Duties

Summary

This job opportunity is opened until filled. Applications will be reviewed every two weeks beginning February 15, 2019.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Office of the General Counsel provides legal advice and services to the Director and Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) staff, the Judicial Conference of the United States and its committees, judges and other senior court officials. The Office is responsible for rendering legal opinions and advice on a wide range of issues in the field of Federal judicial administration, such as personnel, ethics, fiscal law, procurement, and sentencing and correctional supervision.

The incumbent of this position will be an attorney specializing in providing legal advice with respect to federal government fiscal operations as they relate to the judiciary. The subject areas to be assigned may vary over time but are anticipated to include providing analysis and legal advice on laws and regulations governing the judiciary's operations related to payments, collections, reimbursements and investments.

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 resolve problems effectively; and the ability to communicate effectively with AO management, judges and other senior court personnel, and employees of the Executive and Legislative Branches. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to:

Researching and providing analysis and legal advice on fiscal matters such as payments to parties involved in federal litigation, investment of the judiciary's various trust funds, payments relating to travel, relocation and other judiciary activities, and fiscal law compliance issues.

Responding to written, telephonic and other inquiries from judges, court executives, AO financial office personnel and other judiciary officials on fiscal law issues, including proper expenditure of funds for judiciary programs.

Reviewing and authoring pertinent sections in the Guide to Judiciary Policy and the AO Manual.

Analyzing and advising on proposed legislation, judiciary regulations, policies, and similar material related to fiscal law.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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 Administrative Office of the US Courts. In instances where non-citizens are considered for hire into temporary or any other position with non competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO's Human Resources Office that 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 United States and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at http://ww.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/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 a FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check. Subject to a background/security investigation.
• 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. This does not apply to current federal Judiciary employees.
• Relocation expenses may be provided, but only if authorized by the Director of the AO.
• More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
• All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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 : Applicants must also possess at least three years of post J.D. experience working as an attorney.

Specialized Experience : Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience ( preferably five years or more ) which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position.Specialized experience for this position is defined as working experience as a practicing attorney 1) providing legal advice in the areas of federal fiscal operations and related compliance issues and 2) applying knowledge of federal fiscal laws and regulations.

Desired but not required :
1. Familiarity with judiciary operations

2. Tax law related work experience

3. Knowledge of government accounting and audit standards

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.

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 resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.

You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:

• Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
• Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
• Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

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.