Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Health And Human Services, Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel, headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

This announcement will be used to fill Attorney Advisor vacancies that specialize in Information Law.

This position is in the Excepted Service.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Attorney Advisor will perform the following duties:

• Advice on the use, disclosure and protection of federal information for the entire Department;
• Advises HHS agencies and offices regarding the Freedom of Information Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Privacy Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Federal Information Systems Management Act, the Federal Records Act, as well as other administrative law topics, including the Administrative Procedure Act, the Congressional Review Act, and policies and regulations relating to the use of HHS logos and seals, delegations, and statements of organization;
  Examine and prepare appropriate response to complaints and hearing requests;
• Prepares the answers, motions, affidavits, briefs, or other pleadings appropriate to the defense of the cases for filing in the courts or administrative tribunals in conformity with applicable rules and regulations;
• Advise agency officials on other general and administrative law topics.
• Attends pretrial and pre-hearing conferences and presents all required motions, statements, summaries, and witness lists;
• Negotiates directly with opposing counsel regarding offers of settlements; and
• Prepares in writing and orally presents legal and factual arguments and required motions.

For more information on the Attorney Advisor positions, please refer to the link below:

https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/ogc/careers/open-opportunities/index.html

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required
• Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov
• Suitable for federal employment
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation.
• Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• Financial disclosure statement may be required.
• One-year trial period may be required.
• This position does not confer non-competitive conversion to the competitive service.
• Acceptance of an excepted service appointment from applicants in the competitive service will require a written statement of understanding when voluntarily leaving the competitive service.

Qualifications

All applicants must possess the following minimum qualification:
Education: Must possess a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). (Must provide transcripts at time of application)
Bar Membership: Must possess a current active bar membership in good standing. Admission to the bar of any State, territory, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, or Federal Court is acceptable. (Must provide a copy of active bar membership at time of application)

Additional experience may be required depending on grade level:
At the GS-11: No professional legal experience post bar admission required. You must meet the minimum qualifications as stated above.
At the GS-12: You must possess 1 year of experience post bar admission in information law and related litigation, client counseling skills; legal writing and research ability with a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility and public service. One year of experience must be equivalent to the GS-11 level.
At the GS-13: You must possess 2 years of experience post bar admission in information law and related litigation, outstanding client counseling skills; superior legal writing and research ability with a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility and public service. One year of experience must be equivalent to the GS-12 level.
At the GS-14: You must possess 3 years of experience post bar admission in information law and related litigation, outstanding client counseling skills; superior legal writing and research ability with a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility and public service. One year of experience must be equivalent to the GS-13 level.

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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited.

Education

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov.

Additional information

Selections may be made for vacancies across the entire Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). By applying, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more HHS hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

Travel and transportation expenses may be paid: No

Bargaining Unit Position: No

Drug Screening Required: Maybe

Recruitment incentives may be authorized: Maybe

Student loan repayment incentive may be authorized: Maybe

Annual leave for non-federal service may be authorized: Maybe

For information on "People with Disabilities" please visit http://opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position. Information about CTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap .

CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
1. A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement.
2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap . To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents:
1. A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement.
2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

For Most Effective Resumes Tips visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Most_Effective_Resumes .

If you are unable to apply online, please go to https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information for more information on our alternate application method.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Traditional rating and ranking of applications does not apply to this vacancy. Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications as listed above.

To preview the assessment questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10629112

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

Submission of a resume alone IS NOT a complete application. You must provide a complete online Application Package which includes:

• Cover Letter including a statement of interest
• Resume Resume (must include education, including name of undergraduate and law school, degree received and date graduated; date admitted to bar and jurisdiction; a general description of all past employment relevant to the practice of law, including dates of employment and supervisor(s) name(s) and telephone number(s). You may add a notation asking to be notified prior to OGC contacting the listed supervisor.
• One legal writing sample (no more than 10 pages).
• Law school transcripts, if graduated from law school within the past five years.
• Proof of active bar status in good standing and eligibility to practice law in state, U.S territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (not required if applying as a Law Clerk).
• Names and contact information for at least three professional references.

Other Supporting Documents: (Only Submit if applicable to you.)

• lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) documentation, if applicable. (See Other Information Section)
• Veteran's Preference - If you are claiming veteran's preference you must submit a copy of your DD 214.

You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

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.