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The Office of the General Counsel is seeking a motivated and highly-qualified candidate for our Honors Attorney Program to start in Fall 2024. During the three-year program, an attorney will gain firsthand exposure to cutting-edge legal issues in various areas of practice.
02/05/2024 to 02/25/2024
$82,764 - $107,590 per year
GS 11
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
No
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Term - Not to exceed a THREE-year period.
Full-time
Excepted
13
No
No
24-GC-00361-12283695-EX
774392200
All U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals; No prior Federal experience is required.
The Honors Attorney Program will provide mentoring and training in a wide variety of legal practice areas including environmental law, legislation and regulation, litigation and enforcement, international law, nuclear energy, electricity and fossil energy, clean energy and energy efficiency, procurement, intellectual property, fiscal and privacy law, government ethics, and federal employment and labor law.
As Honors Attorneys rotate to new assignments, they will confront a wide variety of legal issues while learning the intricacies of each law specialty. The Honors Attorney will be rotated to new assignments every four months and will join different Assistant General Counsel (AGC) offices. Honors Attorneys will learn foundational areas of government law practice and be asked to deliver statutory interpretations to inform the implementation of programs, review rules and policies, consult on questions of environmental and administrative compliance, assist in litigation, and ensure that the DOE complies with all applicable laws while accomplishing its mission.
At the full performance level, the Honors Attorney:
Reviews and becomes familiar with legal processes, statutes, regulations, office procedures and policies that affect the assignment area, and other requirements that have a bearing on the activities of DOE.
Performs legal research of laws, legal opinions, policies, regulations, legal texts and precedent cases bearing on the assignment. Typical research will involve the U.S. Code, decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and other lower courts and administrative agencies as well as federal regulations.
Analyzes factual or legal issues, and determines what further facts are needed and what sources are applicable.
Participates in litigation before federal administrative bodies and the federal courts.
Examines formal filings for legal sufficiency and appropriate disclosure; and program material for legal soundness and accuracy.
Drafts memoranda as well as briefs, motions, witness testimony, rulemakings, respond to Congressional inquiries, and assist DOE programs and staff with a variety of legal and statutory interpretation issues.
Recommends positions on issues and presents recommendations orally and in memoranda.
Presents recommendations to the supervisor, and, upon request, to other interested officials. These recommendations may be utilized by more experienced attorneys in making final recommendations and decisions.
Prepares necessary legal documents and advisory opinions.
Participates with a team of DOE attorneys in resolving issues for clients.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Attorney positions do have an education requirement.
ALL Candidates must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association with a:
For the Honors Attorney Program 0905 Attorney position with an education requirement, you MUST submit:
The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your evaluation involves determining the relevance and quality of your experience and education and whether you meet the minimum qualifications as required. You will be evaluated for this job based on the qualifications above, your Writing Sample that shows your knowledge level and ability to put that into words showing your technical abilities, and your Cover Letter (no more than 3 pages) that describes your interest in this role at the Department of Energy and describes your experience. When describing your experience, please give examples that demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess, the level of the people with whom you interacted, and the sensitivity of the issues you handled. Describe your applicable experience, if any, that touches on the following range of tasks:
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.
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.
Please note that if you fail to 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).
RESUME WITH 3 REFERENCES: This can be done by either creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of your choosing. Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their resume. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position.
COVER LETTER: This should be no more than 3 pagesthat describes your interest in this role at the Department of Energy and describes your experience.
WRITING SAMPLE: A writing sample should besufficiently complex in nature to demonstrate the applicant's skills in the qualifications of this position.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you may provide a DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active-duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter. For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information.
ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP: You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: You MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. Unofficial law school transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements of this position. 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.
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CTAP) / INTER AGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ICTAP): If applicable this would include Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.
CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL APPOINTEES: If this is applicable, please note on your resume and attach an SF-50. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the hiring manager and HR office.
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 read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.
The application process is as follows:
You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/
If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots, if possible, to aid technical support.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The status of your application will be updated in USAJOBS as it is evaluated.
You can check the status by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application changes by logging into your USAJobs Account and editing the Notification Settings.
You will be contacted directly if an interview is required.
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/774392200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The General Counsel is charged by the Secretary of Energy with the authority to determine the Department's authoritative position on any question of law. The Office of the General Counsel provides legal advice, counsel, and support to the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, and program offices throughout DOE to further the Department's mission of advancing the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
DOE Honors Attorney's will be assigned to individual Assistant General Counsel (AGC) offices for rotations of four months. AGC offices offer a wide variety of legal practice areas including environmental law, legislation and regulation, litigation and enforcement, international law, nuclear energy, electricity and fossil energy, clean energy and energy efficiency, procurement, intellectual property, fiscal and privacy law, government ethics, and federal employment and labor law. Honors Attorneys will gain firsthand exposure to cutting-edge legal issues in these areas. Honors Attorneys will learn the foundational areas of government law practice and be asked to deliver statutory interpretations to inform the implementation of programs, review rules and policies, consult on questions of environmental and administrative compliance, assist in litigation, and ensure that the DOE complies with all applicable laws while accomplishing its mission.
