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Student Trainee (Legal)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Affairs, Inspector General
This job announcement has closed

Summary

OIG is organized into seven operational units: the Immediate Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Counselor, Office of Audits and Evaluations, Office of Healthcare Inspections, Office of Investigations, Office of Management and Administration, and Office of Special Reviews. In addition to the Washington, DC, headquarters, OIG has offices located in more than 60 locations throughout the country.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/19/2023 to 01/12/2024
This job will close when we have received 200 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$53,105 to - $69,035 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel 1-5 nights per month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - NTE 1 Year
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
7
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Announcement number
24-VAOIG-60-X
Control number
766746800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This opportunity is open to students who are U.S. citizens and U.S. Nationals enrolled on at least a half-time basis, or accepted for enrollment, in a qualifying degree program or certificate program of a high school, accredited college or university.

Duties

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As a Student Trainee (Legal), you will:

  • Conduct legal research in matters arising under the U.S. Constitution, United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, utilizing tools such as Westlaw and the Commission's website and in-house library.
  • Research and analyze issues for attorneys using such reference sources such as legislative history, treatises, administrative decisions, Federal district and circuit court decisions, and Supreme Court decisions.
  • Prepare memoranda reflecting Merit Systems Protection Board (M.S.P.B.), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C.), and Federal Court case law precedent discovered during the course of legal research and applies precedent to pertinent facts in cases before judges.
  • Prepare draft memoranda, based upon analysis of the legal research, for review by an Administrative Law Judge.
  • Prepare drafts of decisions, orders, and notices, based upon results of the legal research, in cases before an Administrative Law Judge.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Program Requirement:
If selected, you must: 1) sign a Pathways Internship Program agreement; 2) provide official documentation of enrollment and registration; 3) provide verification of academic status (transcript) at the end of each academic semester/quarter; 4) participate in mentorship opportunities; 5) complete 40 hours of professional development training; 6) prepare and implement an Individual Development Plan; 7) maintain satisfactory performance; and 8) complete 640 hours of work experience in order to be considered for conversion to a Career or Career-Conditional appointment. You may be made permanent upon graduation if you meet all qualifications, eligibility, and educational requirements, are recommended for conversion by your supervisor, and funding is available.

Key Requirements:
  1. This is an Internship position not to exceed one year.
  2. You must be at least 16 years of age.
  3. You must be and maintain good academic standing.
  4. An application limit of 200 is being placed on this announcement.
  5. Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  6. Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Qualifications: You MUST meet the definition of a STUDENT for the duration of your appointment. The definition of a student is: an individual accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which the student is enrolled), including awardees of the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Program under Public Law 93-842. Students need not be in actual physical attendance, so long as all other requirements are met. An individual who needs to complete less than the equivalent of half an academic/vocational or technical course-load immediately prior to graduating is still considered a student for purposes of this Program.

You must meet at least one of the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education;
OR
Eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision and completion of a bachelor's degree.

Education

Must be enrolled and pursuing a course of study to obtain a Law Degree.

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.

Additional information

Other information:
-You must serve a trial period for the duration of the appointment.
-You must maintain student status for the duration of the appointment.
- Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
-If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued purchase card for business-related travel.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your résumé may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Research and Analysis, Technical and Communication. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, A-Exceptionally Qualified, B-Highly Qualified, or C-Qualified, depending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview and/or a writing assessment. Applicants who are selected for an interview may ask questions about the evaluation process at the time they are contacted for an interview.

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