Duties

Summary

This position in located in the Office of Finance and Administrative Law Division in the Office of General Counsel within The Department of Housing and Urban Development. There is one vacancy open in the following location: Washington, DC

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-14. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

As an Attorney Advisor you will:

• Perform legal work related, but not limited to, the provision of legal services to the (1) Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) related to its GNMA I and II Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) and Multiclass Programs (2) Departmental officials in connection with financing the Department's Programs in capital markets through the use of GNMA securities, and (3) the Department of Justice (DOJ) or other federal agencies on matters affecting GNMA.
• Provide legal guidance and assistance to GNMA on matters including, but not limited to, issuer defaults, insurance claims, bankruptcy, real estate law, litigation, audits, disclosure requirements, and corporate finance.
• Respond to legal questions concerning the interpretation and application of the GNMA Multiclass Guide, Federal and State statutes, and rules involving financial institutions in the secondary mortgage market.
• Provide legal advice and counsel to senior officials of the Department on extremely complex and difficult legal questions (including the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel and the Assistant Secretaries) and attends high-level meetings as required.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
14

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals

This position is located in the Office of General Counsel (OGC). OGC is the chief legal officer of the Department, the principal legal adviser to the Secretary and staff of HUD, and the head of the Departmental Enforcement Center. OGC provides legal opinions, advice, and services with respect to all Departmental programs and activities, and assists in the development of HUD programs and policies. OGC also provides functional legal counsel on defensive and affirmative litigation and the development of legislation and regulations.

The official duty station for this position will be in Washington, DC. Failure to report to duty at this location may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements: Applicants must (1) be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.; (2) be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and (3) meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.

AND

Specialized experience for the GS-12/13/14 is defined as:
- Legal knowledge of one or more related disciplines: issuer defaults, insurance claims, bankruptcy, real estate law, litigation, audits, disclosure requirements, and corporate finance. AND
- Maintaining collaborative and productive working relationships with clients, other agencies and stakeholders, and the public.

For the GS-14, you must:

Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus four (4) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

For the GS-13, you must:

Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

For the GS-12, you must:

Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus one (1) year of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.

OR

Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus one (1) year of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.

The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/date/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Education

Attorney positions do have an education requirement.

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. In addition you must provide proof of bar or your bar number in the vacancy questions .

Additional information

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
- Relocation expenses will not be paid.
- Recruitment incentive may be offered.
- This is a bargaining unit position.
- This position is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A 2-year trial period is required. (unless already completed)
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
- Occasional travel may be required.

HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on outside employment. To review applicable ethics rules, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

1. Minimum Requirements: Your application must show that you meet all requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. You will be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible.
2. Referral: Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used. We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements. Although competitive examining rules for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply, veteran's preference will be considered as a positive factor. Candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration and possible interview.
To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a résumé either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your résumé. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your résumé to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view résumé tips .

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans preference, please see applicant guide for required documentation In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide .

ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: Attorney positions do have an education requirement. Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. In addition you must provide proof of bar or your bar number in the vacancy questions .

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page .

If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions .

Recommended Documents:
In addition, we recommend that you submit copies of the following:

- A legal writing sample of between 5 - 10 pages containing legal analysis.
- A copy of all pages of your most recent completed annual performance appraisal, dated within the last 12 months, that includes the final rating.

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.