Attorney Advisor

Summary

You will serve as a Attorney Advisor within the Office of the Solicitor, Intermountain Region.

You may be required to travel overnight away from home occasionally

Duties

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As an Attorney-Adviser with the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Intermountain region, Phoenix Field Office, located in Phoenix, AZ your specific duties will include:

• Providing advice on and legal services for matters pertaining to the various agencies within the Department of the Interior, primarily for, but not limited to, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• Providing advice and legal services to the Department of the Interior on federal Indian aw and public lands management.
• Providing advice on and legal services on matters relating to laws and regulations of general applicability to Federal agencies, such as the Freedom of Information Act, Federal Advisory Committee Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, federal appropriation laws, property acquisition, and the Federal Acquisition Regulations.
• Providing litigation support on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior and various Interior agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to the Department of Justice, and practicing before the Interior Board of Land Appeals and Interior Board of Indian Appeals.
• Involves knowledge of federal Indian law; public lands law; contracts, financial assistance, and cooperative agreements; federal and state litigation procedure; the federal Indian trust responsibility and statutes relating to interactions between the federal government and Tribes; federal environmental laws; real property laws; the ability to analyze legal requirements and succinctly provide advice and counsel to technical/non-legal professionals; and the ability to interact and negotiate with outside entities, including Tribes, States, and local governmental entities, regarding contracts, agreements, and other matters.

Salary Range Information (Per Annum): *First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

Phoenix, AZ.:

GS-12: step 1 $93,629.00 - step 10 $121,720.00

GS-13: step 1 $111,338.00 - step 10 $144,741.00

GS-14: step1 $131,568.00 - step 10 $171,043.00

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/.

• Requirement. Active bar membership is required for all attorneys engaged in the practice of law in Federal government.

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
• If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements and/or a procurement integrity certification of compliance upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.
• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.

Qualifications

Basic Qualification Requirements: Applicants must be law school graduates with LL.B. or J.D. degrees AND must be an active member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.

• To qualify for a GS-12 applicants must possess at least 2-years of professional legal experience following law school graduation;
• To qualify for a GS-13 applicants must possess at least 3-years of professional legal experience following law school graduation;
• To qualify for a GS-14 applicants must possess at least 4.5-years of professional legal experience following law school graduation;

For any of the grades indicated above you can substitute one year of experience with any of the following:

Have a second professional law degree;

OR

Meet any of the criteria indicated below:

1. academic standing in top one-third of law school graduating class;

2. graduation with academic honors;

3. significant participation on the law school's law review;

4. significant participation in the law school's moot court competition;

5. significant participation in a clinical legal aid program;

6. significant summer law office clerk experience; or

7. other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.

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.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website :https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification

Additional information

This position is in the excepted service and not subject to competitive service procedures.

Merit promotion procedures do not apply.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.

The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

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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

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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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.