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The Congressional Research Service (CRS), American Law Division (ALD), seeks a Legislative Attorney to analyze legal questions that emerge from the work of Congress related to environmental law in particular and American public law generally.
Learn more about this agency08/10/2018 to 09/21/2018
$96,970 - $126,062 per year
GS 13
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Not required
No
Permanent - Position
Full-time - Compflex or Flexitime.
Excepted
15
No
No
VAR000556
507672100
This is a non-litigating position emphasizing qualifications and interest in legal research and writing in a public service legislative context. Candidates with research experience in and broad general knowledge of legal issues regarding environmental law in particular and American public law in general; who demonstrate strong research, writing, and oral communication skills; and who possess a portfolio of high quality legal analytical writing are encouraged to apply. Experience as a judicial clerk will be beneficial.
The position’s primary focus is the broad area of environmental law. However, given ALD’s relatively small staff and the breadth of issues ALD covers for Congress, candidates must also be capable of working in a number of different areas of the law and have the intellectual curiosity to seek out and maintain a broad portfolio of legal issues. Thus, applicants should also have knowledge of constitutional and administrative law and statutory interpretation.
The Legislative Attorney prepares objective, non-partisan analytical studies and descriptive and background memoranda and reports on legal issues of national significance; provides personal consultation and assistance to congressional committees, Members, and staff on legal issues throughout the legislative process; and participates in or leads team research projects and seminars. The Legislative Attorney is expected to develop over time the skills necessary to provide legal analysis and consultation to congressional committees, Members, and staff at increasingly sophisticated levels.
CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS has been a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill for more than a century.
CRS is well known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective, and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has immediate access to the nation's best thinking on legal and public policy issues of interest to its Members and Committees.
Prepares probing and innovative written legal analyses, arguments, briefs, or other analytical documents that relate complex variables within the attorney's specialized field of law to the development, interpretation, or implementation of important public policies.
Provides congressional staff with consultations and oral briefings that clarify legal questions, identify and discuss legal options, and inform congressional staff of CRS informational and analytical capabilities within the scope of the attorney's subject areas.
Prepares authoritative descriptive and background reports, memoranda, bill digests, surveys of laws, comparisons of laws and bills, and other types of written responses for congressional committees, Members, and staff that are characterized by substantial breadth and depth and that cover all pertinent factors and relationships.
Advises and assists other legislative attorneys, analysts, and specialists through provision of legal analysis and information in support of their service to Congress.
Prepares and delivers oral presentations at CRS seminars and other outreach programs.
In response to congressional inquiries, locates, organizes, summarizes, and interprets legal information and other pre-existing legal materials, on difficult or misunderstood policy issues through research, including search of the reference collections and databases of CRS, the Library, other institutions or through contacts and networking with Executive Branch officials or other professionals in the field.
Applicant must be a graduate from a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association and be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, the District of Columbia, a territory of the United States, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The Congressional Research Service, within the Library of Congress, is part of the Legislative Branch of the federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.
The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustment for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Although it is the Library's policy to afford the maximum pay benefit to employees when setting rates of pay, a new appointee who has had no previous federal service will generally be paid the minimum step of the grade.
This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position.
The tour of duty for this position is full-time.
The position description number for this position is 004712.
The incumbent of this position is eligible to work a flextime or compflex work schedule.
RELOCATION EXPENSES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR THE PERSON(S) SELECTED UNDER THIS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT.
The Library reserves the right to fill a lesser or greater number of vacancies indicated during the life of this vacancy announcement.
Appointment/retention is subject to a favorable evaluation of an appropriate personnel security/suitability investigation.
Initial appointments, permanent or indefinite, to the Library of Congress require completion of a one-year probationary period.
This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify this agency. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants with disabilities may be considered under special hiring procedures and must submit an appropriate certificate of eligibility when applying for this position. The certificate of disability may be issued by a State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, Disability Services or Career Services office of an applicant's college or university, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. The date of certification must be within one year of the vacancy closing date and must be submitted with your application. For more information view the directive on the Library's Selective Placement Program and/or contact the Library's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Programs at 202-707-6024 (voice or TTY) or email spp@loc.gov. FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR CERTIFICATION WILL CAUSE YOUR APPLICATION TO NOT BE CONSIDERED UNDER THE SELECTIVE PLACEMENT PROGRAM.
Are you a veteran? Please indicate the type of Veterans' Preference you are claiming in your application materials and/or applicant profile and provide the appropriate supporting documentation to validate your claim. Those applying for 5-point preference must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD 214. Those applying for 10-point preference must fill out an SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and provide the required documentation listed on the back of the form. For more information regarding eligibility requirements, please see the Library's Merit Selection Plan, Section X.D. IF REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION IS NOT ATTACHED, VETERANS' PREFERENCE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The Library of Congress evaluates applicants through an applicant questionnaire and a structured interview. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through licensing, certification, and/or education requirements, a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview.
The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that are marked with a double asterisk (**) in the vacancy announcement and the applicant questionnaire are considered the most critical for a position. To be considered for final selection, applicants must demonstrate fully acceptable experience in these designated KSAs in the narrative/application review, preliminary telephone and/or full structured interview.
The various assessment tools listed above are designed to verify or explore applicants' experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job in order to identify the best qualified applicants for selection.
To preview questions please click here.
All applicants must submit copies of the following documentation with their application materials. APPLICANTS WHO DO NOT SUBMIT THIS REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION WILL BE DISQUALIFIED FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION.
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.
Please carefully follow all instructions below to ensure you are considered for the position.
You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed applications. To apply online, complete the following steps.
Step 1: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualifications and Evaluations section of the job announcement to preview the application questions that you will be required to answer.
Step 2: Click the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account (if you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will be asked to build one). If you have not already created a resume in USAJOBS, you will be required to create one. Although you must enter your Social Security number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Congressional Research Service or the Library of Congress.
Step 3: USAJOBS will redirect you to the Library of Congress hiring management website, where you will complete the application process. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly, and follow all instructions for uploading required documentation.
Step 4: Click "FINISH" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your USAJOBS account. Your complete online application must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov, no later than 4:30 p.m. EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.
Please review our evaluation process under Evaluation. You may check the status of your application for this position at any time by logging onto the USAJOBS "My USAJOBS" tab and clicking on "My Applications." You will receive final notification via e-mail when the vacancy has been filled.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/507672100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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