General Attorney

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 115,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division, Ft Worth District, Office of Counsel, Fort Worth, TX, seeks an attorney for a time-limited appointment. This position is not permanent and may extend up to 3 years.

Required is a JD/LLB from an ABA-accredited school and current bar membership. The successful candidate will have 3+ years of professional legal experience post-bar with a focus on title examination, property records, and condemnation-related litigation.

Qualifications

• Experience examining title evidence and reviewing property records.
• Ability to provide legal advice, negotiate, and resolve title/boundary disputes.
• Knowledge of federal civil law as it applies to Corps-related matters.
• Two years of experience examining and/or preparing attorney title opinions, drafting closing documents, and conducting closings.
• Experience providing legal advice related to condemnation and litigation; ownership and interested parties in condemned land.
• Demonstrated leadership or teambuilding skills for GS-14 level positions.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Skills

Title examination

Legal advice

Negotiation

Public records review

Closing documents

Litigation support

Team leadership

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.) or LL.B. from ABA-accredited school

Job description

About the Position: This position is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division, Ft Worth District, Office of Counsel with a duty station location of Ft. Worth, Texas. This is a Time Limited Appointment Not to Exceed (NTE) 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 3 years. This position will NOT be made permanent. Please see "Additional Information" section below for further details.

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:

Education

An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB. or J.D.). Law school transcripts must be submitted at the time of application.

Bar Membership

An applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Experience for the GS-14 level

An applicant must have more than three years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Time in Grade Requirement

If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed one year at the next lower grade level.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Your application package will be evaluated to ensure your experience, knowledge, skills, training and/or education meet the qualification requirements stated in this vacancy announcement. Quality of experience relates to how closely or to what extent an applicant's background and recency of experience and education clearly reflect that you possess the following required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of this position. The following KSA's must be addressed in your resume. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating or effect your overall rating.

• 1. Knowledge, skills, and ability with respect to the examination of public records of title evidence, review of property tax records, and securing releases of mortgages or other outstanding liens.
• 2. Knowledge, skills, and ability with respect to providing legal advice, negotiation, and/or resolution of title/boundary disputes, issues related to public roads and highways, public utilities, railroads, and/or pipelines.
• 3. Knowledge of statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures concerning federal civil law, focusing on the Corps-related areas listed above.
• 4. Two years of experience examining and/or preparing attorney title opinions, drafting/preparing closing documents, and conducting closings.
• 5. Knowledge, skills, and experience providing legal advice related to condemnation assemblies and litigation; ownership (chain-of-title) of property being condemned; identification of interested parties in land being condemned; preparation of litigation reports and coordinating with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in condemnation lawsuits.
• 6. Individuals being evaluated for a GS-14 position should demonstrate a strong ability to work well with others: significant leadership and/or teambuilding skills are desired.
• 7. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.