Summary

This position is located at Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of General Counsel.

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Duties

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This position is located in the Office of General Counsel (OGC), Legal Service Center. OGC is the chief legal office of the Department, the principal legal adviser to the Secretary and staff of HUD, and the head of the Departmental Enforcement Center. OGC provides legal opinions, advice, and services with respect to all Departmental programs and activities, and assists in the development of HUD programs and policies. OGC also provides functional legal counsel on defensive and affirmative litigation and the development of legislation and regulations.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-14. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

As a Trial Attorney, you will:

• Provide legal counsel, review, and assistance regarding all types of litigation, including both affirmative and defensive litigation.
• Advise and counsel on a variety of complex litigation with respect to all programs within the jurisdiction.
• Provide guidance with respect to affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement and other enforcement activities, and procurement.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Candidates will be selected for a job assigned to one of the official duty stations listed in this announcement. Failure to report to duty at the location for which the candidate is selected may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.

Key Requirements:

• Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
• A one year probationary period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation.
• Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
• Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
• Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form i-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
• Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
• Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment."

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements: Applicants MUST:

(1) be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.;

(2) be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and

(3) meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.

AND

Requirements for meeting the GS-12 Education:

First professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus two (2) years of professional legal experience at least one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 in the federal service. OR

Second professional law degree (LL.M.), plus one (1) year specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11. OR

Superior law student work (academic standing in the upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the schools official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus one (1) year of specialized experience which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.

AND

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience at the GS-12.

Specialized Experience for the GS-12, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
• Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement, OR
• Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
• Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
• Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.

Requirements for meeting the GS-13 Education:

First professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus three (3) years of professional legal experience one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12. OR

Second professional law degree (LL.M.), plus two (2) years of professional legal experience at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12. OR

Superior law student work (academic standing in the upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the schools official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to GS-12.

AND

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience at the GS-13.

Specialized Experience for the GS-13, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
• Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement, OR
• Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
• Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
• Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.

Requirements for meeting the GS-14 Education:

First professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus four (4) years of professional legal experience at least one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13. OR

Second professional law degree (LL.M.), plus three (3) years of professional legal experience at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 OR

Superior law student work (academic standing in the upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the schools official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to GS-13.

In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience at the GS-14.

Specialized Experience for the GS-14, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

• Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
• Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement, OR
• Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
• Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
• Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume.

Education

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

Additional information

OTHER INFORMATION:

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
• Relocation expenses will not be paid.
• Relocation incentive will not be paid.
• Recruitment incentive will not be paid.
• This is a non-bargaining unit position.
• This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.
• This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for similar positions across HUD. During the online application process, you will be asked to specify if you would like your application information shared with other hiring managers in the Program Office listed in this announcement or in other HUD Program Offices. Opting to share your application information will not impact your application for this announcement, nor will it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):

HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics.

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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.