Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Benefits Review Board. The Board, consisting of Members appointed by the Secretary of Labor, has nationwide jurisdiction to consider and decide appeals raising substantial questions of law or fact taken by any party-in-interest from decisions with respect to claims under the Black Lung Benefits Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) and its extensions. The incumbent will be responsible for applying statutory and regulatory provisions.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a law clerk for the Benefits Review Board, you will work under the general supervision of a Supervisory Attorney and perform a variety of legal duties relative to cases or legal issues which are often factually complex. Casework will or may include the following:

• Reviewing legal pleadings, medical evidence, hearing transcripts, and other materials in conjunction with the facts and law of each case;
• Preparing high-quality draft decisions and orders following an examination of case records in BLBA or LHWCA-related claims;
• Proof-reading all written materials for accuracy of factual findings, legal citations, and conclusions of law;
• Conducting legal research on questions arising from statutes, regulations, decisions, legislative history, policy guides, and other legal authorities;
• Providing assistance to the Board by preparing updates regarding recent decisions, statutes, regulations, and reference material; and
• Making an oral presentation to the Board's panel on factual or legal issues.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11 - This position is at the Full-Performance Level (FPL).

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
• The applicant must include a writing sample.
• The applicant must include a copy of his her transcripts.

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Minimum Qualification Requirement: Completion of first professional law degree (LL.B or JD) and pending bar application/admission.

This program is available to recent law school students who: (1) have graduated between May 2020 and June 2021; or (2) are current judicial law clerks.

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

• Graduated with academic honors
• High academic achievement (graduated in the top 25% of class)
• Law journal or other significant writing experience
• Moot court competition, legal aid, or legal clinic experience
• Judicial law clerk experience
• Significant summer law office clerk experience

Note: An LL.M may be substituted for a maximum of one year experience.

Education

Completion of first professional law degree (LL.B or JD)

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum course work requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION , ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION , FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Position Telework eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs. Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor's Telework Program.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Applicants meeting the minimum qualification requirements for this position will be further evaluated against the following evaluation factors. Current and/or past supervisors may be contacted unless specified otherwise. A panel and/or the selecting official or his/her designee may interview applicants.

Evaluation Factors:

1. Graduated with academic honors or high academic achievement (e.g. GPA of 3.5 or higher; graduated in top 25% of class), law journal or other significant writing experience, judicial law clerk experience, or significant summer law office clerk experience.

2. Demonstrated skill in researching and preparing well-written, organized, and persuasive legal documents.

3. Possess the ability to write succinct decisions based upon an accurate summary of the relevant facts of a case.

4. Possess the ability to manage a case load within an established quota and within defined time limitations.

5. Ability to make effective oral presentations in a clear and concise manner.

6. Ability to establish and maintain effective liaison with high level departmental officials, regional program officials, supervisors, agency staff, and the general public.

7. Ability to multi-task in a complex and fast-paced inter-disciplinary legal environment, entailing timely collections of facts, identification and resolution of issues, enumeration of options, and formulation of recommendations.

It is the applicant's responsibility to supply sufficient information to provide a basis for rating each of the evaluation factors listed above.

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation. Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing

Required Documents

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Warning: If you submit a document using the same document title, the 2nd submission will OVERWRITE the 1st submission. You are not required to submit a document if it does not apply to you.

- Resume: Applicants are required to provide a resume by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of your choosing. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list month, year, and the number of work hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to the vacancy questionnaire.

- Transcripts: This position has a positive education requirement. You must submit a copy of your law school transcripts. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package; however, official transcripts will be required prior to entering on duty.

-Writing Sample: Applicants must submit a writing sample. Examples of writing skills may be demonstrated by legal briefs, memoranda, or letters. These examples should total no more than 10 pages in length. Extracts of selected sections of larger documents are acceptable. Writing sample must be all your own work.

- Veterans Documents (if applicable): Attorney appointments within the Department of Labor are positions in the excepted service, not the competitive service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference in attorney appointments; however, the Department of Labor considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. In order to receive positive consideration, you must indicate your eligibility, in response to the appropriate item on the vacancy questionnaire. Additionally, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD214 showing the type of discharge and dates of active duty and, if applicable, a VA letter certifying the present existence of the service-connected disability which indicates the percentage of your disability. (For active duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty ) Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's consideration. Additional information is available in the Vet's Guide .

You may also find more information on positive consideration for attorney hiring .

- Displaced Employee Placement Documents: These documents are only required if you are requesting priority consideration under ICTAP/CTAP Eligibility. Applicants with disabilities (SCHEDULE A) applying under the area of consideration must submit proof of certification by counselors, State vocational rehabilitation agencies or the Veterans Administration.

- Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience, but may be submitted.

Applicants selected for employment that are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, or non-citizenship as allowable in Excepted Service hiring through P.L. 112-10, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.

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.