Supervisory General Attorney

Summary

This position is located within U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of General Counsel, the incumbent serves as Deputy Assistant General Counsel that assist with the supervision and management of the Natural Resources and Environment Division under the direct supervision of the Assistant General Counsel. The Natural Resources and Environment Division provides legal services to the headquarters offices of the USDA agencies administering programs assigned to the office.

Duties

Serves as Deputy Assistant General Counsel providing authoritative legal advice and litigation support on complex, high-impact matters involving the U.S. Forest Service and other USDA agencies. Provides legal advice on natural resource laws, including the National Environment Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and other relevant statutes related to program areas. Develops and advises on litigation strategy for complex natural resources and conversation cases by coordinating closely with the Department of Justice. Develops and coordinates appeal recommendations and appellate strategy on natural resources matters within the Department, including recommendations for amicus participation in federal appellate and district courts. Assists in the management of the team of attorneys in the Natural Resources and Environment Division and aids in the coordination of natural resources law matters nationwide. Provides expert legal counsel on administrative law and statutory interpretation. Provides guidance, mentoring, training, and technical legal expertise to OGC and client agencies. Exercises substantial independent judgment on matters of national importance with minimal supervision.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. For consideration, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications for attorney positions: Successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the America Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent degree) (Law School transcript required), and Currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Applicants should have demonstrated specialized experience in legal research, excellent writing and communication skills, and a strong employment and academic record. This experience should be clearly documented in the cover letter and resume. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirements, the following additional experience is required. Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the specialized experience requirements. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Applicants should have at least five (5) years of progressively responsible litigation experience including serving as lead or first-chair litigation counsel with demonstrated responsibility for directing case strategy, representing a client in federal court, and managing all phases of litigation, preferably in natural resource cases. Applicants should have demonstrated specialized experience in legal research, excellent writing and communication skills, and a strong employment and academic record. This experience should be clearly documented in the cover letter and resume. GS-15: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the (GS-14) level in the Federal service or equivalent responsibility in the private sector/pay systems that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies to successfully perform as a Supervisory General Attorney. Examples of such experience include: Ability to plan and assign priorities to tasks and assignments to further develop knowledge of complex subject-matter areas. Works independently to determine methodologies, milestones, goals, and termination points for most assignments. Completes assignments with an understanding of management requirements and meets organizational objectives. NOTE: This experience must be demonstrated on your resume/supporting documents. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Bar Membership: Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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. Narrative: You must submit a written statement, in your cover letter or in a separate document, explaining your interest in working for USDA's Office of the General Counsel, and noting any relevant course work, training, or prior experience, especially with regard to natural resources law, that you believe should be considered in evaluating your application. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the above requirements (education and bar membership). Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: You MUST submit a copy of your transcript if you want to substitute your education for experience. If you claim qualifications based on education, and do not submit a transcript, your education will not be used in making a qualification determination and you may be found "not qualified". Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, for the position. Attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying Veterans' Preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service. However, 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. You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the education, experience, and training you described in your application package. The Occupational Questionnaire will determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below will be: Well Qualified-Meets the minimum qualifications of the position and is proficient in some, but not all, of the relevant competencies.Qualified-Meets the minimum qualifications of the position but is not proficient in the relative competencies to a substantive degree. Administrative Law Natural Resources Law Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence Attention to detail Written communication Oral communication Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Those determined to be in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. SMEs will review ONLY two (2) pages of your resume, starting at your work experience. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., links embedded in your resume will not be opened). Applicants passing the resume review will move on to the next phase of the assessment process. Any selections made under this notice will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current Federal employees would therefore, be given new appointments to the civil service and new probationary period required. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to and including removal from Federal service. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12953859

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages. Your application may be disqualified if you include any of the information listed here: What should I leave out of my resume? If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. Cover Letter Law School Transcript: An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, it must include student name, school name, and enough information to validate qualifications such as course names, prefixes, grades, semester or quarter credit hours, date degree was awarded, etc. Bar Membership: Proof of Bar Membership Writing Sample: In order for your application to be considered, you must submit a legal writing sample not to exceed ten (10) pages, demonstrating your legal research, writing, and analysis capabilities, including your ability to marshal facts and legal principles in support of an argument. If claiming Veterans' Preference, you must submit a DD-214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty, you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veterans' Preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive Veterans' Preference, and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted. If claiming 10-point Veterans' Preference, you must provide the DD-214 or certification requirements (see above bullet), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference visit FedsHireVets. Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of ...

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. For consideration, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications for attorney positions: Successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the America Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent degree) (Law School transcript required), and Currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Applicants should have demonstrated specialized experience in legal research, excellent writing and communication skills, and a strong employment and academic record. This experience should be clearly documented in the cover letter and resume. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirements, the following additional experience is required. Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the specialized experience requirements. Specialized experience is defined as experience that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Applicants should have at least five (5) years of progressively responsible litigation experience including serving as lead or first-chair litigation counsel with demonstrated responsibility for directing case strategy, representing a client in federal court, and managing all phases of litigation, preferably in natural resource cases. Applicants should have demonstrated specialized experience in legal research, excellent writing and communication skills, and a strong employment and academic record. This experience should be clearly documented in the cover letter and resume. GS-15: One year of specialized experience, equivalent to the (GS-14) level in the Federal service or equivalent responsibility in the private sector/pay systems that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies to successfully perform as a Supervisory General Attorney. Examples of such experience include: Ability to plan and assign priorities to tasks and assignments to further develop knowledge of complex subject-matter areas. Works independently to determine methodologies, milestones, goals, and termination points for most assignments. Completes assignments with an understanding of management requirements and meets organizational objectives. NOTE: This experience must be demonstrated on your resume/supporting documents. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.