related to the statutes and codes of conduct that apply to judges and judiciary staff.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

Applicants must possess a demonstrated ability to provide high-quality and well-written legal, factual, and policy analysis, as well as skill in communicating effectively and building relationships with multiple institutional and other entities.

Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

As discussed in more detail below, applicants must have:

• Law Degree;
• Current bar membership; and
• Three years or more of post J.D. experience working as an attorney.

Details on Qualification Requirements

Law Degree: Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/ .

Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a federal court of general jurisdiction.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

AO employees are required to attest to their vaccination status. New employees are required to complete a Certification of Vaccination Form. The information provided on the form will be treated as confidential information and will be managed by the AO Human Resources Office.

All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens / . For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification .

All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.

New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/ .

All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.

You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.

If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Qualifications

Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Bar Membership : Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction. Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Post J.D. Experience : Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least three years of experience working as an attorney. At least one year of this experience must be working as an attorney for an agency or other unit of the state or federal government, with service in a state or federal court or other entity in the federal judiciary preferred. Service as a judicial law clerk to an Article III Judge, or to another judicial officer of the federal judiciary, or in a court or other unit of the federal judiciary does satisfy this preference.

Specialized Experience : Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience ( preferably four or more ) which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience iswork as an attorney at a senior level, providing legal advice on complex and sensitive issues to high-level executives and officials in a government agency or other entity. It is preferred that this experience includes providing advice related to ethics and conduct.

Education

Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/ .

Additional information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.