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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies through the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings! This Trial Attorney position is located in the Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL). For more information visit: Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL)

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Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

11/20/2024 to 12/02/2024
Salary

$139,395 - $191,900 per year
Pay scale & grade

GS 14 - 15
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Location

Few vacancies in the following location:
- Washington, DC FEW vacancies
Remote job

No
Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed

No
Appointment type

Permanent
Work schedule

Full-Time
Service

Excepted
Promotion potential

15
Job family (Series)
- 0905 Attorney
Supervisory status

No
Security clearance

Not Required
Drug test

No
Announcement number

FERC-ATTY-2025-0008
Control number

820005600

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As a Trial Attorney, some of your typical work assignments may include:

Managing case assignments, whether lead or co-counsel, to achieve timely, high-quality work products by appropriately developing OAL legal positions and strategies to achieve objectives in settlement and litigation. Making timely responses to problems and challenges as they arise in the course of discovery, settlement or litigation. Responding appropriately to positions adversaries take and orders administrative law judges' issue in various technical, procedural, and legal contexts.
Performing significant legal research and analysis of energy cases, often involving accounting, economic, engineering, or financial principles. Cases require preparation and/or evaluation of expert testimony.
Writing legal documents that appropriately reflect relevant Commission policy, facts, and law. Legal documents contain appropriate citation; are clear, concise, and well-organized; and appropriately advance OAL’s position.
At hearing, appropriately and effectively cross-examining witnesses and arguing discovery, procedural, evidentiary and other motions. Appropriately and effectively deposing witnesses. In settlement discussions, including multi-party negotiations, appropriately and effectively advancing OAL positions. Appropriately and effectively presenting legal positions in case team and other internal meetings.
Whether lead or co-counsel, collaborating with other team members to create high quality, timely products.

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Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an accredited college or university.
Current, active bar membership required.
A two-year trial period may be required.
This is not a bargaining unit position.
Generally, male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.
This position has an education requirement; you must submit transcripts.
You may be required to divest certain energy-related securities.
A background investigation is required.

You must meet all eligibility and qualification (experience and/or education) requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

You must meet the following basic requirements, by the closing date of this announcement: (1) hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from an accredited college or university and (2) be a current, active bar member in good standing.

In addition, to the minimum requirements above, you must meet the following qualifications for each grade level by the closing date of this announcement:

At the GS-14: Three years of professional legal experience post bar admission.
The GS-14 salary range is $139,395.00 through $181,216.00 per annum.

At the GS-15: Five years of professional legal experience post bar admission.
The GS-14 salary range is $163,964.00 through $191,900.00per annum.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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 any volunteer experience.

Please do not cut and paste the position description, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Education

This position has a basic education requirement listed under the “Qualifications” section of this announcement.

Additional information

Our employees ranked FERC as a top 5 mid-size agency in both Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) and Effective Leadership according to the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government! In addition, FERC was also ranked #1 in Work-Life Balance and we are proud to offer telework and workplace flexibilities in accordance with agency policy.

The duty location of this position is Washington, DC. Agency employees are eligible for telework and other workplace flexibilities. Telework days and waiting periods for eligibility are determined when an employee enters on duty.

When promotion potential is shown, future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
Have your Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choice.
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. FERC also participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). For more information about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.
Attend a mandatory ethics training. We are governed by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Standards of Conduct, the criminal conflict of interest statutes, and FERC’s supplemental ethics regulation, which specifically prohibits FERC employees from holding certain energy-related securities. To comply with these regulations and statutes, divestiture of these securities may be required after you begin employment. See 5 C.F.R. 2634-41; 18 U.S.C. 201-208; 5 C.F.R. 3401. If selected, you may also be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of appointment.
Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch.

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

You will be evaluated for this position based on how well you meet the qualifications above. All applications that are verified to meet the basic requirements will be referred to the selecting official.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

If you do not provide all required documents by the closing date of this vacancy announcement, you will not be considered for this position.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CANDIDATES:
1. RESUME: Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. You must ensure it contains the following information for each experience/position:
  - Position title
  - Name of employer
  - Beginning and ending dates of employment (Month/Day/Year format)
  - Hours worked per week
  - Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)
  - Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions)
  - List your education history, including the type of degree and your major of study
2. VACANCY QUESTIONNAIRE: You must submit and complete the online eligibility and vacancy questions.
3. TRANSCRIPTS: You are required to submit copies of your college and law school transcripts to verify your education. Unofficial copies are acceptable; however, if selected you will be required to provide official transcripts before your effective date.
4. PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Documentation showing you are a current bar member in good standing.
OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR CANDIDATES (You are strongly encouraged to submit these documents as a part of your initial application; however, if contacted for an interview, these documents will be required):

COVER LETTER: You may be required to submit a cover letter that showcases how your unique combination of skills and experience(s) meet the requirements of the position.

WRITING SAMPLE: You may be required to provide a writing sample that demonstrates your persuasive writing skills and that reflects your analytic skills.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT PREFERENCE OR ELIGIBILITY CLAIMS:

VETERANS’PREFERENCE (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.): There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, FERC considers military service a positive factor when reviewing applications. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you are encouraged to submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an “Application for 10-point Veteran Preference” (SF-15), along with official VA letter and the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. For more information about veterans' preference, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.
The FERC Careers site provides detailed instructions on how to apply to FERC vacancies. For more information visit: https://www.ferc.gov/about/careers/job-searchapply.

Here are a few additional tips:
- When applying to a FERC vacancy announcement, please remember you must complete and submit your entire application (including your resume, vacancy questionnaire, and any applicable supporting documentation) no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Please note, it may take you longer to apply to some vacancy announcements than others. Starting your application late on the evening the vacancy closes is not recommended because you might not have enough time to ensure your application is successfully submitted and received.
- When the specialized experience statement in the vacancy announcement requires experience presenting information to a large audience, your resume should include speeches or presentations you've given.
- Make sure you verify that your resume clearly indicates possession of the competencies and specialized experience listed under the “Qualifications and Evaluations” and “How You Will Be Evaluated” sections of this announcement.
- Remember to submit all required and supporting documentation listed under the “Required Documents” section of this announcement.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
FERC provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact DisabilityManager@FERC.gov no later than 11:59 pm ET on the vacancy closing date. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on telework, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is telework?

For more information on remote work, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is a remote job?
Agency contact information

Brenda Abu-El-Hawa

Phone

000-000-0000

Fax

000-000-0000

Email

Brenda.abu-el-hawa@ferc.gov

Address

FERC
888 First Street, NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20426
United States

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. You will be notified of the status of your application up to four times throughout the application process, via your USAJOBS dashboard. To verify the status of your application, both during and after the announcement open period, log on to your USAJOBS account. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an option to “Track this application.” Your “Applicant status” will also appear along with the dates you applied to this position and when your application was last updated. To learn more about your specific job status and how this helps you track jobs and applications visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.

More than one selection for similar positions may be made from this announcement and the program office for that selection may vary. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s).
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Help

If you do not provide all required documents by the closing date of this vacancy announcement, you will not be considered for this position.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CANDIDATES:

RESUME: Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire. You must ensure it contains the following information for each experience/position:
- Position title
- Name of employer
- Beginning and ending dates of employment (Month/Day/Year format)
- Hours worked per week
- Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)
- Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions)
- List your education history, including the type of degree and your major of study
VACANCY QUESTIONNAIRE: You must submit and complete the online eligibility and vacancy questions.
TRANSCRIPTS: You are required to submit copies of your college and law school transcripts to verify your education. Unofficial copies are acceptable; however, if selected you will be required to provide official transcripts before your effective date.
PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Documentation showing you are a current bar member in good standing.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR CANDIDATES (You are strongly encouraged to submit these documents as a part of your initial application; however, if contacted for an interview, these documents will be required):

COVER LETTER: You may be required to submit a cover letter that showcases how your unique combination of skills and experience(s) meet the requirements of the position.

WRITING SAMPLE: You may be required to provide a writing sample that demonstrates your persuasive writing skills and that reflects your analytic skills.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT PREFERENCE OR ELIGIBILITY CLAIMS:

VETERANS’PREFERENCE (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.): There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, FERC considers military service a positive factor when reviewing applications. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you are encouraged to submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an “Application for 10-point Veteran Preference” (SF-15), along with official VA letter and the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. For more information about veterans' preference, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.

Help

The FERC Careers site provides detailed instructions on how to apply to FERC vacancies. For more information visit: https://www.ferc.gov/about/careers/job-searchapply.

Here are a few additional tips:

When applying to a FERC vacancy announcement, please remember you must complete and submit your entire application (including your resume, vacancy questionnaire, and any applicable supporting documentation) no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Please note, it may take you longer to apply to some vacancy announcements than others. Starting your application late on the evening the vacancy closes is not recommended because you might not have enough time to ensure your application is successfully submitted and received.
When the specialized experience statement in the vacancy announcement requires experience presenting information to a large audience, your resume should include speeches or presentations you've given.
Make sure you verify that your resume clearly indicates possession of the competencies and specialized experience listed under the “Qualifications and Evaluations” and “How You Will Be Evaluated” sections of this announcement.
Remember to submit all required and supporting documentation listed under the “Required Documents” section of this announcement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
FERC provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact DisabilityManager@FERC.gov no later than 11:59 pm ET on the vacancy closing date. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on telework, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is telework?

For more information on remote work, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is a remote job?

Agency contact information

Brenda Abu-El-Hawa

Phone: 000-000-0000
Fax: 000-000-0000
Email: Brenda.abu-el-hawa@ferc.gov
Address: FERC
888 First Street, NE
Washington, District of Columbia 20426
United States

Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. You will be notified of the status of your application up to four times throughout the application process, via your USAJOBS dashboard. To verify the status of your application, both during and after the announcement open period, log on to your USAJOBS account. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an option to “Track this application.” Your “Applicant status” will also appear along with the dates you applied to this position and when your application was last updated. To learn more about your specific job status and how this helps you track jobs and applications visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status

Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.

More than one selection for similar positions may be made from this announcement and the program office for that selection may vary. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s).

Trial Attorney

Summary

Overview

Open & closing dates

Salary

Pay scale & grade

Location

Remote job

Telework eligible

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Work schedule

Service

Promotion potential

Job family (Series)

Supervisory status

Security clearance

Drug test

Announcement number

Control number

This job is open to

Videos

Duties

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Qualifications

Education

Additional information

How You Will Be Evaluated

Agency contact information

Next steps

Required Documents

How to Apply

Agency contact information

Next steps

Fair & Transparent