Attorney-Adviser

Applicant must possess a J.D. degree or equivalent apprentice experience as allowed per state law, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction in good standing.

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, applicants must have an LL.M. degree or at least one year of post J.D. legal experience with specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-9 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include law clerk experience at the federal, state, or local level, performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; composing pleadings, briefs, and other court documents involving legal issues in counseling or litigation.

OR

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, applicants who meet the GS-9 requirement and in addition have superior law student activities while earning a JD degree. Superior law student activities include:  (A) Academic standing in upper third of law school graduating class; (B) Work or achievement of significance on law school’s law review; (C) Special high-level honors for academic excellence, such as election to Order of the Coif; (D) Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team representing the law school in competition with other law schools; (E) Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program or significant summer law office clerk experience; or (F) Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement, as determined by the hiring office and documented in writing for the case file.

To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-11 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; composing pleadings, briefs, and other court documents involving legal issues in counseling or litigation.  Employee must be able to conduct basic legal research and draft legal advice for EPA clients in the relevant area of law.  The drafts must be complete and clear.  Employee must be able to review draft regulations and guidance documents and identify basic legal issues in the relevant area of law and provide advice on how to address them with assistance from managers.

Incumbent should have experience in providing legal advice and counsel at EPA, other federal, state or local agencies, or courts, non-governmental organizations, or in private practice.

The ideal candidate will have a strong academic and/or employment record, including evidence of nuanced legal analysis with respect to both statutory construction and applicable case law, excellent research and writing skills, superior oral and written communication, strong interpersonal skills, initiative and self-motivation, the ability to work effectively in a team and independently, a commitment to public service, mature judgement, and the ability to work with diverse persons and perspectives. Knowledge and relevant experience in administrative or environmental law, or both, preferred but not required.

More information on GS levels for the 0905 Attorney position are available at:

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/classifying-general-schedule-positions/standards/0900/gs0905.pdf.

Veterans:  There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Environmental Protection Agency considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his  or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).