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Attorney (Student Trainee) - 2025 Summer Associate

Legislative Branch
Government Accountability Office
Office of the General Counsel (OGC)
This job announcement has closed

Summary

GAO is an independent, nonpartisan, legislative branch agency that advises Congress on ways to make the federal government more efficient and effective. GAO's Office of the General Counsel (OGC) employs about 180 attorneys who carry out a range of legal functions in support of GAO's mission. OGC is hiring 2Ls or 2L equivalents for its paid 2025 Summer Associate Legal Honors Program, which may lead to offers of permanent employment for entry-level positions for the fall of 2026.

Overview

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Job closed
Open & closing dates
07/08/2024 to 08/07/2024
Salary
$42.61 to - $42.61 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
Few vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - Not to exceed 12 Weeks
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Announcement number
GC-24-DE-12470131
Control number
798552600

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens

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Duties

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As an Attorney (Student Trainee) - 2025 Summer Associate (GS-0999-9) your typical work assignments may include the following:

  • Demonstrating core legal skills by researching complex areas of law and by applying analytical and critical thinking skills to resolve legal issues. Summer Associates further demonstrate these skills through the preparation of legal decisions or portions of legal decisions, legal memos, and oral presentations to attorneys and/or non-attorneys. Summer Associates generally prepare at least two significant legal memos or decisions and deliver at least one oral presentation describing the results of their work.
  • Demonstrating the ability to work effectively in a federal legal office by working closely with supervisors and other attorneys to provide legal advice to clients and share legal conclusions with clients.
  • Demonstrating the ability to manage a large portfolio of work by managing their time effectively, prioritizing their work appropriately, and meeting deadlines.
  • Demonstrating the ability to respond to feedback on their legal work product by addressing comments and guidance from supervisors and others.
Summer Associate assignments are determined based on the teams to which they are assigned for rotations. The types of teams to which Summer Associates can be assigned are as follows:
  • Engagement counsel rotations: Attorneys supporting GAO's analysts are referred to as engagement counsel, and they provide legal support to one of GAO's 14 mission teams, whose work covers topics such as Natural Resources and the Environment; Information Technology and Cybersecurity; Homeland Security and Justice; Health Care; Education, Workforce, and Income Security; Physical Infrastructure; and International Affairs and Trade. Engagement counsel are responsible for ensuring the legal sufficiency of every report that GAO issues, and they work as part of interdisciplinary teams that may include analysts, economists, statisticians, scientists, and others. Summer Associates in engagement counsel roles will typically prepare a written legal memo on a topic related to an ongoing GAO engagement, a possible future GAO engagement, or cross-cutting legal issues affecting multiple engagements.
  • Appropriations Law rotations: Attorneys draft legal decisions and reports on complex matters of appropriations law and provide briefings to congressional staff and agency officials on the conclusions. They collaborate with other GAO attorneys to provide legal advice on federal budget and appropriations law issues. They provide internal legal advice and counsel to GAO on the use of its own appropriation. They also draft decisions and reports as required by the Congressional Review Act, the Davis Bacon Act, and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Summer Associates rotating through Appropriations Law generally prepare a memo on a related topic and also have a broader exposure to the work of the group through smaller assignments.
  • Procurement Law Rotations: Attorneys manage a docket of bid protest cases, which are challenges to the award or terms of federal contracts. Procurement law attorneys are responsible for all aspects of bid protest case development, including responding to agency dismissal requests and document disputes. They conduct status conferences, bid protest hearings, and alternative dispute resolution, as needed, for the effective resolution of each bid protest. They draft clearly written, legally sound bid protest decisions in a timely manner, ensuring that they are reviewed, edited, and issued to the parties within the 100-day statutory deadline applicable to all bid protests filed with the GAO. Summer Associates rotating through Procurement Law generally have an opportunity to draft dismissal decisions, full or partial decisions related to the merits of a protest, or broader topics of wide interest in the procurement law community.
  • Legal Services Team Rotations: Attorneys who act as in house counsel in our Legal Services team advise GAO managers on a broad array of personnel and labor issues to ensure compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, and they manage a docket of administrative litigation before the GAO Personnel Appeals Board. They also perform other duties as necessary to respond to novel and complex questions concerning GAO's personnel system, and to support GAO's efforts in carrying out its mission. Summer Associates assigned to Legal Services generally have an opportunity to write a memo on a timely topic relevant to the Legal Services portfolio.
The Summer Associate program also features opportunities to participate in small team and larger office events and activities.

Please refer to the "Additional Information" section for more information about the Summer Associate program.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov)
  • Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation
  • Completion of a financial disclosure statement is required.
  • This is a non-Bargaining unit position

Qualifications

You must meet the minimum qualification requirements by the closing date of this job opportunity announcement:

Must be a current 2Ls or the equivalent student pursing a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

Education

See Qualification section.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Salary for this position is set at a GS-9, Step 10.
  • Summer Associates join us for 10-12 weeks and have an opportunity to rotate through two teams in OGC, typically including one engagement counsel team and either a decision-writing team (Appropriations Law or Procurement Law) or Legal Services. These roles are described under the Duty section of this vacancy.
  • Each rotation is expected to result in a written product and to provide participants with opportunities to demonstrate their core legal skills, such as legal research, writing, and the oral presentation of legal content.
  • Summer Associates participate in a rigorous training curriculum over the course of the summer that provides them with an introduction to the wide range of legal roles carried out by GAO attorneys.
  • Through shadowing opportunities, Summer Associates are further exposed to a broad range of OGC's legal work, which helps candidates determine whether GAO is the right place for them to begin their legal careers.
  • Summer Associates who successfully complete the program may receive offers of full-time employment and have the opportunity to join GAO as an entry-level attorney participating in our robust Attorney Development Program in the fall of 2026.
Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, GAO considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15 which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s)). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more.

TRAVEL & RELOCATION EXPENSES: Travel and relocation expenses related to this hiring process will not be paid.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

How you will be evaluated

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

If your submission demonstrates that you meet the criteria listed in the Qualifications section and includes the documents as listed under the Required Documents section, your application will be further evaluated based on:

  • Your experience and educational training related to researching and analyzing legal issues relevant to the responsibilities described above under "Summary" and "Duties."
  • Your experience and educational training related to legal research, analytical skills, and the ability to write about legal issues.
  • Your experience and educational training related to written and oral communication skills, interpersonal skills, and sound judgement.
We may invite you to more than one round of interviews.

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