Clarification from the agency

All U.S. citizens eligible for the Pathways Internship Program. Students must have completed two years of law school by the beginning of the 2023 summer and must be continuing in legal studies throughout the 2023-2024 school year. Students must also be attending an American Bar Association Accredited Law School WITHIN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION. Prior graduates and students graduating in the Spring of 2023 are not eligible.

• Draft and comment on (1) proposed legislation/regulations, (2) congressional testimony, (3) litigation materials, and (4) legal opinions, as well as assist in the process of formulating OGC legal policy on topics of current interest.
• Assist with aspects of research projects and reports spanning several weeks? time that may include documenting findings and proposing preferred or alternative courses of action.
• Conduct background research on various topics; legal research and opinion writing; and gathers legislative histories and surveys of Congressional testimony on a particular topic.
• Synthesize basic research and analytical techniques, and employs verbal and writing skills as appropriate for each assignment.
• Attend staff meetings, briefings, and formal/informal conferences in assigned areas with responsibility for preparing draft summary reports and personal observations for the record.
• Attend planned seminars, discussion groups, and lectures to further broaden understanding of Federal Government operations and the interrelationship between the branches of Federal Government.
• Prepare draft briefing papers, position papers, and replies to Congressional inquiries.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen or National
• Incumbent is required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment, and is subject to random drug testing for the duration of service with DoD OIG.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or be exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov).
• Position has been designated as Noncritical Sensitive. Incumbent is required to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
• If you have not previously completed a probationary period with the Federal government in a similar position, you will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
• All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
• The incumbent must adhere to the DoD Standards of Conduct.
• Prior to entry on duty or at some point thereafter, new DoD civilian employees MAY be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID 19, subject to such exceptions as required by law.
• More details regarding vaccine requirements can be found at https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/faq/vaccinations/. Selected candidates will receive further information during the job offer process.

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements for this program:

Students must have completed two years of law school by the beginning of the 2023 summer and must be continuing in legal studies throughout the 2023-2024 school year.

(Note: An official transcript; statement from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official; or equivalent documentation is acceptable for proof of eligibility prior to appointment.)

Students must submit all application materials (cover letter, resume, transcript, and writing sample) with no obvious grammatical errors.

Candidates must submit a writing sample that identifies a legal issue; states and cites the legal standard(s); identifies facts; and applies the legal standard to the facts. Failure to provide a writing sample will disqualify applicants for the position. Writing samples should be no more than 10 pages long, and must reflect the Student's work product.

Selective Placement Factor: Students must also be attending an American Bar Association Accredited Law School WITHIN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION. Prior graduates and students graduating in the Spring of 2023 are not eligible.

Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate will have basic legal research (e.g. Lexis-Nexis and/or Westlaw) and citation experience, as demonstrated in the submitted writing sample. Students must have knowledge of basic legal principles/case precedents in fields such as contracts, criminal law, property, torts, civil and criminal procedure, and remedies.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The DoD OIG OGC seeks applicants with high academic qualifications and outstanding skill in written communications. Students are selected based on merit. Selection criteria include, but are not limited to: a demonstrated interest in DoD OIG's mission; coursework, law review, law journal, or moot court experience; legal work experience, and/or research projects/publications; performance during the interview, and submitted writing sample.

If, after reviewing your résumé and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references, and through other means (e.g. writing sample).

If you are rated amongst the best qualified group of candidates, your personal, educational, and work experience, will be evaluated against your responses to the questionnaire. You will be assessed to the extent to which you possess the competencies listed in the "Qualifications" section above and ultimately placed into one of three quality category levels: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, and Qualified. Applicants will receive further consideration in accordance with category rating procedures.

Best-Qualified: This highest category will be used for those candidates who possess the type and quality of experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including all selective placement factors and appropriate quality ranking factor(s), as determined by the job analysis.

Highly-Qualified: This higher category will be used for those candidates who possess the type and quality of experience that exceed the minimum qualifications of the position, as determined by the job analysis.

Qualified: This lowest category will be used for those candidates that meet the minimum qualifications of the position and are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the position. Candidates may require extensive training and/or orientation in order to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans.