Duties

• You will perform independent legal research on questions assigned by attorneys.
• You will be given instruction by attorneys to locate and present information on specific subjects. These assignments require accurate and thorough legal research and precise legal analysis of the problems as they relate to the existing law.
• You will research the law, and prepare a polished written product which thoroughly discusses the facts, issues, law, and probable outcomes of various recommended courses of action.
• You will exercise limited discretion and judgement in determining, locating, and interpreting the applicable statutes, decisions, opinions, directives, regulations or other sources of authority that should be pursued in obtaining desired information.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a US Citizen.
• Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
• Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
• New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
• Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final secret security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
• This position may require travel from normal duty station to CONUS and OCONUS and may include remote or isolated sites. You must be able to travel on military and commercial aircraft for extended periods of time.
• You will be required to complete ethics orientation within three months of appointment and submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, within 30 days of appointment.
• You will be required to complete training, obtain, and maintain a government credit card for travel and travel-related purchases.

Qualifications

Applicants will be evaluated on: (1) the depth, breadth, and quality of their relevant experience to the position being filled; 2) their ability to work both independently and as part of a team; 3) their ability to work well with clients and colleagues and develop strong attorney-client relations; and 4) their research, analytical, writing skills, and oral communication skills. Experience in handling issues related to major weapons systems acquisition will be considered a plus for the NAVAIR HQ acquisition practice area positions. Litigation practice before the EEOC or MSPB, or other similar administrative body, would be a plus for CPL positions. Applicants with a record of making significant contributions to the advancement of the DON OGC or equivalent Office of the General Counsel or Law Firm/Office beyond the day to day legal practice are desired.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

To be eligible for the GS-9 (or equivalent) Law Clerk position, applicants must have graduated from a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association and must have applied for admission to the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Successful applicants must be a recent law school graduate with superior law student work or activities as demonstrated by graduating in the top third of their law school class; work or achievement of significance on an official law review or journal; or a special high-level honor, e.g., winning a moot court competition, membership on the law school's official moot court team, or membership in the Order of the Coif.

Additional information

Several vacancies may be filled.

There are multiple anticipated vacancies within the Office of General Counsel Group, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) at its offices located in Patuxent River, MD. The anticipated vacancies are expected to occur within the NAVAIR Headquarters Office of General Counsel Group, the Commander, Fleet Readiness Center (COMFRC) Office of General Counsel Group, and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Office of General Counsel Group.

Some anticipated vacancies fall within legal departments practicing primarily in the acquisition or civilian personnel law area, whereas others fall within departments that provide general legal services across a variety of OGC practice areas, such as, civilian personnel law and labor law, acquisition law, fiscal law, Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Law, ethics and standards of conduct, environmental compliance, and the review of non-FAR based agreements.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf .

Veteran's preference does not apply when selecting individuals under this specific hiring authority. However, if you claim veteran's preference, you will be required to submit supporting documentation with your application as described in the Required Documents section below.

Law Clerk appointments are made pursuant to 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(e) and are for periods not to exceed 14 months pending admission to the bar. Upon admission and certification as an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, and being admitted to practice before a state or federal court, the position may convert to a GS-11 (or equivalent).