Attorney-Adviser (General)

DLA Careers; Whitehall (OH); On-site; USD 77,000 - 144,000; Full time

Job summary

Defense Logistics Agency seeks an Attorney-Adviser (General) to provide legal advice across multiple areas including Government Contracts, Labor & Employment, and Ethics at the Office of Counsel, Columbus, OH. Duties involve advising management, representing the agency in administrative bodies, and supporting DOJ in federal cases.

The role requires a law degree and bar status, with a non‑critical sensitive security clearance.

Qualifications

• Must have professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B.) and be admitted to a state bar.
• Proof of good standing with the bar of the highest court, dated within 6 months of the closing date.
• Certificate of good standing must be provided before appointment.

Responsibilities

• Provides written and verbal legal advice to management and operating officials to ensure actions comply with laws and policies.
• Represents the Agency before administrative bodies such as GAO, MSPB, ASBCA, and EEOC.
• Assists U.S. Attorneys and DOJ in Federal court cases.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Analytical/legal ability

Communication and teamwork

Interpersonal skills

Administrative law experience

Education

J.D. or LL.B.

Job description

Summary

See below for important information regarding this job.

The duty location will be located at the Office of Counsel - DLA Weapons Support (Columbus),Whitehall, OH.

Position May Be Filled At

GS-11: $77,926 - $101,309

GS-12: $93,400 - $121,422

GS-13: $111,065 - $144,386

Duties

As an Attorney-Adviser (General), you will be responsible for the following duties:

Provides Legal Advice And Services

• If selected at the GS-11 and GS-12 level, duties will be performed in a developmental capacity.
• Performs duties in the following legal areas: Government Contracts, Labor & Employment, Procurement Fraud, Fiscal, Installation, Administrative, and Ethics.
• Researches, analyzes, and interprets applicable legal authorities to address legal questions arising from day-to-day operations.
• Develops and analyzes facts relevant to legal matters presented.
• Provides written and verbal legal advice to management and operating officials to ensure actions taken are in accordance with governing laws, regulations and policies, and to limit litigation risk.
• Represents the Agency before administrative bodies such as the Government Accountability Office, Merit Systems Protections Board, Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
• Assists U.S. Attorneys and Dept. of Justice in Federal court cases.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Tour of Duty: Flexible (https://www.dla.mil/Careers/Join-Our-Team/Benefits/#Work)
• Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive with Secret Access
• Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Bargaining Unit Status: No
• Financial Disclosure Requirement: Required
• Selectees are required to have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification documents to access certain federal facilities. See https://www.tsa.gov/real-id for more information.

Qualifications

• The first professional law degree (LLB. or J.D.);
• Proof that you are licensed and a member in good standing with the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. Annual bar certification cards issued from your state of licensure are not considered acceptable. Proof is a "certificate of good standing" issued by your state of licensure dated within 6 months of the closing date of this announcement or a screenshot of your bar status taken from your state of licensure website that is dated within 6 months of the closing date of this announcement or sworn statement to that effect. If there is not a date on the screen shot, you must provide a statement signed by you on the date that the screen shot was created. The successful applicant selected for employment must provide a "certificate of good standing" issued by their respective bar showing they are in good status and in active status prior to appointment.

In addition to 1 and 2 (listed above), each grade level has the following qualification requirements:

To Qualify at the GS-11 level

• One year of professional legal experience.
• The second professional law degree (Master of Laws (LL.M.)) provided it required 1 full academic year of graduate study.
• Superior law student work or activities as demonstrated by one of the following:
• Academic standing in the upper third of the attorney's law school graduating class.
• Work or achievement of significance on one of the attorney's law school's official law reviews or journals.
• Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school (e.g., membership in the Order of the Coif, winning of a moot court competition, or membership on the moot court team that represents the attorney's law school in competition with other law schools).
• Significant summer law office clerk experience.
• Other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement.

To Qualify at the GS-12 Level

• Two years of professional legal experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level.
• The second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus 1 year of professional legal experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level.
• An attorney without experience may, in unusual cases, be employed at the GS-12 or equivalent level provided the individual has advanced educational attainments substantially beyond those required for work at the GS-11 or equivalent level, and his or her education clearly indicates ability to perform work of the type to be assigned.

To Qualify At The GS-13 Level

You must possess professional legal experience in excess of 2 years commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

In accordance with DoDI 1442.2 (Personnel Actions Involving Civilian Attorneys), promotion for this position is based on the individual's time, performance, and mastery of skills at the required grade level and only with approval of the designated official (DLA General Counsel) in accordance with the applicable regulation.

The legal experience described in your application package or resume will be evaluated and screened for competencies required to perform the duties of the position as described in the Major Duties section of this announcement. The QUALITY of experience will be evaluated and screened to determine how closely or to what extent your experience, education, and training are relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the announced position. Your application package or resume must demonstrate you have the competencies and quality of experience necessary to successfully perform the work of the position at the appropriate grade level.

Principal Selection Factors

• Analytical/legal ability (including issue identification, legal research, analysis of options, risk analysis, and creative problem-solving).
• Communication, conflict resolution, and teaming skills.
• Interpersonal skills and client relationship development, and the ability to interact well with senior officials on controversial and sensitive issues.
• Administrative law experience involving execution of statutory law through a regulatory framework, preferably at the Federal level.

Security Clearance

This position is designated Non-Critical Sensitive. If selected, you must obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance. If you are unable to obtain this level of security clearance (as a result of undisclosed or disclosed background issues), within a reasonable period of time (as defined by the agency), the employment offer may be withdrawn. In addition, incumbent is subject to periodic re-investigation to maintain security eligibility in accordance with DoD 5200.2-R.

Education

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application.

FOREIGN EDUCATION

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

Excepted Service Position: This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive civil service.

Veterans Information: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to their submissions.

Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF-15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov).

As of 23 December 2016, Military retirees seeking to enter federal service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they would be appointed within 180 days following their official date of retirement.

Reemployed Annuitants: This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF

Drug-Free Workplace Policy

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to maintaining a safe, drug-free workplace. All DLA employees are required to refrain from illegal drug use on and off duty. DLA conducts pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug testing. Applicants tentatively selected for employment in testing designated positions will undergo a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Refusal to undergo testing or testing positive for illegal drugs will result in withdrawal of the tentative job offer and a six-month denial of employment with DLA from the date of the drug test. Employees in drug testing designated positions are subject to random drug testing. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment. You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position. The DLA drug testing panel tests for the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, fentanyl, norfentanyl, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and opioids. Advisory: Use of cannabidiol (CBD) products may result in a positive drug test for marijuana. DLA employees are subject to Federal law and under Federal law, Marijuana is illegal.

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.

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.

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.