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Attorney-Advisor

Employer
USAJobs
Location
District of Columbia, D.C
Closing date
Aug 22, 2019
Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security, United States Coast Guard (USCG), Commandant, Vice Commandant, Judge Advocate General & Chief Counsel (CG-094), Office of Regulation & Administrative Law (CG-LRA) in Washington, DC.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As an Attorney Advisor, you will provide legal counsel, advice, and drafting assistance in preparing regulatory documents covering the full range of the CG's program and responsibilities. These programs include commercial vessel safety, recreational vessel safety, environmental protection, merchant personnel licensing, ports and waterways safety and security, bridge administration, aids to navigation, and Outer Continental Shelf activities. You will advise on the application of the Administrative Procedure Act, Federal Advisory Committee Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, Congressional Review Act, and Regulatory Flexibility Act as well as related laws and executive orders.

Being a civilian working for the CG makes you a valuable member of the CG team. Typical duties include:
  • Providing legal advice, guidance and drafting assistance, and furnishing opinions with respect to the substantive and procedural requirements of the CG's public rulemaking conducted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.
  • Evaluating the facts, ascertaining the applicable law, and preparing a finished professional work product suitable for publication in the Federal Register.
  • Providing legal advice and document review related to the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
  • Reviewing memoranda, policy guidance, directives and other documents originating in other CG offices for legal sufficiency and resolving relevant legal questions.
  • Ensuring compliance with CG rulemaking policies, practices, and procedures and recommending changes to improve the rulemaking process or to conform to developments in administrative law.
  • Reviewing proposed legislation and regulatory documents prepared by the DHS and other agencies for legal sufficiency and impact on CG programs and preparing comments or position papers reflecting the CG's views on these documents.


Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • This position requires a Background Investigation(BI).


All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

All Candidates must possess a J.D. or LL.B degree from an accredited law school; AND, must be a member in good standing of the appropriate licensing authority of any state, territory of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or District of Columbia bar. Specifically,

To qualify for the GS-12, candidates must:
  • possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an accredited law school;
  • be a member in good standing of the bar of any state or the District of Columbia; AND
  • must have relevant coursework or demonstrated legal experience in the application of the Administrative Procedure Act, Regulatory Flexibility Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, and/or Federal Advisory Committee Act.

To qualify for the GS-13, candidates must:
  • possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an accredited law school;
  • be a member in good standing of the bar of any state or the District of Columbia; AND
  • must have successfully completed at least one full year of professional legal experience as a practicing attorney equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service, as reflected in the nature and complexity of casework and legal issues for which responsible, the level of responsibility exercised, and the degree to which such specialized experience equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this position.

Specialized experience is experience that includes: drafting Federal rulemaking documents that meet the requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, conducting research, providing legal advice, and preparing written opinions involving a variety of complicated legal matters in such areas as Federal rulemaking, administrative law, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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.

The Office of Personnel management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule, C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

This position does have a positive education requirement.

All Candidates must possess a J.D. or LL.B degree from an accredited law school; AND, must be a member in good standing of the appropriate licensing authority of any state, territory of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or District of Columbia.

If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here

Additional information

Applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. Certain responses on the form could pose a problem with suitability for employment determinations. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete/make updates to the OF-306 and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, or imprisonment.

DHS uses e-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about e-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities at click here

If selection is made below the full performance level, the incumbent may be promoted up to the target grade without further competition, if all legal and regulatory requirements are met and when recommended by the supervisor. However, promotion to the full performance level is not guaranteed and is dependent on successful performance at the lower grade level(s).

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit.

More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 60 days from the date the certificate was issued.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 202-795-6328. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your résumé and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be referred for consideration.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

In order to receive full consideration, you must submit:

1. A resume or any other written format of your choice which clearly identifies the following information:

* Job Information - Announcement number, title and grade.

* Personal Information - Full name, mailing address (with zip code), email address if available, day and evening phone numbers (with area code), country of citizenship, veterans' preference, highest Federal civilian series and grade held, if applicable.

* Education - College or University name, city and state, major(s) and type and year of any degrees received.

* Work Experience - job title, duties and accomplishments, current and former (within the last 10 years) employers' names and addresses, current and former supervisors' names and phone numbers where available, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours per week, salary, and indicate whether your current supervisor may be contacted.

* Qualifications - job-related training courses (title and year), skills, certificates and licenses, honors, awards, and special accomplishments.

2. A copy of your J.D. or LL.B. transcript.

3. A legal writing sample, not to exceed 5 pages.

4. You will be required to submit proof of current membership in good standing of the appropriate licensing authority of any state, territory of the United States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or District of Columbia bar.

5. If a Federal employee, your most recent performance appraisal.

You may find general application information and other forms at the website of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, www.usajobs.opm.gov .

None of the application documents will be returned.

In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard offers Career Transition Assistance Placement (CTAP) coverage to Attorneys within the Department of Homeland Security. Individuals who have special priority selection rights under CTAP provisions must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. If you are eligible under CTAP, you must submit a copy of your certificate of surplus status, certificate of expected separation, or your specific Reduction-in-Force notice establishing your eligibility under CTAP, a copy of your most recent SF-50 noting current position, series, grade level and duty location. You must clearly indicate the grade from which you separated or declared surplus

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.

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