HUD's Mission
The mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is to foster strong communities by supporting access to quality, affordable housing, expanding the housing supply, and unlocking homeownership opportunities for the American people. The Department is committed to furthering the promise of self-sufficiency in every American while promoting economic development to revitalize rural, tribal, and urban communities across the country.
This position is located in the Office of General Counsel (OGC), Legal Service Center. OGC is the chief legal office of the Department, the principal legal adviser to the Secretary and staff of HUD, and the head of the Departmental Enforcement Center. OGC provides legal opinions, advice, and services with respect to all Departmental programs and activities, and assists in the development of HUD programs and policies. OGC also provides functional legal counsel on defensive and affirmative litigation and the development of legislation and regulations.
The following are the duties of this position at the GS-14. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.
As a Trial Attorney, you will:
Provide legal counsel, review, and assistance regarding all types of litigation, including both affirmative and defensive litigation.
Advise and counsel on a variety of complex litigation with respect to all programs within the jurisdiction.
Provide guidance with respect to affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement and other enforcement activities, and procurement.
Candidates will be selected for a job assigned to one of the official duty stations listed in this announcement. Failure to report to duty at the location for which the candidate is selected may be grounds for a disciplinary action, including removal.
Key Requirements:
Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
A one year probationary period may be required. Continued employment is contingent upon supervisory certification that continued employment will benefit the Federal Service; the certification will occur no less than 30 days before the end of the probationary/trial period.
Must successfully complete a background investigation.
Public Trust - Background Investigation will be required.
Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
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.
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.
Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
Please refer to "Additional Information Section for additional Conditions of Employment."
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Basic Requirements: Applicants MUST:
(1) be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.;
(2) be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
(3) meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.
AND
Requirements for meeting the GS-12 Education:
First professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus two (2) years of professional legal experience at least one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 in the federal service. OR
Second professional law degree (LL.M.), plus one (1) year specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11. OR
Superior law student work (academic standing in the upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the schools official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus one (1) year of specialized experience which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service.
AND
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience at the GS-12.
Specialized Experience for the GS-12, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement, OR
Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.
Requirements for meeting the GS-13 Education:
First professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus three (3) years of professional legal experience one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12. OR
Second professional law degree (LL.M.), plus two (2) years of professional legal experience at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12. OR
Superior law student work (academic standing in the upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the schools official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to GS-12.
AND
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience at the GS-13.
Specialized Experience for the GS-13, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement, OR
Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.
Requirements for meeting the GS-14 Education:
First professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.), plus four (4) years of professional legal experience at least one of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13. OR
Second professional law degree (LL.M.), plus three (3) years of professional legal experience at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 OR
Superior law student work (academic standing in the upper 1/3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the schools official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one year of which must be at a level of difficulty comparable to GS-13.
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience at the GS-14.
Specialized Experience for the GS-14, you must have one year (full 52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service.
Specialized experience for this position is defined as:
Experience as an attorney responsible for litigating or assisting in litigation before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
Applying Federal laws and practice related to all types of litigation, including affirmative and defensive litigation matters, personnel law matters, ethics opinions and advice, fair housing enforcement or procurement, OR
Representing clients in adversarial proceedings, including hearings before Federal or State courts or administrative forums; OR
Interpreting federal, state or local statutes, conducting legal research and preparing pleadings, including briefs, motions, memoranda of law, legal opinions or other legal writings and preparing, defending or conducting discovery; OR
Interacting directly with clients and government officials at the Headquarters, Regional and Field level, United States Attorneys, members of the private bar, as well as the public.
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 resume.
Education
The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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.
Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.
Additional information
OTHER INFORMATION:
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Relocation incentive will not be paid.
Recruitment incentive will not be paid.
This is a non-bargaining unit position.
This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
HUD offers alternative and flexible work schedules.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies for similar positions across HUD. During the online application process, you will be asked to specify if you would like your application information shared with other hiring managers in the Program Office listed in this announcement or in other HUD Program Offices. Opting to share your application information will not impact your application for this announcement, nor will it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (CONTINUED):
HUD employees are subject to a number of government-wide and HUD specific ethics laws and regulations, including restrictions on working in a real estate related business, and having Section 8 tenants, along with other prohibited interests and activities. To review applicable ethics rules and HUD specific restrictions, please visit https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/general_counsel/ethics.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn 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.
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 resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.
1. 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.
2. 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.
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.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn 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.
1. A resume: All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)
USA Jobs restricts resume uploads to a maximum of 2 pages. Resumes attached in other sections (such as "Documents" or "Other") will not be considered in the determination of specialized experience. If multiple resumes are submitted, the resume submitted last (based on time stamp) will be the only one reviewed as a part of your application. To ensure readability, resumes must be formatted using an easy-to-read font (such as Lato, Calibri, or Arial) with a minimum font size of 10-points and margins no smaller than 0.5 inches. Failure to follow these formatting guidelines may result in disqualification from further consideration.
To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
2. Vacancy question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.
3. Submission of any required documents identified below, if applicable: Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP:
You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:
Attorney positions do have an education requirement.Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. In addition, you must provide proof of bar or your bar number in the vacancy questions.
For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree 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.
HUD has partnered with the Department of Treasury to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Treasury's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
Please review the entire announcement before applying.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
HUD provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application:
Log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login) A list of announcements in which you have applied will be at the Welcome screen
Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status. For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting: FairChanceAct@hud.gov What are criminal history inquiries?
Office of General Counsel
Treasury Common Services Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
1. A resume: All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.)
USA Jobs restricts resume uploads to a maximum of 2 pages. Resumes attached in other sections (such as "Documents" or "Other") will not be considered in the determination of specialized experience. If multiple resumes are submitted, the resume submitted last (based on time stamp) will be the only one reviewed as a part of your application. To ensure readability, resumes must be formatted using an easy-to-read font (such as Lato, Calibri, or Arial) with a minimum font size of 10-points and margins no smaller than 0.5 inches. Failure to follow these formatting guidelines may result in disqualification from further consideration.
To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/date/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume.
2. Vacancy question responses: All applicants are required to complete vacancy question responses by clicking the apply online button of this vacancy announcement.
3. Submission of any required documents identified below, if applicable: Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
In order to be considered for veterans preference, you must submit all required documentation as outlined in the applicant guide.
ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP:
You must submit evidence of an Active Bar Membership as described in the Qualifications Section of this announcement.
EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION:
Attorney positions do have an education requirement.Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D. For positions with an education requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. In addition, you must provide proof of bar or your bar number in the vacancy questions.
For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree 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.
HUD has partnered with the Department of Treasury to provide certain personnel services to its organization. Treasury's responsibilities include advertising vacancies, accepting and handling applications, and extending job offers.
Please review the entire announcement before applying.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, please contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date.
HUD provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you require this for any part of the application and hiring process.
To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application:
Log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login) A list of announcements in which you have applied will be at the Welcome screen
Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status. For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting: FairChanceAct@hud.gov What are criminal history inquiries?
Office of General Counsel
Treasury Common Services Center
Parkersburg, WV 26101
US
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. We will review your resume and transcript(s) (if appropriate) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and may interview the best-qualified applicants. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability and/or security background investigation.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
