Duties

Summary

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

Individuals selected will participate in the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor's Attorney Honors Program.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

These positions are with the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor located in Washington, D.C.

During the initial one-year rotation, Honors Attorneys will work in practice areas that include the full range of Land Management, Water, Natural Resources, Indian, Environmental, Oil and Gas, and Mining laws relating to the Nation's public lands, national parks and wildlife refuges, administrative and government business matters, ethics, and law relating to the United States' unique relationship with American Indians and Indian Tribes.

Honors Attorneys also will participate in cross-organizational meetings, and other efforts and training opportunities designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the practice of law at a Cabinet level agency. After the Honors Program year the successful candidate will be permanently assigned to a Division or, if desired, a Regional office to provide advice and counsel to client agencies and the Department.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Satisfactory completion of a background investigation is required.
• Selectee is subject to serving a trial 2 year 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.

--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.

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements: This program is available to recent law students who: Have graduated or will graduate between May 2017 and May 2020.

Applicants should possess significant academic achievement (i.e., a GPA of 3.5 or higher) and legal or programmatic work experience as described in at least one of the areas below:

• --Graduated with academic honors.
• --High Academic Achievement (graduated top 33% of class)
• --Law journal or other relevant writing experience
• --Moot court competition, legal aid, or legal clinic experience
• --Judicial Law Clerk experience
• --Significant summer law office clerk experience.
• --Natural Resources, Indian or Environmental law interest as demonstrated by course work, published legal writing, professional experiences, etc.

Honors Program selectees are required to pass a Bar examination and be duly licensed to practice as an attorney in any state, territory, or the District of Columbia within 14 months of original appointment under this Program.

Individuals selected for this Honors Program are expected to begin working September 2020 in Washington D.C., and must sign an employment agreement committing to remain with the Office of the Solicitor for a minimum of three years from the date of his/her original appointment.

• --Law School graduates not yet admitted to the Bar as of September 26, 2020, will be placed in Law Clerk positions at the GS-11 level pending admission to the Bar, at which time they will be eligible for conversion to an Attorney position.
• --Law School graduates who have been admitted to the Bar will be placed in Attorney positions at the GS-11 level.
• --Law School graduates who have been admitted to the Bar and have completed 1 year of legal experience (may include a Judicial Clerkship) will be placed in Attorney positions at the GS-12 level.

While tentative offers to the DOI Solicitor's Honors Program will be made well in advance of the September 2020 start date, final confirmation of appointment is contingent upon the availability of funds at that time.

Qualification Requirements

Law Clerk, GS-11:

• --graduated from law school with a LL.B. or J.D. between May 2017 and May 2020; OR
• --will graduate from law school with a LL.B or J.D by May 2020.

Attorney, GS-11:

• --graduated from law school with a LL.B. or J.D. and have been admitted to the Bar.

Attorney, GS-12:

• --graduated from law school with an LL.B. or J.D., been admitted to the Bar, and completed 1 year of legal experience (may include a Judicial Clerkship).

Education

--You are required to provide a law school transcripts (unofficial) which includes semester hours earned and grades 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.

--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. A panel of attorneys will review the applications and identify applicants for interviews.

Basis of Rating for Attorney Positions: If you qualify for an Attorney position, you will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements of the position will be referred for consideration.

Basis of Rating for Law Clerk Positions: If you have not passed the bar, therefore qualifying as a Law Clerk, you will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education, and training relevant to the duties of the position. If you meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements, your on-line responses to the application questions will determine your placement in the appropriate quality group (i.e., Best Qualified or Qualified). These responses must be substantiated by the resume. Veterans' preference rules apply.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

A consolidated PDF file of all documents submitted for consideration is preferred. Applicants must submit the following:

1. Cover Letter and Resumé that includes the following information:

• --Please address the cover letter to whom it may concern;
• --A permanent e-mail address that will not change during the course of the application and hiring process;
• --Two (2) professional and/or academic references (include name, title, organization/school, telephone number, and email address);
• --Undergraduate degree information(e.g. type of degree, major, year received, name of school, city and state where school is located);
• --Information about your law degree(s) (e.g. type of degree, specialty, year received or to be received, name of school, city and state where school is located);
• --Proof of active Bar membership, if any;
• --Information about any graduate degree(s) (e.g. type of degree, major, year received or will receive, name of school, city and state where school is located);
• --Information about any judicial law clerkship(s) (e.g., full name of court(s) served, dates of clerkship(s), name of judge(s), telephone number in chambers);
• --Information about other legal and/or non-legal experience including names of supervisor(s), organization name(s), telephone number(s) of supervisor(s), dates of employment, and brief description of responsibilities;
• --(For Current Students) Names of all law school courses you are currently taking and your expected graduation date;
• --Information about any unique qualifications, training, special skills or competencies relevant to your application for employment.

2. Law School Transcript that includes your GPA (if applicable).

3. Writing Sample - no longer than 5 pages in length. The sample can be academic or professional and may be an excerpt from a longer document. The writing sample should be drafted entirely by you and should contain properly formatted citations to legal authorities.

Veterans Preference: If you are claiming veterans' preference you must provide a legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions (i.e., Honorable or General Discharge). Note: If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty, submit a copy for each period of service.

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 documents specified above, you must also submit documentation that supports your claim, e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (dated 1991 or later) or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability, or the award of the Purple Heart, etc. The overall rating must be identified on your certification letter or separation orders.

Documentation must be received by the closing date shown in this vacancy announcement. 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.