Attorney-Advisor (Labor)

U.S. Department of Labor; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC, seeks a highly skilled attorney to work on appeals under the Black Lung Benefits Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. The role involves analyzing complex cases, drafting legal opinions, and supporting oral arguments before the Benefits Review Board.

The successful candidate will have post-J.D. experience, bar membership, and a proven ability to work independently on case development, analysis, and writing.

Qualifications

• Specialized knowledge of Black Lung Benefits Act or Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act.
• Litigation experience in appellate or federal law, such as workers' compensation.
• Experience reviewing, analyzing cases, and drafting legal opinions or arguments.

Responsibilities

• Independently evaluates assigned cases by confirming briefing schedules and documents for appeal resolution.
• Research statutes, regulations, decisions, and legislative history for each case.
• Advise the Board, applying precedents and statutory rules to analyze legal matters.
• Attend oral arguments, draft decisions and orders, and prepare dissenting opinions as needed.
• Mentor junior staff in case development, memos, and drafting, ensuring quality and accuracy.
• Manage project assignments, monitor casework, and ensure progress toward completion.
• Liaise with Clerk's Office to transfer cases and prepare for processing.
• Maintain records of case assignments, deadlines, and essential details.

Skills

Knowledge of Black Lung Benefits Act /

Litigation experience (appellate/fed)

Independent case analysis & memos

Education

LL.B. or J.D.

Job description

Summary

This position is in the Benefits Review Board's Black Lung and Longshore Divisions. The Boards, is an independent adjudicatory body with exclusive nationwide jurisdiction to consider and decide appeals raising substantial questions of law or fact taken by any party-in interest from decisions concerning claims filed under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and its extensions, and the Black Lung Benefits Act (the Acts).

Duties

Major Duties

• Independently evaluates assigned cases by confirming that the briefing schedule is complete, checking for any pending motions, and ensuring all relevant documents are included for the appeal's resolution.
• Conducts research on statutes, regulations, decisions, legislative history, and other legal sources pertinent to each case, providing thorough analysis of legal points, and discussing relevant issues and evidence for case disposition.
• Advises the Board, drawing upon existing precedents or applying statutory rules to analyze factual and legal matters rationally.
• Supports and may attend oral arguments in unique cases before the Board; offers recommendations through written memoranda or outlines discussed at Oral Presentation; drafts decisions and orders per Board instructions and votes; prepares dissenting or concurring opinions in complex or novel cases; revises decisions and orders as directed by the Board; finalizes decisions and orders for Board approval and signature.
• Mentors junior staff by offering guidance in case development, processing, and drafting memos, decisions, and orders; reviews the technical aspects of their work; ensures final decisions meet formatting standards and are free from typographical errors.
• Manages project assignments and monitors ongoing casework; identifies and resolves potential problems to maintain progress toward case completion; reviews group outputs for legal quality, consistency, and policy adherence.
• Acts as liaison to the Clerk's Office, ensuring timely transfer of cases to the Division. Uses Board procedure expertise and legal knowledge to advise the Clerk's Office on preparing cases for processing.
• Maintains accurate records tracking case assignments, deadlines, and other essential details to ensure efficient case management.
• Regularly determines the proper classification (Type I, II, or III) for cases referred to the Office of General Counsel, based on complexity, novelty, and number of issues involved.
• Estimates preparation time for proposed decisions, orders, and memoranda, notifies the Associate General Counsel of potentially complex or novel issues, and assigns cases to attorneys for timely resolution.
• Provides counseling and instruction to new attorneys regarding style, key legal concepts, precedents, and overall Board policy.
• May be assigned special projects such as developing, compiling, or revising policy directives, legal research instructional materials, and staff training aids.
• Performs additional duties as required.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Requires a trial period if the requirement has not been met.
• Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
• You will be required to submit to Suitability/Fitness for the Trust Determination Process.

Qualifications

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Position titles alone cannot be used to determine if you are qualified. Please list dates in MM/DD/YY format. This is imperative in determining if you have at least one year of creditable specialized experience. Dates will not be assumed. To qualify for an attorney position, applicants must possess a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.); be a member in good standing of the bar of a court of general jurisdiction of a state, territory or possession of the U.S.; and have acquired the amount of experience indicated below.

For the GS-14 grade level Applicants must have three (3) years of post-law school legal experience of a professional nature which demonstrates the ability to perform the work at this level. At least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying experience must be specialized experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position at a level close to the work of this job that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the job.

Specialized Experience: One year (52 weeks) of post-J.D. specialized experience at or equivalent to, the GS-13, in or directly related to this position.

Specialized Experience that is qualifying for this position is described as:

• Having a proficient knowledge of the Black Lung Benefits Act or the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and its extensions
• Litigation experience through appellate or federal law, such as workers' compensation experience.
• Experience working independently to review and analyze cases, make recommendations, and draft legal opinions or arguments.

NOTE: A LL.M. may be substituted for a maximum of one year of experience.

Education

A LL.B or J.D. is a requirement for this position. If you do not submit sufficient academic documentation necessary to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility and minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete and you will be ineligible for further consideration for this vacancy.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements. This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit.

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, and FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEESAs a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information, and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION.

This position is at the full performance level.

For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process: Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

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.