GENERAL ATTORNEY (LABOR, EMPLOYMENT, AND LITIGATION)
About This Position
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is seeking a General Attorney in the General Litigation and Administrative Practice Group in Washington, DC. If selected, you will serve as a General Attorney (Labor, Employment, and Litigation) handling litigation against the Commission and provide advice and represent the agency on matters involving employment and labor law and related matters.
Qualifications
Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the How You Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review. Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector.
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. Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENT: All applicants must possess the following J.D.
OR
LL.B. degree --AND-- Active membership of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Note: proof of bar membership will be required before entry on duty. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT:
In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement. SK-14: Applicant must have at least three years of post J.D. work experience independently identifying legal issues, providing legal analyses, providing legal solutions/recommendations, and preparing legal documents, such as settlement agreements, pleadings, and motions, which also includes at least two years: Providing legal advice (both written and oral) to senior management officials on complex legal issues governed by the federal statutes, rules, and regulations relevant to labor and employment law; AND Defending large employers (e.g., a federal agency or corporation) in litigation before the EEOC, at arbitration, and/or in federal district court.
Major Duties
This position is in the Labor, Employment, and Litigation subgroup, a component of the Administrative Practice Group in the Office of the General Counsel. The subgroup defends the Commission in administrative and federal court litigation, and its responsibilities include: Providing legal advice to the Commission and its operating divisions and offices on labor and employment law issues. Representing the agency in all phases of administrative and federal court litigation, including during discovery, hearings and appeals.
Reviewing agency policies and procedures for legal sufficiency. Conducting legal research and preparing memoranda on labor and employment law matters. Providing legal advice on all other applicable laws and regulations concerning the management and operation of the agency.
Education
ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY?
You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. If you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts or equivalent by the closing date of the announcement.
Internal Applicants: OHR will verify education qualifications for internal applicants using documents in the Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF). If required transcripts or certificates are not present in your eOPF, you will be required to provide them to OHR. If selected, a start date will not be established until official transcripts are received.
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. For more information, click here.
Applicants may also find the following helpful: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is an association of 19 credential evaluation services with admission standards and an enforced code of good practice. Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services with a board of advisors and an enforced code of ethics
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your resume and application package will be reviewed to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements outlined in this announcement. If you are found minimally qualified, a rating panel will review your resume and Accomplishment Record narratives. Submitting a Performance Appraisal does not fulfill the requirement for an Accomplishment Record.
Accomplishment Record narrative should clearly demonstrate your proficiency in the following competencies: Civil Litigation: Implements litigation strategies and represents the Commission in court or administrative proceedings. Workload Management: Effectively prioritizes workload in a way that accommodates unforeseen developments and achieves successful outcomes. Critical Thinking: Considers a variety of factors, general and subject matter-specific, when making decisions and determining next steps in a case.
Teamwork and Collaboration: Interacts with internal and external stakeholders in a manner that advances SEC goals and objectives.
Your resume must provide evidence that supports the claims made in your Accomplishment Record narratives; both documents must effectively showcase your qualifications. Each competency narrative should detail one specific, relevant example from your training or experience. Please limit each response to a maximum of 300 words, as any text beyond this limit will not be considered during the evaluation.
You will upload one pdf or Word document with your narrative responses to each of the four competencies.
Your responses must be in the below format: Competency Title Position title and dates from your resume that this experience was obtained Describe the situation (i.e., the challenged faced, the problem solved) Describe the specific actions you took State the outcome, results, or long-term impact of your accomplishment Name and email address of someone who can verify this information Basis for Rating: The rating panel will evaluate applicants' accomplishment records and resume, then place them into one of the following categories: Highly Qualified, Well Qualified and Qualified. Highly Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has extensive skills and experience in most of the job related competencies above. Well Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and has a moderate amount of skills and experience in most of the job related competencies above.
Qualified - Meets the minimum qualification requirements, but may have a limited amount of experience in several of the job related competencies. Top ranked applicants will be referred to the hiring office for further review and consideration. The hiring office may directly contact recommended candidates for interview(s).
When the selection is made, applicants will be sent a referral status notification and a final disposition notification. To preview the Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12907134
Additional Information
SEC COMPENSATION PROGRAM: Total salary (base pay + locality) is dependent upon duty location. The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes; a selectee's initial pay will be established below the maximum rate of the range. The pay for current SEC employees will be determined according to the procedures specified in the agency's policy.
Please click here for a compensation overview. Disability Employment: For information on disability appointments, please visit http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/ Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in the SEC application process due to a medical disability, please contact [email protected]. For religious-based accommodations, please contact [email protected] .
Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Information for SEC Job Applicants: Federal EEO laws protect all applicants from discrimination on the following bases: race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. Applicants who believe they have been discriminated against on any EEO basis can seek recourse through the SEC's administrative complaints process.
To be timely, an individual must enter the EEO process within 45 days from when they know (or should have known) of the alleged discrimination.
Click here for additional information. The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting the Legal and Policy Office in the Office of Human Resources at [email protected].
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application.
You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.
You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position.
Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your 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/.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes: Required: Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire. Required: Resume - To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the specialized experience related to this position within your two-page resume - NOT TO EXCEED 2 PAGES. Resumes over the 2-page limit, will not be reviewed beyond page
- It is recommended that you include the title, series, and grade (e.g. Human Resources Specialist, SK-0201-14) for all relevant Federal experience.
Your resume should highlight the competencies required for the position and include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualification(s) and include specific employment dates (month and year and start and ends dates) and differentiate between full-time and part-time work. To help ensure the resume review fully credits your relevant experience, we recommend clearly referencing the competency and specialized experience demonstrated in each position or example you include in your resume. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position.
Candidates external to the SEC will be allowed to submit a comprehensive resume for pay setting purposes after a tentative offer is made. If the applicant fails to provide the comprehensive resume by the specified deadline, the resume submitted at the time of application will be used to determine pay. No additional documentation will be accepted after the deadline.
Note: your resume must NOT contain pictures. For external candidates: Information on how your resume will be used for pay setting purposes can be found here. If you are a current SEC employee selected for this position, the standard percentage increases will be applied (i.e., 6% for non-supervisory and 10% for supervisory positions) if your selection results in a promotion.
If your selection results in lateral movement (i.e. no change in grade) you will maintain your current salary. If your selection results in a change in grade from an SK-15 to an SK-16 you will maintain your current salary. For helpful guidance for writing a two-page resume, click here.
Required, if applicable: Veteran's documentation (DD-214, member 4 copy or other documentation containing dates of service and character of discharge.) Required: Accomplishment Record - For each competency, applicants must provide a 300 word or less written narrative describing one example of competency-related experience. Each example should document the position title and dates when the experience was obtained, detailed information about the problem or situation, the specific actions taken by the applicant, and the results or outcomes achieved by those actions. The applicant will also provide the name and contact information of an individual who can verify the provided information.
This document must be uploaded to the application under Accomplishment Record. An accomplishment record submitted outside the USA Staffing system will not be accepted. Failure to provide the Accomplishment Record will result in a rating of IFFM: You were not considered because you did not submit all required documents and/or they were not in English as specified in the announcement.
Required: Unofficial Transcripts/Registration/License - If education is a qualification for this position, you must submit a copy of your unofficial transcripts with your application. If you are selected for the position, you will need to provide an official transcript along with your certificate of good standing.