Closing Date: 26th April, 2024
Description:
Summary:With an emphasis on high ethical standards, excellence in public service and the delivery of superlative advice and counsel, DOI Solicitor's Office performs the legal work for the A Government Entity and manages the Departmental Ethics Office and Departmental FOIA Office. With more than five hundred employees, more than four hundred of which are attorneys, the Office strives to provide sound legal services to fulfill the Department's diverse and wide-ranging mission.
Duties:
Two Attorney-Adviser positions are available with A Government Entity, Office of the Solicitor, Rocky Mountain Region, Billings Field Office, located in Billings, MT. Each position has a specific focus as follows:
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): Representing BIA in Civilian Board of Contract Appeals cases and Interior Board of Indian Appeals cases. Advising the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (a/k/a P/L 93-638) contracts. Reviewing BIA's land acquisitions and issue title opinions. Reviewing and preparing litigation reports, overseeing discovery, drafting pleadings, and reviewing Department of Justice filings in judicial litigation on matters arising out of various programs and activities for Interior's agencies.
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR): Participating in negotiations of, and reviewing, water contracts with irrigation districts, municipalities, and other entities, pursuant to the Reclamation Act of 1902 and subsequent legislation. Negotiating, and counseling BOR in administering, contracts with tribes throughout the region regarding water projects, pursuant to reserved water rights settlements and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Representing and counseling BOR regarding real estate issues throughout the region, including easements and rights-of-way, title work for acquisitions, and negotiating and administering agreements with various federal, state, and local agencies for management of BOR lands. Supporting the Department of Justice and counseling BOR in federal court litigation, including drafting and review of pleadings and briefs, and coordinating with client personnel on depositions, and preparation of discovery responses and requests. Occasional representation of BOR before A Government Entity Office of Hearings and Appeals, including the Departmental Cases and Hearings Division, and the Interior Board of Land Appeals. Potential representation of Reclamation throughout the region on water rights matters, often with Department of Justice assistance, including in general stream adjudications, water rights applications and adjustments, and defense of water rights belonging to Reclamation and its partners.
Other duties as assigned for both positions include authoring memoranda of understanding, recommendations regarding appeal, settlement documents, and other transactional documents arising out of bureau and agency program activities and assisting on other matters assigned by the Regional Solicitor, Field Solicitor, or other supervising attorney. Such assignments may include conducting legal research, analyzing, and interpreting federal statutes, regulations, case law, other legal documents, and agency guidance, and producing opinions and memoranda requiring a high degree of creative legal effort, judgment, and discretion, often harmonizing conflicting positions in areas with little or no precedent, while promoting goals of uniformity, simplicity, and efficiency, and providing formal and informal advice to various DOI agencies.
Salary Range:
Bureau of Reclamation (BOR): Participating in negotiations of, and reviewing, water contracts with irrigation districts, municipalities, and other entities, pursuant to the Reclamation Act of 1902 and subsequent legislation. Negotiating, and counseling BOR in administering, contracts with tribes throughout the region regarding water projects, pursuant to reserved water rights settlements and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Representing and counseling BOR regarding real estate issues throughout the region, including easements and rights-of-way, title work for acquisitions, and negotiating and administering agreements with various federal, state, and local agencies for management of BOR lands. Supporting the Department of Justice and counseling BOR in federal court litigation, including drafting and review of pleadings and briefs, and coordinating with client personnel on depositions, and preparation of discovery responses and requests. Occasional representation of BOR before A Government Entity Office of Hearings and Appeals, including the Departmental Cases and Hearings Division, and the Interior Board of Land Appeals. Potential representation of Reclamation throughout the region on water rights matters, often with Department of Justice assistance, including in general stream adjudications, water rights applications and adjustments, and defense of water rights belonging to Reclamation and its partners.
Other duties as assigned for both positions include authoring memoranda of understanding, recommendations regarding appeal, settlement documents, and other transactional documents arising out of bureau and agency program activities and assisting on other matters assigned by the Regional Solicitor, Field Solicitor, or other supervising attorney. Such assignments may include conducting legal research, analyzing, and interpreting federal statutes, regulations, case law, other legal documents, and agency guidance, and producing opinions and memoranda requiring a high degree of creative legal effort, judgment, and discretion, often harmonizing conflicting positions in areas with little or no precedent, while promoting goals of uniformity, simplicity, and efficiency, and providing formal and informal advice to various DOI agencies.
Salary Range:
GS-13: $103,409 to $134,435
GS-14: $122,198 to $158,860
First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.
This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.
This position is in the excepted service and not subject to competitive service procedures.
Merit promotion procedures do not apply.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
GS-14: $122,198 to $158,860
First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.
This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.
This position is in the excepted service and not subject to competitive service procedures.
Merit promotion procedures do not apply.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
Key Requirements:
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
Qualifications:
Basic Qualification Requirements:
Applicants must be law school graduates with LL.B. or J.D. degrees AND applicants must be an active member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.
Applicants must also meet one of the following:--possess at least 1-year of professional legal experience following law school graduation; OR--have a second professional law degree; OR--meet any of the criteria indicated below:(a) academic standing in top one-third of law school graduating class;(b) graduation with academic honors;(c) significant participation on the law school's law review;(d) significant participation in the law school's moot court competition;(e) significant participation in a clinical legal aid program;(f) significant summer law office clerk experience; or(g) other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.
GS-13/14: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements described above, applicants must also have the following additional years of professional legal experience for the grade level indicated:
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). 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.
In order to better assess your qualifications for this position, when preparing your resume please be sure to address your experience in or familiarity with the following areas of legal work: researching and writing legal memoranda and opinions and providing legal advice or recommendations to clients, judges, and/or senior attorneys; and litigating before administrative bodies, and Federal and state courts.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website:https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Education:
Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.
Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evalu
- Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
- Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
- Must be an active member of the bar.
- Selectee may be subject to serving a 2-year trial period.
- You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
- Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.
- A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
- If selected for this position, you may be required to file one or more financial statements and/or a procurement integrity certification of compliance upon reporting and annually, some of which may be subject to public disclosure.
- Throughout the recruitment and hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
- Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment. Individuals who have delinquent account balances from a previous Government charge card will be required to satisfy their existing obligation before a new card can be issued.
- Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
Qualifications:
Basic Qualification Requirements:
Applicants must be law school graduates with LL.B. or J.D. degrees AND applicants must be an active member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar.
Applicants must also meet one of the following:--possess at least 1-year of professional legal experience following law school graduation; OR--have a second professional law degree; OR--meet any of the criteria indicated below:(a) academic standing in top one-third of law school graduating class;(b) graduation with academic honors;(c) significant participation on the law school's law review;(d) significant participation in the law school's moot court competition;(e) significant participation in a clinical legal aid program;(f) significant summer law office clerk experience; or(g) other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.
GS-13/14: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements described above, applicants must also have the following additional years of professional legal experience for the grade level indicated:
- -GS-13 = 2 years
- -GS-14 = 3 ½ years
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). 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.
In order to better assess your qualifications for this position, when preparing your resume please be sure to address your experience in or familiarity with the following areas of legal work: researching and writing legal memoranda and opinions and providing legal advice or recommendations to clients, judges, and/or senior attorneys; and litigating before administrative bodies, and Federal and state courts.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website:https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Education:
Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.
Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evalu