General Attorney

Summary

About the Position: Duties are performed independently, on own initiative and generally without preliminary instructions or technical guidance, with authorization to exercise independent judgment and to assume the responsibility for determining the course of action necessary to accomplish the work objective.

Duties

Identify, research, and address extremely complex and difficult legal questions affecting USACE missions. With oversight by supervisor, represent the office to which assigned in meetings, negotiations, conferences, presentations, hearings, administrative litigation, or other forums, with municipal, state, other federal agencies, and private stakeholders. Renders legal advice and assistance to all elements of the Command in response to inquiries on numerous types of miscellaneous problems arising from day-to-day operations and which vary from simple to difficult. Assigned cases involve extremely complex and difficult legal questions or issues involving novel questions of law and policy.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Education Requirement: An applicant 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 (LL.B. or JD.). In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: Two or more years of professional legal experience. Examples of this experience are: Providing legal counsel on complex issues by researching and interpreting federal and state laws and regulations to advise on organizational programs and day-to-day operations. Preparing legal documents, such as opinions, memoranda, and other legal instruments, to address novel questions of law and policy. Representing an organization in forums such as meetings, negotiations, or conferences with external stakeholders. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position: must possess either an advance law degree such as an LLM (masters of law) or graduated with a distinguished record from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class which may be substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience after being admitted to the bar. Examples of this experience are: Providing legal counsel on complex issues by researching and interpreting federal and state laws and regulations to advise on organizational programs and day-to-day operations. Preparing legal documents, such as opinions, memoranda, and other legal instruments, to address novel questions of law and policy. Representing an organization in forums such as meetings, negotiations, or conferences with external stakeholders. Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be an active member in good standing of the Bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (must provide a certificate of good standing) Fitness to Practice Law: An applicant must currently be fit to practice law. If your fitness to practice law, or your conduct has ever been challenged you must submit a sworn statement giving the facts and circumstances, together with any explanations you consider appropriate. The sworn statement should be notarized and dated within 3 months of the date of your application. (If you are currently employed as an attorney with The USACE, this requirement does not apply to you). Time in Grade Requirement: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed 1 year at the next lower level (GS-12) within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Basis for Rating: Your application package (resume and required supporting documents) will be reviewed to verify that you meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements. If eligible and meeting basic qualifications, your application package will be evaluated in conjunction with your résumé and supporting documents for the required knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position. Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of this position: Knowledge of or demonstrated experience in the specialized body of law applicable to procurement law, civil works authorities, environmental law, labor and employment law, admiralty/maritime law, fiscal law, real estate law, and litigation. This includes experience with and knowledge of Federal, DoD, and Department of the Army regulations, guidelines, and policies. Experience and mature judgment in handling legal problems, including statutory interpretations, preparing legal documents and reviewing the same for legal soundness and accuracy sufficient for the accomplishment of difficult, complex, and varied legal work, relating to complex procurement, civil works, environmental, labor and employment, admiralty/maritime, fiscal, and real estate law, as well as litigation. Knowledge of or demonstrated experience to work effectively with senior management officials, diverse teams, and other diverse personnel in both government and private industry. Ability to quickly balance competing goals, and to organize, prioritize, and work effectively, with limited supervision, to meet established deadlines and achieve prescribed goals and objectives, propose reasonable courses of action, identify client objections, and formulate well-reasoned advice responsive to client needs. Ability to advise and communicate clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing, with diverse clients and constituencies on varied and complex topics. Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements. As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 1. Your resume: Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position. Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy. For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume. 2. Other supporting documents: If you are a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney, you MUST submit the following documents: Cover Letter Writing sample (not exceed 10 pages) Most recent Performance Appraisal Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date no more than one year old). Your latest non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50). If you are NOT a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney, you MUST submit the following documents: Cover Letter Writing sample (not exceed 10 pages) Copy of law school transcripts AND an official statement of relative standing in your class, or official statement demonstrating the unavailability of class standing information (official copies will be required if selected and before placement); Certificate issued by the bar registrar or similar official showing that you are a member in good standing with the Bar of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia, dated NO MORE THAN 90 days before the opening date of this announcement (a copy is sufficient for the application, but a certified copy may be necessary upon selection); A sworn statement, certifying that your fitness to practice law or your conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction. This statement MUST be notarized, on a date NO MORE THAN 3 months before the opening date of this announcement. If your fitness to practice law or your conduct as an Attorney has been challenged in any jurisdiction, you must provide a notarized statement concerning the facts and circumstances, and any other explanation you deem appropriate. The names of three professional references who are each members of the Bar of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/30/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13074311). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

What to Expect Next

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be use...

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Education Requirement: An applicant 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 (LL.B. or JD.). In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: Two or more years of professional legal experience. Examples of this experience are: Providing legal counsel on complex issues by researching and interpreting federal and state laws and regulations to advise on organizational programs and day-to-day operations. Preparing legal documents, such as opinions, memoranda, and other legal instruments, to address novel questions of law and policy. Representing an organization in forums such as meetings, negotiations, or conferences with external stakeholders. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position: must possess either an advance law degree such as an LLM (masters of law) or graduated with a distinguished record from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class which may be substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience after being admitted to the bar. Examples of this experience are: Providing legal counsel on complex issues by researching and interpreting federal and state laws and regulations to advise on organizational programs and day-to-day operations. Preparing legal documents, such as opinions, memoranda, and other legal instruments, to address novel questions of law and policy. Representing an organization in forums such as meetings, negotiations, or conferences with external stakeholders. Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be an active member in good standing of the Bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (must provide a certificate of good standing) Fitness to Practice Law: An applicant must currently be fit to practice law. If your fitness to practice law, or your conduct has ever been challenged you must submit a sworn statement giving the facts and circumstances, together with any explanations you consider appropriate. The sworn statement should be notarized and dated within 3 months of the date of your application. (If you are currently employed as an attorney with The USACE, this requirement does not apply to you). Time in Grade Requirement: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed 1 year at the next lower level (GS-12) within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.