Duties

Summary

Begin a challenging career with the Department of Labor! The Office of the Solicitor is looking for a talented and motivated attorney to join the FOIA and Information Law Counsel Area in the Division of Management and Administrative Legal Services. The person selected will litigate FOIA, Privacy Act, and 3rd party subpoena matters, and provide legal advice to senior officials and leadership within DOL in these areas as well as on a broad range of Federal government information law issues.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The selected attorney will be assigned to the Management and Administrative Legal Services Division. The attorney will work with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to defend DOL in cases involving the FOIA and Privacy Act. The attorney serves as agency counsel in litigation arising under the FOIA and the Privacy Act, assisting DOJ attorneys in litigation and preparing pleadings, motions, memoranda of law, and briefs. In litigating responses to requests under FOIA and the Privacy Act, the trial attorney also coordinates and reviews responses from DOL component agencies and provides legal advice on related issues.

The attorney will also prepare responses to requests or demands for records or testimony of DOL officials in cases where DOL is not a party and, when necessary, work with DOJ to defend these responses. These matters involve working with DOJ to file motions to quash and motions for protective orders. The attorney also advises SOL National and Regional Office attorneys regarding responses to subpoenas and other demands for records and the testimony of DOL officials in cases in which the Federal Government is not a party, and to defend DOL in any resulting litigation.

The attorney will also provide oral and written legal advice to senior officials and leadership within DOL on issues related to the FOIA and Privacy Act and on a broad range of Federal government information law issues, including the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act.

In addition to someone with experience in the areas discussed above, we are looking for an attorney who is interested in, and has experience with, e-discovery issues and familiarity with e-discovery software solutions such as Relativity or Concordance. The attorney may be called on to provide advice on matters dealing with IT modernization and other emergent IT legal issues.

This position is located in the Division of Management and Administrative Legal Services Division (MALS) in the Office of the Solicitor. The Division is responsible for providing legal advice and guidance to the Department as a whole under various governmental administrative mandates and statuses, including the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Privacy Act of 1974 (PA), Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), and e-governmental laws, as well as appropriations law, procurement law, and internal labor and employment relations law.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - There may be some travel involved; however travel for this position is in rare circumstances.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14 - There is no obligation to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Promotions are dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the need for an employee promoted to the higher level, and supervisory approval.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required .
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.

• Relocation expenses will not be paid

Qualifications

To qualify for an attorney position, applicants must possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.); be an active member in good standing of the bar of a court of general jurisdiction of a state, territory or possession of the U.S.; and have acquired the amount of skills and experience indicated below for each grade level.

GS-12, one (1) year post J.D of progressively responsible legal experience of a professional nature which demonstrates the ability to perform the work at this level.

GS-13, two (2) years post J.D of progressively responsible legal experience of a professional nature which demonstrates the ability to perform the work at this level. At least one year of qualifying experience, at this level, must be specialized experience as defined below.

GS-14, three (3) years post J.D of progressively responsible legal experience of a professional nature which demonstrates the ability to perform the work at this level. At least two years of qualifying experience, at this level, must be specialized experience as defined below.

Note: An LL.M may be substituted for a maximum of one year experience.

Specialized experience is defined as experience conducting litigation (judicial or administrative), which can include preparing briefs and/or related filings and developing case strategy.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements for this position will be further evaluated against the following evaluation factors. Current and/or past supervisors may be contacted unless specified otherwise. A panel and/or the selecting official or his/her designee may interview applicants.

Evaluation Factors:

Demonstrated ability to plan and conduct litigation, such as developing case strategy, preparing persuasive documents, working with clients and other counsels, conducting hearings and discovery, and negotiating settlements. Experience litigating federal information law matters is a significant plus.

Ability to make effective oral presentations in a clear and concise manner.

Ability to advise clients and establish and maintain effective working relationships with high level departmental officials, regional program officials, supervisors, agency staff and the general public.

Ability to multi-task in a complex and fast-paced inter-disciplinary legal environment, entailing timely collection of facts, identification and resolution of issues, enumeration of options, and formulation of recommendations.

Prior substantive legal experience relevant to the position, such as planning and organizing civil litigation, handling e-discovery, policy work, and/or conducting training. Direct experience related to FOIA, Privacy Act, or other federal information law matters and experience with e-discovery software solutions such as Relativity or Concordance are a strong plus.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to supply sufficient information to provide a basis for rating each of the evaluation factors listed above.

Individuals who meet eligibility requirements for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility/Core Questions #24 and 27 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP/CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references and through other means (ex. interview).

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Follow the instructions: click How To Submit Supplemental Documentation Document . Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission.
You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you.

- A Resume that includes the information described in the "How To Apply" section below.

- A Cover Letter addressing the evaluation factors set forth above. A cover letter is mandatory and will be used in verifying experience.

- Your most recent completed performance appraisal.

- Bar Certification: Should you be selected for this position, you will be required to submit documentation verifying that you are an active member of the Bar in Good Standing of any State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution. This letter and/or certificate should be dated within the last six months of the closing date of this job announcement.

- Writing Sample: Should you be selected for an interview you will asked to provide a brief writing sample.

- Transcripts: Should you be selected for this position, you will be required to submit documentation verifying that you have completed your first professional law degree. Applicants who claim substitution of education for experience with an LL.M must submit a copy of their transcripts for verification.

- Veterans Documents (if applicable):
Attorney appointments within the Department of Labor are positions in the excepted service, not the competitive service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference in attorney appointments; however, the Department of Labor considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. In order to receive positive consideration, you must indicate your eligibility, in response to the appropriate item on the vacancy questionnaire. Additionally, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD214 showing the type of discharge and dates of active duty and, if applicable, a VA letter certifying the present existence of the service-connected disability which indicates the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty ) Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's consideration. Additional information is available in the Vet's Guide .

You may also find more information on positive consideration for attorney hiring .

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents: These documents are only required if you are requesting priority consideration under ICTAP/CTAP Eligibility. Applicants with disabilities (SCHEDULE A) applying under the area of consideration must submit proof of certification by counselors, State vocational rehabilitation agencies or the Veterans Administration.

Applicants selected for employment that are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, or non-citizenship as allowable in Excepted Service hiring through P.L. 112-10, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

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.