Duties

Summary

About the Position:

Serve as a Legal Advisor for the Army Review Boards Agency. Legal interpretations and opinions require the highest degree of originality and creative legal thinking to obtain the necessary balance between conflicting interests accounting for factual issues, legal precedents, policy considerations, and equitable concepts. Implements regulations and policy involving military personnel, veterans, their dependents, and related issues.
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Responsibilities

• As an Attorney-Advisor, you will provide professional specialized legal support and advice to the Army Review Boards Agency (ARBA) on the requirements of law, implementing regulations and policy.
• Represent ARBA on extremely complex and difficult legal issues involving correction of military records, discharge upgrades, grade determinations, officer involuntary eliminations and resignations.
• Serve as member of Army Clemency and Parole Board, with responsibility for the processing of grade determinations, officer resignations for the good of the service in lieu of general court-martial or in lieu of elimination.
• In conjunction with the Senior Legal Advisor, review, analyze and ensure the DASA (RB) and Agency staff are aware of existing and potential legal issues and newly enacted legislation and regulations, which impact the operation of Agency programs.
• Analyze facts, ascertain law bearing on legal issues, and prepare opinions outlining facts and legal issues, explaining legal principles and precepts, and recommend available actions that may be taken.
• Provide guidance and direction on complex legal problems, note any unusual circumstances surrounding a case or problem.

Travel Required

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

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document .

The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration.

Education: An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).

Bar membership: Applicant must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state dated within three months of the date the application is submitted, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Fitness to practice law: A sworn (notarized) statement from you that your fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction to the best of your knowledge, or if either has been challenged, a sworn (notarized) statement concerning the facts and circumstances, together with any explanation that you deem appropriate may be submitted. As an alternative to a sworn (notarized) statement, a statement which includes a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct...executed on(date) ... (your signature)." (28 U.S.C. 1746). The statement must be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The statement is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates).

Experience: Applicant must have five or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

This position is in the excepted service. Any selected applicant who is in the competitive service will be taken out of the competitive service when he or she occupies this position and will compete only with other excepted status employees in the event of a reduction-in-force. He or she, however, remain eligible for reinstatement in the competitive service.

VETERANS PREFERENCE INFORMATION: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Army considers veteran's preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran's preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. The SF 15 will identify the supporting documentation required along with a list of the types of 10-point preference. The SF 15 is available from the OPM at https://www .gsa. gov/portal / forms/type/sf /."

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government must have completed 52 weeks at the next lower grade level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled. Time-in-grade may be waived for current federal employees at management's discretion.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• This is a Career Program (CP) 56 - Legal position.
• You may claim military spouse preference.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.
• If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• Eligible for situational telework only , including emergency and OPM prescribed "unscheduled telework".

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process

Required Documents

1. Official Law school transcripts. Photo copies are acceptable when applying but certified documents must be furnished before entering on duty.

2. Bar Membership certificate. The official certificate must show that you are an active member in good standing of the bar, dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The certificate is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates)

3. Fitness to practice law: A sworn (notarized) statement from you that your fitness to practice law or conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction to the best of your knowledge, or if either has been challenged, a sworn (notarized) statement concerning the facts and circumstances, together with any explanation that you deem appropriate may be submitted. As an alternative to a sworn (notarized) statement, a statement which includes a declaration under penalty of perjury may be submitted in the following format: "I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct...executed on (date)... (your signature)." (28 U.S.C. 1746). The statement must be dated within three months of the date the application is submitted. The statement is required to be submitted by all applicants to include attorneys currently appointed to positions under the qualifying authority of The Judge Advocate General (including active duty Army Judge Advocates).

4. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• Veterans documents, if applicable
• Permanent change of station (PCS) orders and marriage license, if claiming military spouse preference.

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.