ATTORNEY (GENERAL)

Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a senior attorney and a principal legal advisor to the Twenty-First Air Force Commander and staff on a wide range of difficult and complex legal problems.

Duties

Serves as civil law subject matter expert and policy advisor. Accomplishes research and writing and provides advice on specialized projects across a broad spectrum of civil law areas, which often require an exceptionally high-level of legal training and experience. Serves as a principal advisor to the Twenty-First Air Force Commander, the Twenty-First Air Force Staff Judge Advocate, and headquarters staff in matters of general law without direct supervision. General law includes, but is not limited to, information and privacy law, including Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act requests, Federal Information Security Management Act, records management law and policy, Privacy Act system of records, executive orders involving classification and declassification of records, regulation review and interpretation, creation and revision of Department of the Air Force Instructions and other publications, laws and regulations related to the protection of Personally Identifiable Information and required notifications, and commander authorities and responsibilities. Functions as the command's principal expert and legal authority on the most challenging fiscal and ethics law questions, developing and managing programs to ensure compliance and protect the integrity of the command's resources. The incumbent's work includes but is not limited to: Rendering conclusive legal opinions on the use of appropriated and non-appropriated funds for novel and exceptionally complex requirements. In coordination with Twenty-First Air Force Commander, the Twenty-First Air Force Staff Judge Advocate, and headquarters staff, independently conducts such investigations as are deemed appropriate, plans the approach, and develops the complete decision, report, opinion, legal instrument, or other product. Recognizes when the matter under discussion is of such precedent-setting nature or of such importance or delicacy that the advice must be cleared with Twenty-First Air Force Staff Judge Advocate, or more senior officials before it is delivered to the intended recipient(s). Serves as a principal advisor to the Twenty-First Air Force Commander, the Twenty-First Air Force Staff Judge Advocate, headquarters staff, and the USAF Expeditionary Center in international and domestic operations matters without direct supervision. Assists in reviewing, analyzing, and interpreting legislation, executive orders, directives, and regulations governing the operations, organization, and oversight of domestic and international operations law.

Qualifications

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: You MUST have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD). In addition, at the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status. Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirement: you must have professional legal experience in excess of three (3) years that commensurate with the position's duties and responsibilities. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Knowledge of federal and state administrative and general law, environmental law, labor law, contract law, fiscal law, and government ethics. Knowledge of the rules and procedures of courts and administrative bodies so that court dates, filing deadlines, and any litigation preparation suspense are met. Skill in conducting legal research and ability to analyze and address impacts to an installation of new developments and changes in law, regulations, and policies. Ability to communicate orally to effectively advocate the position of the Air Force, the installation, and supported agencies and organizations regardless of the forum. Ability to communicate effectively in written legal opinions, reviews, reports, correspondence, and litigation support documentation. Ability to prepare legal pleadings, briefs, legal memoranda, exhibits, and other litigation related documents. At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status and in good standing with a bar of the highest court of a State, US commonwealth, US territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and dated within four months of application. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Conditions of Employment Continued: Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be currently licensed as an attorney in active (or equivalent) status. Must be in good standing with the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth.

Education

Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and be currently licensed as an attorney, in active (or equivalent) status and in good standing, with the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth. The attorney must maintain such bar membership in at least one jurisdiction during the entire course of employment with the Air Force.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. The resume/documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job. Applications who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Other documents may be required based on the eligibility/eligibilities you are claiming. Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide and the required documents you must submit to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming. Online Application: Questionnaire Resume: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable. Additional information on resume requirements can be located under "How To Apply". License: At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status. ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act requires federal agencies to treat an eligible active duty service member as a veteran, disabled veteran, and preference eligible (as applicable) when applying for civil service positions before the effective release or discharge date. Appointment of military members before the release or discharge date is permissible if the member is on terminal leave. At the time the active duty member applies for a civil position, he or she must submit a "certification" memo in lieu of a DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. The certification memo must originate from the member's military service branch on official letterhead and contain the following: Name/Rank/Grade of Service Member Branch of Armed Forces Dates of Active Service (Start and End Date(s) Expected Date of Discharge/Release from Active Duty Terminal leave start date (if applicable) Expected character of service/discharge (honorable/general) and type of separation (i.e. separation or retirement) Must be certified within 120 days of anticipated discharge Signature by, or by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, unit commander, or higher headquarters commander NOTE: The VOW Act provides tentative preference. If appointed, a DD Form 214 must be submitted upon receipt. NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation to their submissions. Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim Veterans Preference must submit VOW certification memo or copy of the official DD Form 214, which must include the character of service, and a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov.) NOTE: Applicants for attorney appointments do not require veterans' preference in order to be eligible for consideration.

How to Apply

The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/05/2026 To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13070528 To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp. Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here. For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume. Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy. Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume. 2. A complete Application Questionnaire 3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name. 4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here. 5. Optional Documents: Performance Appraisals for Current Federal Civilian Employees - Most recent performance appraisals (dated within last 3 years) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.

What to Expect Next

Once your application package is received an acknowledgement email will be sent. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility and qualifications for consideration. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration. To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select My Applications, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position. If you do not provide an email address, you are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS. Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you.

Additional Information

Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employm...

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: You MUST have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD). In addition, at the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status. Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirement: you must have professional legal experience in excess of three (3) years that commensurate with the position's duties and responsibilities. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Knowledge of federal and state administrative and general law, environmental law, labor law, contract law, fiscal law, and government ethics. Knowledge of the rules and procedures of courts and administrative bodies so that court dates, filing deadlines, and any litigation preparation suspense are met. Skill in conducting legal research and ability to analyze and address impacts to an installation of new developments and changes in law, regulations, and policies. Ability to communicate orally to effectively advocate the position of the Air Force, the installation, and supported agencies and organizations regardless of the forum. Ability to communicate effectively in written legal opinions, reviews, reports, correspondence, and litigation support documentation. Ability to prepare legal pleadings, briefs, legal memoranda, exhibits, and other litigation related documents. At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status and in good standing with a bar of the highest court of a State, US commonwealth, US territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and dated within four months of application. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Conditions of Employment Continued: Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be currently licensed as an attorney in active (or equivalent) status. Must be in good standing with the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth.