General Attorney

Summary

This position is located in the U.S Merit Systems Protection Board, Office of General Counsel, Washington, DC. MSPB oversees federal merit systems and enforces compliance with merit systems principles, statutes, and regulations, primarily through adjudicating appeals of certain agency personnel actions. As relevant to this position, OGC provides legal advice on a broad range of internal agency matters, drafts certain Board decisions, and defends the Board's decisions before the federal courts.

Duties

The below description of duties represents the position of a non- supervisory attorney in the Office of General Counsel who is, at the full performance level, working on a mix of cases that spans the range of levels of complexity and difficulty. The duties may include, but are not limited to: Represents the Board in proceeding before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, other appellate courts, the district courts, and administrative tribunals; monitors cases litigated by the Department of Justice. Prepares draft opinions and orders on petitions for enforcement, regulation review requests, and other cases assigned by the Board. Prepares legal opinions of specific points of law upon request by the Board or program offices. Provides legal advice on one or more of the following areas: Internal labor relations and employment matters; the Freedom of Information Act; the Privacy Act; the Sunshine Act; the MSPB's Touhy regulations; contracts, procurement and appropriations law; and the Administrative Procedure Act. Supports legislative activity functions by responding to Congressional correspondence, providing briefings for Congressional staff members, and conducting analysis of bills relating to MSPB. Supports the regulatory function by drafting and coordinating the issuance of Board regulations. Supports the Inspector General function by conducting investigations and drafting decisions and letters. Qualifications

To qualify, you must be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of a state, Territory, or the District of Columbia and meet the following requirements by the closing date of the announcement. GS-905-12: The first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus one of the following: a. One year of professional legal experience at the level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-11; or two years of professional legal experience, one of which must be at the level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-11; or b. Second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus one year of professional legal experience at the level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-11; or c. One year of professional experience; plus superior law student work (i.e, academic standing in the upper 1/3 of an accredited law school graduating class; work or achievement of significance on the law school's official law review or moot court board; special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school-such as, election to Order of the Coif; winning of a moot court team which represents the law school in competition with other law schools, full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program-as opposed to intermittent or prior to "casual participation"; significant summer law clerk experience; or other evidence of clearly superior achievement). GS-905-13: The first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus one of the following: a. Superior law student work plus two years of professional legal experience in employment law applicable to federal employees and agencies, one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-12; or b. Three years of professional legal experience in employment law applicable to federal employees and agencies, one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-12; or c. Second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus two years of professional legal experience in employment law applicable to federal employees and agencies, one of which must be at the level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-12. GS-905-14: The first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus one of the following: a. Superior law student work plus three years of professional legal experience in employment law applicable to federal employees and agencies, one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-13; or b. Four years of professional legal experience in employment law applicable to federal employees and agencies, one of which must be at level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-13; or c. Second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus three years of professional legal experience in employment law applicable to federal employees and agencies, one of which must be at the level of difficulty comparable to the GS-905-13.

Education

Please see educational qualification requirement information above. Transcripts are required. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your application and assessment responses will be used to determine if you meet minimum qualification requirements. Applications will be reviewed based on the qualifications listed above as well as an applicants' quality of experience and the extent they possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities (or competencies): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Your resume must clearly support the following: Your responses to the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. You are proficient in the areas described in the Major Duties section above. Your resume must include dates of employment and a detailed description of each position you held. Failure to do so may impact your eligibility and may remove you from consideration. Applicants who fail to provide the required information will be determined ineligible. All eligible applications will be referred for further evaluation by subject-matter experts. The selecting official may select any eligible applicant with consideration of an individual's veteran's preference status as a positive factor. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Additional Information - USA Hire Online Assessment All applicants are required to complete the online USA Hire assessment to be considered for the position for this vacancy. Applicants will not be given the opportunity to complete the online USA Hire assessment outside of the assigned assessment window for this vacancy. The assessment window closes 48 hours after the posted closing date and time of the announcement. Other Information

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: 1-800-877-8339. MSPB IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER AND EMPLOYER and employment decisions are based on merit factors only. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in an employment decision by this agency, you have the right to seek counseling to resolve your complaint. You must do so within 45 days of the alleged discrimination action. If you desire to seek counseling, call the MSPB Office of Equal Employment Opportunity at 202 653-6772, Ext 4405. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here. Worksite Information: This position may be eligible to telework or flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. Additional information regarding ad hoc, occasional, or reoccurring telework may be obtained at a later time from the hiring manager or program during the hiring process.