Closing Date: 30th September, 2026
Description:
Summary:The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a civilian appellate defense litigation specialist, providing expert legal counsel, advice, and guidance to clients authorized to receive assistance pursuant to Article 70, Unifonn Code of Military Justice.
Duties:
Serve as a death-penalty litigation expert. Provides expert legal consel, advice and guidance in extremely complex and sensitive cases. Render substantive legal advice to clients on all aspects Of death penalty appellate litigation,
Represent clients authorized to receive appellate defense counsel assistance pursuant to Article 70, Uniform Code Of Military Justice. Conduct a thorough review of court-martial records oftrial and accompanying documents to identify saltent appellate facts and issues.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- If authorized, PCS will be paid IAW JTR and AF Regulations. If receiving an authorized PCS, you may be subject to completing/signing a CONUS agreement. More information on PCS requirements, may be found at: https://afciviliancareers.com/regulatory/
- Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov.
- Attorney appointments are subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
- Candidates are not required to have active duty service or veterans' preference to be referred and considered. All qualified candidates who meet the recruitment assessment criteria will be referred to the selecting official.
- Depending on the type of position (competitive/excepted) you are selected for, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period.
- Upon completion of your probationary/trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance
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.
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:
- Possess extensive knowledge of federal criminal law and procedures, constitutional law, judicial practices and procedures, and the Uniform Code Of Military Justice, with an emphasis on death-penalty litigation.
- possess at least five years of criminal or appellate litigation experience as a prosecutor, defense counsel, or appellate counsel.
- Capital litigation experience and skill as lead defense counsel in military capital litigation cases. Skill in the techniques of legal research to include computerized research.
- Graduate from an ABA-approved law school and be admitted to practice law in the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, or a federal court. Ability to communicate effectively both Orally and in writing.
- Comply With all requirements specified in Air Force Instruction 51-107, Employment Attorneys. Knowledge Of safety and security regulations, practices and procedures.
- Understanding Of and compliance With ethical requirements and current criminal rules of procedure of the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the Supreme Court Of the United States.
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.
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.
Additional Information:
Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.
Writing Example: Prior to receiving an offer, you will be asked to provide a writing sample demonstrating your legal analytical skills.
120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.
Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit.
Incentives: Recruitment and/or retention incentives may or may not be used.
Disabled veteran leave (https://www.opm.gov/fedshirevets/current-veteran-employees/leave-administration/) is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here. (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/disabled-veteran-leave/)
If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here. (tfsc_1@mypersmail.af.mil)
Additional Information:
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits:
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits. (https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/benefits?_gl=1*f2u6a9*_ga*NjQ0MjQ5MzQ5LjE3MjU1OTI5OTA.*_ga_CLZB1LJ1VZ*czE3ODk3MDIwNDUkbzIyJGcxJHQxNzg5NzA0MTk0JGo1NCRsMCRoMA..)
Review our benefits (https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/)
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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:
Review our benefits (https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/)
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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