General Attorney (Veterans)

Summary

This is an OPEN CONTINOUS ANNOUNCEMENT, applications will be accepted until December 31, 2026 or until vacancies are filled. The Court of Appeals Litigation Group (CALG) is a part of the Veterans Programs Group, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Counsel (OGC) located in Washington, DC. CALG represent VA in all litigation filed in the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).

Duties

The attorney prepares and files motions, pleadings, briefs, appellate records, and any other related actions required under Court rules pursuant to an order of the Court; represent the Department court-sponsored mediation conferences, advocating the Department's interests in complex matters involving experienced and sophisticated opposing counsel presenting oral argument on behalf of the Department before Federal judges in open Court; initiating and responding to settlement negotiations as appropriate, and following them through to resolution. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30pm. Compressed/Flexible: Available Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exemption. Telework: Position is eligible for Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: PD33058-A, PD33059-A, PD33060-A, and PD33061-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized NOTE: This position is temporary, not to exceed one year, but may be extended for an additional year. If permanent funding is obtained, the selected applicant(s) may be converted to a permanent appointment. Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one or two 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 one or two year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/31/2026. Basic Requirements: All attorneys in the GS-0905 series must be active members in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and must hold a current, unrestricted license to practice law. Quality of Experience: Applicants must possess a total of four years of progressively responsible experience, which can include one year of relevant experience gained before admission to the bar. This experience can be from one or a combination of the following types: Practice of law includes private, state, or Federal practice in any field of law. Other legal experience of a responsible nature is experience in any one or a combination of the following performed in a law office, government office, or in the legal department of a business establishment, in the armed forces, or other Federal service: Conducting legal research, analyzing statues, writing legal opinions Writing authoritative or advisory legal opinions involving interpretation of state or Federal laws, regulations, and orders, or the drafting of such regulations or orders; or Drafting, analyzing, and other legal activities with respect to bills, regulations, Executive Orders, proclamations, or statutory provisions. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of experience or less in the practice of law or meets qualification through the Superior Qualification Program. GS-12 Specialized Experience: Possession of a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree OR possession of a Juris Doctor (JD) degree in a field of law directly pertinent to the work of the position to be filled as evidenced by transcripts and identified as a selective factor in the position description or subsequent position descriptions in a position ladder OR Two years of progressively responsible experience as described in paragraph 3a of which a maximum of one year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates experience performing similar legal work and responsibilities as described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type I, in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905 OR meets qualification through the Superior Qualification Program OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have possession of a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree. GS-13 Specialized Experience: Three years of progressively responsible experience as described in paragraph 3a, of which a maximum of one year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates experience performing similar work and responsibilities as described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type II, in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905. GS-14 Specialized Experience: Four years of progressively responsible experience as described in paragraph 3a, of which a maximum of one year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates experience performing similar work and responsibilities as described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type III and Level of Responsibility D in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Litigation Analytical Reasoning Self Management Communication Critical Thinking 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; religions; 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. Note: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list the grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Local Commuting Area: This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office. How You Will Be Evaluated

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire." This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until December 31, 2026 or until the position is filled. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 6th, with subsequent cut-off dates every Friday until the position is filled or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be contacted for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. Area of Consideration: Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order: The public Cut-off Date: This announcement will remain open until the closing date, 12/31/2026. The cut-off date is November 6, 2026. The cut-off date will be used to evaluate candidates for the initial available vacancy. Applications received after November 6, 2026 may not receive consideration during the initial review period. During the application process, you will have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Benefits

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Other Information

Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.