Attorney-Adviser - Washington D.C., United States - USAJobs

Description

Duties

OGC serves as the chief legal advisor to the Agency's senior management and program offices on Agency rules, permits, response actions, implementation actions, litigation and legislation. Some offices independently handle litigation in front of the Environmental Appeals Board to defend EPA actions, or work to prepare to defend Agency decisions in formal hearings.

The Attorney-Adviser works under the administrative supervision of the Associate General Counsel and the Deputy Associate General Counsel.

From this posting we may hire multiple selections for the following law offices:

Air and Radiation: Air and Radiation Law Office provides legal support for EPA to reduce threats to public health and the environment by cleaning up the nation's air and dealing with radiation issues.

Cross-Cutting Issues: Cross-Cutting Issues Law Office provides legal advice under the numerous federal statutes, Executive Orders, and policies that affect all of EPA's programs, including the Administrative Procedure Act, Environmental Justice, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, Indian law and Children's Health issues.

Pesticides & Toxic Substances: Pesticides and Toxic Substances Law Office handles legal issues for the EPA programs that address pesticides and toxic chemicals, including implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act which substantially revised the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Solid Waste and Emergency Response: Solid Waste and Emergency Response Law Office provides legal support for the Agency's hazardous and solid waste programs and cleanup initiatives.

Water Law Office: Water Law Office provides legal support for Agency programs that ensure drinking water is safe, that restore and maintain oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.

Civil Rights & Finance Law Office: Civil Rights & Finance Law Office provides legal counsel and legal services to EPA offices with respect to civil rights, equal employment opportunity, contracts, claims by and against the Agency, real and personal property, financial assistance awards and appropriations law.

Ethics Office: Ethics Office oversees all aspects of the Agency's ethics program including the Standards of Ethical Conduct, conflicts of interest statutes, financial disclosure, ethics training and the Hatch Act.

National FOIA Office: National FOIA Office discharges the Agency's responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act by providing centralized intake for all EPA FOIA requests, developing and issuing FOIA compliance guidance and training managers, staff and FOIA professionals.

General Law Office: General Law Office provides legal advice to the Agency under numerous federal statutes, including the Freedom of Information Act, the Federal Records Act, the Inspector General Act, the Copyright Act and the Rehabilitation Act.

An Attorney Advisor GS 905-15, will:

• Serve as a national expert in various regulations and statutes and will serve as a senior attorney on highly complex matters and litigation that falls within the incumbent's area of expertise, and is responsible for recognizing those questions which require an interpretation by such legal authority.
• Provide expert legal advice to the General Counsel, to the heads of EPA program offices, the pertinent Assistant Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.
• Independently conduct and draft legal research and prepare memoranda, briefs or reports stating facts, legal issues and justifying recommendations and conclusions that are persuasive, legally sound, clearly written, and require minimal editing by supervisors or others.
• Participates in one or more practice groups and identifies and assesses overlapping legal issues in the assigned group to ensure consistency to legal counseling.
• Represents the office or the agency in high level inter-agency meetings, to include advising and assisting congressional committees and their staffs in drafting legislation, or negotiating with top administrative personnel in the agency, private business, or State, local, or foreign governments on complex and difficult factual, legal and policy questions.
• Independently perform the highest level of drafting or reviewing of complex proposed agency decisions, to include analyzing the records, evaluating facts, determining complex and difficult questions of law, and providing the legal advice. Works closely with client offices to ensure that their respective written products (which include (among other things) regulations, guidance, policies, determinations, and communications) are legally sound, clear, and avoid legal pitfalls.
• Prepares, presents and provides technical guidance for litigation, participates in pretrial and prehearing conferences, and examines formal findings for legal sufficiency.
  
  Requirements
  
  Conditions of Employment
  • You must be a U.S. citizen
  • If you are selected, a background check may be required
  • You must submit a statement of interest, resume and other required documents (See How to Apply)
    
    Qualifications
    
    Applicant must have an LL.M. or J.D. degree from an accredited law school; must be admitted to practice before the highest court of a State, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and must maintain active status as a member of the bar of one of these jurisdictions. Incumbent should have significant experience in providing legal advice and counsel at EPA, other federal, state or local agencies, or courts, non-governmental organizations, or in private practice.
    
    To qualify at the GS-15 grade level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-14 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include independently performing legal analysis; (attorney's credited with Level C or D (GS-12 to GS-14) independently perform legal analysis); composing pleadings, briefs and other court documents involving unique or difficult legal issues; conducting highly complex counseling and litigation; and leading junior attorneys, paralegals, and support staff.
    
    Please identify in your written statement of interest/cover letter and resume any specialized experience in administrative and environmental law, if applicable. Note: Applicants must include a separate business-style resume with your application in lieu of the automated USAJobs resume. In addition, applicants must include a writing sample that has not been edited by others. These documents should be uploaded as part of your complete application packet described below under the Supporting Documentation Tab.
    
    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, 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).
    
    More information on GS levels for the 0905 Attorney position are available at:
    
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    If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Form prior to your first day of employment and annually thereafter.
    
    This position is designated as a High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation.
    
    This position is in the excepted service. Selection under this appointment authority does not confer civil service competitive status; however, this position is covered for the purpose of federal retirement and benefits.
    
    Additional information
    
    Diversity and Inclusion
    
    At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA . You can also hear a diverse group of attorneys talk about their careers at EPA on the Legal Careers at EPA Webinar .
    
    It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. For more information, visit
    
    These positions are in the bargaining unit.
    
    EPA participates in e-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information:
    
    If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.
    
    Telework is in accordance with current agency policy.
    
    Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed above.
    
    When entering a Federal job at a grade level lower than the highest promotion potential level, you may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses.
    
    If you are selected, you will be expected to report to work as soon as practical but no later than thirty (30) days from the date you receive a final job offer. Extension of this reporting requirement may be granted only under extraordinary circumstances.