Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals; No prior Federal experience is required.

• Provide in-house legal service and counsel pertaining to appellate, trial, and administration litigation involving DOE.
• Manage, in conjunction with the Department of Justice, all aspects of litigation pending in federal and state courts, including formulating the strategy for, and developing the presentation of, DOE's case.
• Represent, as needed, DOE as trial counsel in administrative proceedings.
• Perform all functions necessary for the preparation of DOE's case in litigation, including: (a) drafting litigation assessments and recommendations for the Department of Justice; (b) drafting and editing legal briefs, answers, and other court filings; (c) gathering facts related to the case, including discovery, administrative records, and Freedom of Information Act disclosures; (d) issuing and overseeing compliance with litigation holds; (e) interviewing and preparing DOE officials for testimony in depositions and hearings; (f) conferring with other DOE attorneys and personnel on topics relevant to the litigation; (g) briefing and advising DOE officials on litigation risk, strategy, and required actions; (h) negotiating with opposing counsel on issues relating to the litigation, including mediation and settlement; and (i) conferring extensively with the Department of Justice to further DOE's interests in the litigation.
• Conduct extensive legal research and draft written analysis on complex legal and strategic issues related to pending or potential litigation, including on the interpretation of statutes administered by, or applicable to, DOE and its activities.
• Assist and advise the General Counsel, DOE leadership, senior officials, legal colleagues, and other DOE personnel on questions and issues relating to actual or potential litigation.
• Support the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Litigation by assisting in the completion of administrative, clerical, and business tasks, including preparing required reports and participating in hiring panels.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• Subject to satisfactory security and suitability requirements
• May be required to successfully complete a trial period.
• GS-13 and above are required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, Executive Branch Personnel Confidential
• If selected, you must self-identify if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a Schedule A, Schedule C, or non-career SES political appointee as OPM approval is required prior to finalizing your selection.
• Proof of current active member in good standing in the bar of a State, District of Columbia, territory of the United States, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• Employees must maintain active bar membership while employed as an attorney with DOE.
• This position is NOT included in a Bargaining Agreement.
• Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Qualifications

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

1. Meet the minimum education requirements of successful completion of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) with a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.); AND
2. Must be a current, active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

GS-15 Qualifications:

• Four years of professional (attorney) legal experience and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work.; AND
• One additional year of professional (attorney) experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-14 level in the Federal service.

GS-14 Qualifications:

• Three years of professional (attorney) legal experience and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work.; AND
• One additional year of professional (attorney) experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service.

GS-13 Qualifications:

• One year of professional (attorney) legal experience and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work.; AND
• One additional year of professional (attorney) experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service.

• One year of professional (attorney) legal experience and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar and advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform complex legal work. The educational background should include course work beyond the first professional degree in a field directly related to the work for which he/she is being considered.

• Advanced educational attainments that clearly indicate the ability to independently perform legal work and active membership in a state or District of Columbia bar. The educational background should include course work beyond the first professional degree in a field directly related to the work for which he/she is being considered.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your evaluation involves determining the relevance and quality of your experience and education and whether you meet the minimum qualifications as required. You will be evaluated for this job based on the qualifications above, your Writing Sample that shows your knowledge level and ability to put that into words showing your technical abilities, and your Cover Letter (no more than 3 pages) that describes your interest in this role at the Department of Energy and describes your experience. When describing your experience, please give examples that demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess, the level of the people with whom you interacted, and the sensitivity of the issues you handled. Describe your applicable experience, if any, that touches on the following range of tasks:

• Undertake legal research and provide written legal analysis, advice, and recommendations on complex legal and policy matters.
• Prepare and review rulemakings, orders, Federal Register notices and responsive comments, public filings, policy statements, reports to the President and Congress, and congressional testimony. Review and comment on legislation to determine the potential impact on client activities, and draft amendments.
• Represent clients in meetings, hearings, and other proceedings.
• Support litigation efforts, including the preparation and filing of motions and other documents, in federal and state regulatory proceedings.
• Support transactional work, including the preparation of agreements and performance of due diligence and compliance review.

Minimum Requirements: Your application must show that you meet all requirements, including the education and/or experience required for this position. You will be found "not qualified" if you do not possess the minimum competencies required for the position. If your application is incomplete, we will rate you as ineligible.

Referral: Since this is an Excepted Service position, a non-rated method of evaluation will be used. We will evaluate your application by comparing your description of your work experience, level of responsibility, and accomplishments with the requirements of the position to determine whether you meet all the qualification requirements. Although competitive examining rules for rating and ranking and veterans' preference do not apply, veteran's preference will be considered as a positive factor. Candidates who meet all the qualification and other eligibility requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration and possible interview.