Attorney-Adviser

GLO is one of several law offices in OGC and consists of four practice group areas - employment and labor law, information access law, information management law, and information technology/ intellectual property law (eDiscovery). This position is for an employment law attorney in GLO's employment and labor law practice group, which advises on, among other things, issues arising under various employment law statutes and regulations such as the Federal Employment Compensation Act of 1916; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978; the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989; the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993; the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008; and the Pregnant Worker's Fairness Act of 2023.

At the highest advertised grade, you will:

• Initiate contact with program officials and other persons having knowledge of the facts involved in the problem or case under study; obtain information and/or legal references pertinent to the problem under study; study legal precedents; and prepare oral and written recommendations for review by supervisors, as appropriate.
• Research, interpret and analyze policies, procedures, regulations, statutes, court decisions and administrative rulings; research legal authority for use by higher-graded attorneys in the preparation of documents conveying legal counseling advice, or alternatively legal briefs and motions in connection with pending litigation, and identify and assess overlapping legal issues to ensure a consistent, coherent, and sound approach to legal counseling.

If you are hired at a lower grade level, your duties will be less complex and you will have more supervisory oversight. You may be promoted to more complex duties and work more independently, as your career progresses. NOTE: Career ladder promotions are not automatic, and all eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met in order to progress to the next grade level.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
#LI-Onsite

You must be a U.S. citizen.

If you have not yet passed the bar exam, offer of employment will be contingent upon admission to the bar and licensure/authorization to practice as an attorney.

You must self-certify annually and in writing that you hold an active bar membership.

If you are selected, you may be required to complete a trial period (two years if you are not a preference eligible; one year if you are a preference eligible).

This position is designated as High Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver's license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver's license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security (https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dhs.gov%2Freal-id&data=05%7C02%7CCurtis.Susan%40epa.gov%7C2c7d5b62d9a74c452c4c08dd0a320462%7C88b378b367484867acf976aacbeca6a7%7C0%7C0%7C638677932622165029%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jC78w3UVEoV4boT8JTVG3%2Fnv6chNlhHQgh78MSJKG0o%3D&reserved=0) and REAL ID FAQs. (https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dhs.gov%2Freal-id%2Freal-id-faqs&data=05%7C02%7CCurtis.Susan%40epa.gov%7C2c7d5b62d9a74c452c4c08dd0a320462%7C88b378b367484867acf976aacbeca6a7%7C0%7C0%7C638677932622177920%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oCMXJqnb4dsF7f77zTQUdGO8bpIZQksw7T5SoC1%2BgHE%3D&reserved=0)

If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.

Qualifications:
Note: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the educational requirements, you must meet the minimum grade-specific qualifications as described below:
To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must have either:

• an LL.M. degree
• OR
• at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level defined as law clerk experience at the Federal, state or local level, performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; or composing pleadings, briefs, or other documents involving legal issues in counseling or litigation.
• OR
• completed superior law student activities while earning a J.D. degree. Superior law student activities include:
• Academic standing in upper third of law school graduating class;
• Work or achievement of significance on law school's law review;
• Special high-level honors for academic excellence, such as election to Order of the Coif;
• Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team representing the law school in competition with other law schools;
• Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program or significant summer law office clerk experience; or
• Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement, as determined by the hiring office and documented in writing for the case file.

To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level defined as performing legal analysis and research; drafting legal memoranda, pleadings, or other documents involving legal issues in counseling or litigation; or assisting higher-graded attorneys in legal counseling or litigation.

You will need the following competencies in order to perform the duties of this position successfully, and you will be evaluated on these competencies:

• Attention to detail
• Critical Thinking
• Environmental or Other Relevant Laws and Regulations
• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence
• Oral Communication
• Problem Solving
• Technical Competence
• Written Communication

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, 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.

If you have part-time work experience, read this: Part-Time Experience. (https://www.epa.gov/careers/epa-job-vacancy-announcements-policies-and-procedures#parttime)

Education:
You must:

• possess a J.D. or LL.M. degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university or equivalent apprentice experience as allowed per state law; and
• be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; and
• be an active member of the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction in good standing.

Note: Bar membership and licensure are not required at the time of application, but you must be admitted to the bar and obtain your license before entry on duty.

For information about accreditation requirements, visit Accreditation. (https://www.epa.gov/careers/epa-job-vacancy-announcements-policies-and-procedures#edu)

Additional Information:
This position is excluded from provisions of the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP).

Selection under this appointment authority does not confer civil service competitive status.

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the So

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