Trial Attorney

Summary

The Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Litigation is seeking candidates for Trial Attorney positions. The mission of The Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Litigation is to manage, justify, and defend - in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice - all litigation in Federal courts involving challenges to DOE programs and actions, and concerning the civil enforcement of Federal and DOE statutes, regulations and orders.

Duties

We are truly honored that DOE has been named America's #1 Best Employer for Veterans in 2023 by Forbes-not only among Government agencies, but among employers across the U.S. We are so proud of this ranking which reflects our commitment to the employment of veterans. As so many veterans at DOE renew their service to our Nation, we are deeply committed to their success and advancement. Veterans shape the future of energy Duties of a Trial Attorney position could include: Represents DOE's interests in all phases of complex Federal court and administrative litigation. Coordinates litigation and participates in formulating the strategy and developing the presentation of the Government's case. Coordinates and furthers litigation with DOJ by preparing litigation assessments and reports, drafting and editing litigation submissions, supplying necessary information and recommendations, resolving conflicts, and supporting the strategy used in guiding the position taken on legal and factual issues. Advises supervisor, program office legal staff and DOE officials concerning the pending or potential litigation, questions regarding the interpretation of statutes administered by or applicable to DOE and its activities, and DOE issues and actions.

Qualifications

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements: All applicants MUST: Meet the minimum education requirements of successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) with a professional law degree Juris Doctor (J.D); AND Must be a current, active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: GS-15 Qualifications: Sound and sophisticated understanding of advanced legal concepts and significant legal policy/regulatory issues. Progressively responsible experience handling significant legal matters. Consistent ability to significantly advance Department interests in matters with exceedingly difficult/complex factual or legal questions. GS-14 Qualifications: Sound legal training and experience in handling significant legal issues and matters. Sound and authoritative knowledge of legal principles, laws, administrative/judicial decisions, statutes, and regulations, and the ability to advance the Department's policies and programmatic interests. Ability to provide sound legal advice to DOE officials, handle broad and complex legal issues (including statutory interpretation), prepare litigation documents in complex matters, and review documents for legal sufficiency to minimize litigation risk. GS-13 Qualifications: Legal training and increasingly responsible experience in effectively handling litigation cases and related issues. Highly knowledgeable in federal and DOE litigation cases/issues, with a thorough understanding of legal principles, laws, administrative/judicial decisions, statutes, and regulations impacting Departmental legal cases, and the ability to apply this to significant DOE matters. Increasingly responsible experience in litigation matters, and ability to prepare factually/legally sound litigation work products with minimal supervision. GS-12 Qualifications: Legal training and experience in handling litigation cases and related issues. Knowledge of federal and Department of Energy litigation cases/issues (including decisions, statutes, regulations), and ability to apply this to significant DOE matters. Experience analyzing litigation, advising on legal matters, and producing litigation documents. GS-11 Qualifications: Sound legal training from an accredited law school. Knowledge of legal cases, issues, principles, administrative/judicial decisions, statutes, and regulations affecting Department programs and litigation. Ability to analyze litigation, provide legal advice, and prepare legal briefs/documents. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; 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

Attorney positions do have an education requirement. ALL Candidates must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association with a: Professional Law Degree Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit: A copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your evaluation involves determining the relevance and quality of your experience and education and whether you meet the minimum qualifications as required. You will be evaluated for this job based on the qualifications above, your Writing Sample that shows your knowledge level and ability to put that into words showing your technical abilities, and your Cover Letter (no more than 3 pages) that describes your interest in this role at the Department of Energy and describes your experience. When describing your experience, please give examples that demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess, the level of the people with whom you interacted, and the sensitivity of the issues you handled. Describe your applicable experience, if any, that touches on the following range of tasks: Undertake legal research and provide written legal analysis, advice, and recommendations on complex legal and policy matters. Prepare and review rulemakings, orders, Federal Register notices and responsive comments, public filings, policy statements, reports to the President and Congress, and congressional testimony. Review and comment on legislation to determine the potential impact on client activities, and draft amendments. Represent clients in meetings, hearings, and other proceedings. Support litigation efforts, including the preparation and filing of motions and other documents, in federal and state regulatory proceedings. Support transactional work, including the preparation of agreements and performance of due diligence and compliance review. Minimum Requirements: Your application must show that you meet all requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. You will be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible. Referral: Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used. We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements. Although competitive examining rules for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply, veteran's preference will be considered as a positive factor. Candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration and possible interview.

Required Documents

Please note that if you fail to provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). RESUME WITH 3 REFERENCES: This can be done by either creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of your choosing. Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their resume. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position. COVER LETTER: This should be no more than 3 pages and describe your interest in this role at the Department of Energy and describes your experience. WRITING SAMPLE: A writing sample should be sufficiently complex in nature to demonstrate the applicant's skills in the qualifications of this position. VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you may provide a DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service; current active-duty members- certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days; SF-15 Form and related documentation; VA letter. For more information visit the USAJOBS Help Center & OPM CHCOC website for VOW information. ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP: You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement. CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CTAP) / INTER AGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ICTAP): If applicable this would include Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition. CURRENT OR FORMER POLITICAL APPOINTEES: If this is applicable, please note on your resume and attach an SF-50. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the hiring manager and HR office.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Read all instructions before you begin. Click "Apply Online." Complete the application and attach all required documents. Submit by 11:59 PM ET on the 07/07/2026. Resume Tips: Max 2 pages and 5MB file size. PDF is recommended to preserve formatting; we also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, ODT, or Word (DOC/DOCX). No PDF portfolios. Use clear fonts like Lato, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto, or Noto Sans. Set 0.5-inch margins. Use 14-point font for titles, 10-point for main text. Managing Your Application: Update: Edit your application in USAJOBS before the closing date. Status: Log into USAJOBS to view your application status. Learn more here: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Support: USAJOBS Help: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/ for login.gov or USAJOBS assistance. Application Issues: If you have difficulty applying online, contact the Agency Contact listed in this announcement during business hours. Take screenshots of any system errors. 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 verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; 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://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

What to Expect Next

Once you submit your online application, you will receive a confirmation notification by email that your submission was successful. After the closing of the announcement, we will review applications. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. We will notify you of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete. If you are interested in being added to our Schedule A or 30% or more Disabled Veterans repository, please submit your information by using the below links. https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/859568600 - 30 Percent or More Disabled Veteran Repository 2026 for Department of Energy Headquarters and their associated field offices. https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/859568900 - Schedule A Repository 2026 for Department of Energy Headquarters and their associated field offices.

Additional Information

The U.S. Department of Energy fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Your position may be eligible for workplace flexibilities which may include remote work or telework options, and/or flexible work scheduling. These flexibilities may be requested in accordance with the DOE Workplace Flexibilities policy. New employees to the Department of Energy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www....

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements: All applicants MUST: Meet the minimum education requirements of successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) with a professional law degree Juris Doctor (J.D); AND Must be a current, active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: GS-15 Qualifications: Sound and sophisticated understanding of advanced legal concepts and significant legal policy/regulatory issues. Progressively responsible experience handling significant legal matters. Consistent ability to significantly advance Department interests in matters with exceedingly difficult/complex factual or legal questions. GS-14 Qualifications: Sound legal training and experience in handling significant legal issues and matters. Sound and authoritative knowledge of legal principles, laws, administrative/judicial decisions, statutes, and regulations, and the ability to advance the Department's policies and programmatic interests. Ability to provide sound legal advice to DOE officials, handle broad and complex legal issues (including statutory interpretation), prepare litigation documents in complex matters, and review documents for legal sufficiency to minimize litigation risk. GS-13 Qualifications: Legal training and increasingly responsible experience in effectively handling litigation cases and related issues. Highly knowledgeable in federal and DOE litigation cases/issues, with a thorough understanding of legal principles, laws, administrative/judicial decisions, statutes, and regulations impacting Departmental legal cases, and the ability to apply this to significant DOE matters. Increasingly responsible experience in litigation matters, and ability to prepare factually/legally sound litigation work products with minimal supervision. GS-12 Qualifications: Legal training and experience in handling litigation cases and related issues. Knowledge of federal and Department of Energy litigation cases/issues (including decisions, statutes, regulations), and ability to apply this to significant DOE matters. Experience analyzing litigation, advising on legal matters, and producing litigation documents. GS-11 Qualifications: Sound legal training from an accredited law school. Knowledge of legal cases, issues, principles, administrative/judicial decisions, statutes, and regulations affecting Department programs and litigation. Ability to analyze litigation, provide legal advice, and prepare legal briefs/documents. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.