Attorney-Adviser

US Headquarters, NASA; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 105,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

The NASA Office of the General Counsel seeks an Attorney Advisor (Employment and General Law) to advise on federal personnel law, employment discrimination, labor relations, ethics, and related matters. You will counsel senior managers, review agency policies, and defend discrimination complaints in hearings or litigation.

This position requires a J.D./LL.B., active U.S. bar admission, and litigation experience at GS-14/15 levels; you will work in a General Law Practice Group handling a broad

Qualifications

• Must have J.D. or LL.B. from ABA-accredited school; active bar in good standing; admitted to practice before state or federal court.
• GS-14/GS-15 requires one year of directly related specialized experience in federal personnel law, employment discrimination, labor relations or related areas.
• Graduate law degree (LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience also acceptable.

Responsibilities

• Provide oral and written legal guidance to managers, supervisors and EEO officers on federal personnel law, employment discrimination, labor relations, and related issues.
• Draft briefs, conduct discovery, take/defend depositions, and handle litigation in federal employment and general law areas with minimal oversight.
• Represent clients in formal administrative and federal civil litigation, and support regulatory review, ethics, and information-release matters.

Skills

Oral and written guidance

Federal personnel law

Employment discrimination law

Labor relations

Litigation support

Brief writing and discovery

Education

J.D. or LL.B. from ABA-accredited law school

Active bar membership in a U.S. state/DC/PR

Admitted to practice before state or federal court

Job description

You will serve as an Attorney Advisor (Employment and General Law) in the General Law Practice Group, within the NASA Office of the General Counsel. The Group provides legal counsel on ethics, fiscal, employment, information, and other administrative law matters and represents the Agency in litigation and hearings. You will perform duties in general law areas, with a focus on employment, including counseling senior managers and defending judicial and administrative discrimination complaints.

Basic Requirements for all grade levels

You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from a full course of study at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and have been admitted to practice law before a state or federal court.

To qualify for the GS-14:

you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above).

In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied:

One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level:

• Offering oral and written legal guidance on federal personnel law, employment discrimination law, labor relations, and other legal issues to managers, supervisors and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) officers, including addressing grievances and discrimination complaints informally;
• Providing legal guidance to clients in general law practice areas, such as fiscal, security, release of information, ethics, environmental, administrative, legislative review, regulatory review or other areas;
• Completing tasks, such as writing and reviewing briefs, conducting discovery, taking and defending depositions, and otherwise handling litigation in areas like federal employment law, labor law, EEO law, and other general law practice areas with minimal oversight;
• Supporting representation of clients in formal administrative and federal civil litigation.

OR

A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above.

To qualify for the GS-15:

you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above).

In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied:

One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level:

• Delivering expert oral and written legal counsel on complex federal personnel law, employment discrimination law, labor relations, and other specialized legal matters to management, supervisors, and EEO officers, including the proactive informal resolution of employee grievances, disputes, and discrimination complaints;
• Providing legal guidance to senior leadership and other clients in general law practice areas, such as fiscal, security, release of information, ethics, environmental, administrative, legislative review, regulatory review, or other areas;
• Managing and executing tasks, such as writing and reviewing briefs, conducting discovery, taking and defending depositions, and otherwise handling litigation independently in areas such as federal employment law, labor law, EEO law, and other general law practice areas;
• Representing clients in formal administrative and federal civil litigation.

OR

A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above.

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.