Duties

Summary

What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?

This position can be located either in Washington, DC or Bloomington, MN. This is NOT a permanent telework position. The selectee would be expected to report to an office location within one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Pay will be set accordingly based on the grade and duty station the selectee would be reporting to.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Attorney-Adviser with the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Division of General Law, Torts Practice Branch, your specific duties will include:

The Torts Practice Branch serves as the principal point of contact for Dept of Justice (DOJ) components, such as the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, and DOI bureaus on a number of legal issues arising under the FTCA. The branch works closely with and assists Justice Department attorneys to represent the DOI in federal civil litigation, including but not limited to litigation holds, electronic discovery, document production, and oral and written discovery. In addition, they assist in litigation development and settlement strategy and evaluation.

Providing legal advice and counsel in handling administrative claims and associated federal civil litigation filed pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2671-2680.

Drafts settlement memorandums and settlement concurrences and approvals for DOI bureaus and offices and DOJ, respectively.

Makes appeal recommendations on all adverse judgments entered in FTCA cases and also provides comments on FTCA-related Congressional legislation that may have an impact on taxpayer liability.

Comprehensively researches novel areas of law and provides legal memoranda as requested by client bureaus and the Department of Justice. Providing well organized and well researched written products under tight deadlines.

Works closely with clients from the U.S. Geological Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Bureaus of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

Serves as a legal adviser handling employee claims for loss or damage to personal property while in the scope of the employee's employment pursuant to DI-570.

Advises senior Departmental and Bureau officials on tort matters and litigation, and advising on liability risks and policies.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional Travel

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Must be an active member of the bar.
• Selectee may be subject to serving a 2-year trial period.
• More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements and/or a procurement integrity certification of compliance upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
• Because this position might require travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.

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:
(a) academic standing in top one-third of law school graduating class;
(b) graduation with academic honors;
(c) significant participation on the law school's law review;
(d) significant participation in the law school's moot court competition;
(e) significant participation in a clinical legal aid program;
(f) significant summer law office clerk experience; or
(g) other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.

GS-12/13/14:
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-12 = 1 year
--GS-13 = 2 years
--GS-14 = 3 ½ years

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

• 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.
• Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. 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.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/quals/foreign.html .

Additional information

• Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
• The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
• DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify .
• THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

--The information and materials you provide will be used to evaluate that you meet the basic qualification and eligibility requirements for this position.

--Basis of Rating: Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements of the position will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.
To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

--Cover Letter - A 1-2 page cover letter is desired expressing your interest and qualifications for this position.

--Transcripts - --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 all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement. This proof may be faxed, document uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Required Documents" and/or "Contact Information"). Please ensure that all documentation is legible. If you are currently employed by the Federal government in the same occupational series as the advertised position, you are not required to submit transcripts at this time.

--You must provide information in your resume regarding the state in which your active Bar membership is held.

--If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, by the closing date of this announcement. If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans preference and that your character of military service is honorable. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the DD-214, you must submit documentation that supports your claim (e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability; or receipt of a Purple Heart). If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans preference. Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide .

--Required documents may be:
1) faxed to the Agency Contact (see "Contact Information")
2) uploaded directly from your desktop
3) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments 4)hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see 'Contact Information').

-- Auto-Requested Fax : allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.