This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/816210500. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
**Remote Restricted to Washington, D.C. area**
The Office of the General Counsel is seeking motivated and highly-qualified candidates for our Honors Attorney Program to start in Fall 2025. During the three-year program, attorneys will gain firsthand exposure to cutting-edge legal issues in various areas of practice.
10/29/2024 to 11/18/2024
$82,764 - $107,590 per year
GS 11
2 vacancies in the following locations:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
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
No
25-GC-00392-12584838-EX
816210500
Current students enrolled in accredited educational institutions from high school to graduate level. Includes internships, pathways and other student programs.
U.S. citizens or U.S. Nationals; Military Spouses; no prior Federal experience is required.
The Honors Attorney Program will provide mentoring and training in a wide variety of legal practice 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 rotate to new assignments every four months and will join different Assistant General Counsel (AGC) offices. 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.
At the full performance level, the Honors Attorney will:
Review 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.
Perform 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.
Analyze factual or legal issues, and determines what further facts are needed and what sources are applicable.
Consult with operating officials, attorneys, industry representatives, and other concerned parties to complete investigations, provide advice and assistance, and draft legal documents.
Participate in litigation before federal administrative bodies and the federal courts.
Examine formal filings for legal sufficiency and appropriate disclosure; and program material for legal soundness and accuracy.
Provide legal guidance in response to inquiries from other DOE offices or inquiries from outside DOE.
Draft 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.
Recommend positions on issues and presents recommendations orally and in memoranda.
Present 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.
Prepare necessary legal documents and advisory opinions.
Participate with a team of DOE attorneys in resolving issues for clients.
You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
0904 Honors Attorney Program Law Clerk Requirements:
All applicants MUST:
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
GS-0905-11 Qualifications:
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 0904 Law Clerk position with an education requirement, you MUST submit:
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
Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: Reasonable Accommodation
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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 1 page) 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:
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 1 pagethat 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 the most recent 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:
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessment. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Your assessment result will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
Once you submit your online application, you will receive a confirmation notification by email that your submission was successful. After the closing of the announcement, we will review applications. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. We will notify you of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.
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/816210500. 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 to further the Department's mission of advancing the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.
Honors Attorneys will be assigned to individual Assistant General Counsel (AGC) offices for rotations of four months. AGC offices offer a 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 and will learn the foundational areas of government law practice.
We are truly honored that DOE has been named America's #1 Best Employer for Veterans in 2023 by Forbes-not only among Government agencies, but among employers across the U.S. We are so proud of this ranking which reflects our commitment to the employment of veterans. As so many veterans at DOE renew their service to our Nation, we are deeply committed to their success and advancement. Veterans shape the future of energy