Closing Date: 17th November, 2026
Description:
Summary:The position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of the General Counsel (OGC). The Attorney provides legal advice and drafts administrative decisions on complex matters arising under the laws VA administers. The position focuses on VA benefits law and the oversight of attorneys, claims agents, and veterans service organizations (VSOs), and often involves constitutional law, administrative law, professional responsibility, and litigation procedure.
Duties:
The attorney will:
- Drafts a variety of legal documents involving the accreditation, discipline, and fees of representatives who represent Veterans under the laws administered by VA and VA benefits.
- Work closely with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to represent VA before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
- Draft and review proposed legislation, legislative testimony and views, regulations, administrative opinions and decision, correspondence, and other documents.
- Provide written and oral legal guidance to VA offices.
- Conduct through legal research and analysis to support Department actions.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30pm.
Compressed/Flexible: Available
Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption.
Telework: Position is eligible for Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: PD20321A, PD20322A, PD20323A, and PD20324A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Subject to background/security investigation
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
- Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
- Upon completion of your two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Qualifications:
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/17/2026.
Basic Requirements:
All attorneys in the GS-0905 series must be active members in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and must hold a current, unrestricted license to practice law.
Quality of Experience: Applicants must possess a total of four years of progressively responsible experience, which can include one year of relevant experience gained before admission to the bar. This experience can be from one or a combination of the following types:
You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
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; religions; 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.
Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list the grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rat
- Practice of law includes private, state, or Federal practice in any field of law.
- Other legal experience of a responsible nature is experience in any one or a combination of the following performed in a law office, government office, or in the legal department of a business establishment, in the armed forces, or other Federal service:
- Conducting legal research, analyzing statues, writing legal opinions
- Writing authoritative or advisory legal opinions involving interpretation of state or Federal laws, regulations, and orders, or the drafting of such regulations or orders; or
- Drafting, analyzing, and other legal activities with respect to bills, regulations, Executive Orders, proclamations, or statutory provisions.
- GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of experience or less in the practice of law or meets qualification through the Superior Qualification Program.
- GS-12 Specialized Experience: Possession of a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree OR possession of a Juris Doctor (JD) degree in a field of law directly pertinent to the work of the position to be filled as evidenced by transcripts and identified as a selective factor in the position description or subsequent position descriptions in a position ladder OR Two years of progressively responsible experience as described in paragraph 3a of which a maximum of one year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates experience performing similar legal work and responsibilities as described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type I, in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905 OR meets qualification through the Superior Qualification Program Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: OR,
- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have possession of a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree.
- GS-13 Specialized Experience: Three years of progressively responsible experience as described in paragraph 3a, of which a maximum of one year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates experience performing similar work and responsibilities as described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type II, in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905.
- GS-14 Specialized Experience: Four years of progressively responsible experience as described in paragraph 3a, of which a maximum of one year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates experience performing similar work and responsibilities as described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type III and Level of Responsibility D in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905.
- Customer Service
- Attention to detail
- Decisiveness
- Writing:
- Decision Making
- Oral Communications
- Planning and Evaluating
- Reasoning
- Strategic Thinking
- Written Communication
- Technical Competence
- Decision Support
Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list the grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rat