Attorney-Advisor (Clerk of Court)

Summary

This position is located in U.S. Department of Education, Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), in Washington, DC. The incumbent serves as the Clerk of Court for the Office of Hearings and Appeals and Office of Administrative Law Judges; principal leagal advisor to the Director of OHA/Chief Administrative Judge, the Chief Administrative Law Judge (Chief ALJ); and other ALJs; as a hearing officer of designated cases; and as the day-to-day supervisor of all non-judge OHA staff.

Duties

APPLICATION LIMIT: This vacancy announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received and will close at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the day that we receive the 200th application, or at 11:59PM Eastern Time on the listed closing date, whichever occurs first. We encourage you to read this entire vacancy announcement prior to submitting your application. This is an Excepted Service position. The job will be filled by alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position are subject to a one-year trial period. Join our Team! The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is looking for the best and brightest to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation. As a Attorney-Advisor (Clerk of Court), GS-0905-15, you will be responsible for: Performing a variety of complex management tasks to assist in the running of an efficient and effective judicial office, improving office systems and processes, taking a leadership role in budget and acquisition matters, and primarily responsible for communicating to attorneys, other courts, and the public. Serving as a Principal Legal Advisor to the OHA Director, ALJs, and other OHA hearing officers on matters of administrative law, policy and procedure, judicial administration, and judicial ethics. Hearing officer for cases not requiring an ALJ or administrative judge, including acting as the Waiver Official in employee wage offset cases and as a Department-wide Debarment Official as delegated by the OHA Director. Serving as a first line supervisor for attorney-advisors and legal administrator. Advises, mentors, and instructs law school interns.

Qualifications

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. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience. Education Graduation from an accredited university with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). Qualifying Experience: Proof of admission to the Bar of the highest court of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and current membership in such Bar as would permit the practice of law. You must be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar, AND Have five years professional legal experience, at least one of the five years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14, OR Have four years professional legal experience, at least one of the four years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14, PLUS a second professional law degree (LL.M.) which requires one full year of graduate study, OR Have four years professional legal experience, at least one of the four years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14, PLUS an academic record that shows superior law schoolwork or activities as demonstrated by one of the following: Academic standing in the upper third of your law school graduating class; Work or achievement of significance on your law school's official law review; Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif; Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools; Full-time or continuous participation, for one year or two semesters of law school, in a legal aid program (as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation); Significant summer law office clerk experience after beginning law school; OR Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement. AND Specialized Experience: Have at least one year of specialized professional legal experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments: Experience researching complex legal issues where there is often no clear applicable precedent and presenting legal advice, legal options, and their ramifications to judges, senior attorneys, or other senior executives. Experience supervising (formally or informally) or mentoring attorneys, legal interns, paralegals, or legal administrators. Experience managing an active docket of judicial or administrative law cases, either as a court staff attorney or advocate appearing before trial, appellate, or administrative courts. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). Skill in communicating with the public, and budget and acquisition processes, assess case management and court automation (including AI) systems. Skill in drafting a legal opinion where factual situations are often complicated and clear precedents are not readily available or apparent. Ability to critically think and apply applicable agency policies, regulations, and statutes to arrive at a final decision on an issue. Skill in leadership of program management and administration.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement. Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.

How You Will Be Evaluated

We will review your application and documentation submitted to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), and the result of the USA Hire Assessment(s) required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Non-Supervisory: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork We will refer the best qualified candidates to the Selecting Official of the job for further review and consideration. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet qualifications required, and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills and abilities associated with this position as defined below. Please be sure to give examples in your resume and explain how often you used these skills, the complexity of the knowledge you possessed, the level of people you interacted with, and the complexity and sensitivity of the issues you handled. Based on the outcome of this evaluation, your application data may be further assessed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. If your qualifications are not substantiated by your submitted resume, you may be eliminated from receiving further consideration.

Required Documents

A Resume (Not to exceed 2 pages): You are required to submit a resume demonstrating your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position and substantiating your responses to the occupational questionnaire. For current or previous federal employees, include the pay plan, series and grade. Please limit your resume to a font size no smaller than 10 points. If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination. Bar Certificate of Good Standing: You are required to submit a certificate of good standing issued within 90 days of submission by the highest court of at least one state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico indicating current membership in such Bar as would permit the current practice of law. Cover Letter (Not to exceed 1 page): You are required to submit a cover letter that addresses your skills and goals that are relevant to this application. Writing Sample (Not to exceed 15 pages): You are required to submit a brief or comparable analytic legal exposition that is your work product. Transcripts: You are not required to submit transcripts to apply to the vacancy announcement, unless you are relying on your academic record to show superior law schoolwork or activities to meet the minimum qualification requirements. Otherwise, any applicant may be required to submit transcripts at later stages in the selection process. List of references: You are not required to submit a list of references to apply to the vacancy announcement. You may be required to submit them at later stages in the selection process. If you are claiming Veterans' Preference you must submit: A copy of your DD-214 that shows active service and character of discharge, member copy 4 (Separated Members only); OR A certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions within 120 days from the date of application (Current Active Duty Members only); AND/OR The Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) AND all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference; AND/OR Proof of Sole Survivorship Preference (e.g., certificate of death or 100% disability as a result of serving in the armed forces). Veterans' Preference: Department of the Education attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Education considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor consideration in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: 1. Click the Apply Online button. 2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. 3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. 4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. 5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. 6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. 7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. 8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments 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. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

What to Expect Next

As an applicant, you may check your application status through your USAJOBS account at any time. We will also notify you via email of your application status at three key stages in the recruitment process. 1. Once the vacancy announcement closes, we will inform you that your application ha...

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. We will consider all qualifying experience, including any volunteer experience. Education Graduation from an accredited university with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). Qualifying Experience: Proof of admission to the Bar of the highest court of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and current membership in such Bar as would permit the practice of law. You must be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar, AND Have five years professional legal experience, at least one of the five years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14, OR Have four years professional legal experience, at least one of the four years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14, PLUS a second professional law degree (LL.M.) which requires one full year of graduate study, OR Have four years professional legal experience, at least one of the four years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14, PLUS an academic record that shows superior law schoolwork or activities as demonstrated by one of the following: Academic standing in the upper third of your law school graduating class; Work or achievement of significance on your law school's official law review; Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif; Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools; Full-time or continuous participation, for one year or two semesters of law school, in a legal aid program (as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation); Significant summer law office clerk experience after beginning law school; OR Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement. AND Specialized Experience: Have at least one year of specialized professional legal experience at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade of GS-14 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments: Experience researching complex legal issues where there is often no clear applicable precedent and presenting legal advice, legal options, and their ramifications to judges, senior attorneys, or other senior executives. Experience supervising (formally or informally) or mentoring attorneys, legal interns, paralegals, or legal administrators. Experience managing an active docket of judicial or administrative law cases, either as a court staff attorney or advocate appearing before trial, appellate, or administrative courts. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement). Skill in communicating with the public, and budget and acquisition processes, assess case management and court automation (including AI) systems. Skill in drafting a legal opinion where factual situations are often complicated and clear precedents are not readily available or apparent. Ability to critically think and apply applicable agency policies, regulations, and statutes to arrive at a final decision on an issue. Skill in leadership of program management and administration.