About This Position
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of the Chief Counsel, is responsible for rendering legal services and furnishing legal advice on all areas of FHWA program responsibility. The Attorney-Advisor will serve as a member of the Office of the Chief Counsel, Field Legal Services-West, Lakewood, CO or Matteson, IL.
Qualifications
To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following: GRADE 11 - A law degree (J.D.) and bar membership in good standing. GRADE 12 - A law degree (J.D.), bar membership in good standing AND EITHER at least one (1) year of professional legal work experience of a progressively responsible nature OR a second law degree (LL.M). GRADE 13 - A law degree (J.D.), bar membership in good standing AND EITHER at least two (2) years of professional legal work experience of a progressively responsible nature; OR a second law degree (LL.M) AND at least one (1) year of professional legal work experience.
GRADE 14 - A law degree (J.D.), bar membership in good standing AND EITHER at least three (3) years of professional legal work experience of a progressively responsible nature OR a second law degree (LL.M) AND at least two (2) years of professional legal work experience of a progressively responsible nature. 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: Administrative Law: Knowledge of Federal administrative laws, including statutes, regulations, procedures, guidance, and precedents. Environmental Law: Knowledge of Federal environmental laws, including statutes, regulations, procedures, guidance, and precedents.
Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience. 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. For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4 All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Major Duties
As an Attorney Advisor,the successful candidate for this position will be responsible for rendering legal services and furnishing legal advice on aspects of all areas of Division responsibility, with an emphasis on environmental and infrastructure issues. Such legal services and advice significantly affect policy of the programs of the agency. The legal services are delivered in a highly interactive, fast-paced environment, and often on short timelines.
The functions of Field Legal Services-West Division include, but are not limited to: Planning, Environment, and Realty: Provides legal services as to matters related to statewide and regional transportation planning. Provides legal services in connection with environmental, social, and economic aspects of FHWA's programs, and the application of environmental laws to those programs. Provides legal services relative to highway beautification, land acquisition, land use, condemnation, control of rights of way, airspace utilization, and relocation assistance.
Environmental and Other Litigation: Provides legal services in connection with litigation involving planning, environment, real estate, infrastructure, DBE, civil rights, and other external matters. Assists field counsel, Department of Justice, DOT Office of General Counsel, and State attorneys when appropriate. Infrastructure: Provides legal services in connection with contract matters.
Provides legal services in connection with toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries. Provides legal advice and services related to current and innovative financing of highway projects, and public/private partnerships (PPPs). Provides legal services associated with Federal-aid suspensions and debarments, and infrastructure related Federal tort matters (including assistance to counsel located in the field).
Provides legal services in connection with the Emergency Relief Program. Fiscal Services: Provides legal assistance regarding determinations of eligibility for Federal funding, authorizations, Federal-aid apportionments, limitations, and related external budgetary and fiscal matters. Safety and Operations: Provides legal advice and services related to Federal aid highway safety programs, such as the Hazard Elimination Program, the Highway/Rail Safety Crossing Program, and those safety programs jointly administered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, including the review of State compliance with Federal requirements.
Provides legal advice and services related to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), and truck size and weight limits. The ideal candidate for this position is an individual with excellent legal research and writing skills, who can handle and prioritize multiple competing tasks and a diverse workload while maintaining collegial working relationships. This individual has a demonstrated interest in, and work experience related to environmental and infrastructure issues.
The ideal candidate will provide a cover letter (maximum two pages) explaining his/her specific interest in this position and highlighting his/her relevant work experience regarding environmental and infrastructure issues.
Conditions of Employment
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position.
This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period. ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties.
Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 263. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
Education
MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for this position, candidates must have successfully completed a full course of study for a J.D. Degree in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree and must currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of a State or Territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series.
The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here.
How You Will Be Evaluated
DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational and specialized experience requirements.
Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official. The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package. If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Additional Information
INTERVIEW PROCESS: Applicants who are invited to advance to a later stage of the hiring process may be afforded one or more interviews and asked to complete a practical exercise and/or provide a writing sample. The results of the interview(s), practical exercise, and writing sample will be considered in the hiring process As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: 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 2-year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S.
Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, [email protected]. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
How to Apply
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/ If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at [email protected].
Required Documents
The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position. Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application. RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/ COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE. PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. WRITING SAMPLE - If selected for an interview, a writing sample may be requested.
VETERANS: Department of Transportation 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, the Department of Transportation considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.
Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.
You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.