With an emphasis on high ethical standards, excellence in public service and the delivery of quality legal services, the Office of the Solicitor performs the legal work for the United States Department of the Interior, manages the Department's Ethics Office and resolves FOIA Appeals. With more than four hundred total employees, three hundred of which are attorneys licensed in forty states, the Office strives to provide sound legal services to fulfill the Department's diverse and wide-ranging mission.
What General Information Do I Need To Know About This Position?
The Office of the Solicitor has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty location identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this location on a regular and recurring basis.
As a Supervisory Attorney-Adviser (General) with the Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, Rocky Mountain Region, in our Federal and Indian Royalties Section located in Lakewood, CO your specific duties will include:
As the Assistant Regional Solicitor you will report directly to the Regional Solicitor, Rocky Mountain Region and regularly meet with the Regional Solicitor to discuss pending matters and keep him/her apprised of all potentially controversial matters or matters of national significance.
As the Assistant Regional Solicitor you will also: Supervise the staff attorneys within the section and perform the administrative duties and functions of the position, including completing performance appraisals, reviewing and revising staff attorneys’ written work, assisting staff attorneys with other work as necessary, and otherwise ensuring the delivery of consistently high-quality legal services to the section’s primary client, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR).
Oversee the provision of legal services to the offices and programs of the ONRR with particular emphasis on legal issues related to the appropriate interpretation and implementation of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (FOGRMA), codified as amended at 30 U.S.C. §§ 1701 et seq., and what is commonly known as the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, codified as amended at 30 U.S.C. §§ 181 et seq. Accordingly, familiarity with the federal laws governing the leasing of federal and Indian minerals and the accounting for, and collection of, royalties from federal and Indian mineral leases is a prerequisite for this position. Moreover, familiarity with the principles of federal Indian law is highly desirable.
Coordinate with other offices in the Office of the Solicitor to ensure that legal advice provided is consistent and uniform and reflects the priorities of the Department of the Interior and the Secretary of the Interior.
Review proposed legislation and testimony on proposed legislation related to the ONRR’s offices and programs and assist with responses to Congressional document requests.
Attorneys in the section regularly work with the ONRR to develop and promulgate regulations implementing FOGRMA; regularly represent the ONRR in administrative appeals before the Department of the Interior’s Office of Hearings and Appeals and the Interior Board of Land Appeals; and regularly provide litigation support to the Department of Justice when rules or administrative decisions or actions are challenged in federal court.
Attorneys in the section also regularly provide both oral and written advice on a wide variety of general-law matters, including questions related to the Administrative Procedure Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Accordingly, preexisting knowledge of federal administrative law is highly desirable for this position.
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.
More requirements are listed under Qualifications and Other Information.
Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?
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.
This position requires completion of a one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period, if one has not previously been completed.
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-15: 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-15 = 5 years
You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the position by the closing date of the announcement.
Education
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.
Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. 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 evaluated, visit: http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/quals/foreign.html.
Additional information
The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
--The information and materials you provide will be used to evaluate that you meet the basic qualification and eligibility requirements for this position.
--Basis of Rating: Applicants will not be rated or ranked. All applicants that meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements of the position will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. To preview questions please click here.
--If you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide all unofficial transcripts (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) or list of course work, which includes semester hours earned and grade received, by the closing date of this announcement. This proof may be faxed, document uploaded, or hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see "Required Documents" and/or "Contact Information"). Please ensure that all documentation is legible. If you are currently employed by the Federal government in the same occupational series as the advertised position, you are not required to submit transcripts at this time.
--You must provide information in your resume regarding the state in which your active Bar membership is held.
--A 1-2 page cover letter expressing your interest and qualifications for this position.
--If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, by the closing date of this announcement. If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans preference and that your character of military service is honorable. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the DD-214, you must submit documentation that supports your claim (e.g., an official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces certifying the existence of a service-connected disability; or receipt of a Purple Heart). If you fail to submit any of the required documentation, you will not be granted veterans preference. Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the VetGuide.
--Required documents may be: 1) faxed to the Agency Contact (see "Contact Information") 2) uploaded directly from your desktop 3) uploaded directly from your USAJOBS stored attachments 4)hand delivered to the servicing Human Resources Office (see 'Contact Information').
--Auto-Requested Fax: allows you to submit required documentation that will be electronically displayed along with your resume.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
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. Learn more about federal 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.
--Applications (resume, cover letter and application questions) for this vacancy must be received on-line via USAJOBS BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of this announcement. If you fail to submit a complete online resume and cover letter, you will not be considered for this position. Requests for extensions will not be granted. Most libraries, employment offices, and all USGS personnel offices can provide access to the Internet. If applying online poses a hardship for you, you must speak to someone in the Servicing Human Resources Office listed on this announcement PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance.
--Instructions for Applying Online for this Vacancy Announcement: 1) Click the blue "Apply Online" button. 2) If you are not a registered USAJOBS user, please create a new account and follow the instructions to complete your application process. If you are a registered user, login to access your existing USAJOBS profile. 3) As a registered user, select a stored resume and select one or more of your stored documents to attach to your application. 4) Check the "Certification" box and click the "Apply for this position now!" button located at the bottom of the screen. 5) Address the eligibility questions as well as the questionnaire containing questions and/or task statements that address the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies for this vacancy. 6) Submit required documents using one of the available methods listed below. 7) If you experience technical difficulties during the online application process, please contact the USAJOBS helpdesk.
--We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to "My Account" within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.
The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits.
Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when:
An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job.
An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace.
An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events.
You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.
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