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Student Trainee (Legal)

Department of Energy
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies as a "Best Place to Work" in the Federal government! Our Pathways Internship Program provides students the opportunity to acquire first-hand experience in the energy industry, while gaining exposure to the Commission's work. This Student Trainee (Legal) vacancy will be used to fill multiple intern positions in OAL, OALJ, OERA, OGC, and Commissioner Rosner.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
many vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$70,623 - $91,815 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Promotion potential
9
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
FERC-WIDE-INTRN-27-13090191
Control number
888935900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Students who have completed their second year of law school

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Duties

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Our Pathways Internship Program provides students the opportunity to acquire first-hand experience in the energy industry, while gaining exposure to the Commission's work. This vacancy will be used to fill multiple positions in the Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL), the Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ), the Office of Commissioner Rosner, the Office of Enforcement and Regulatory Accounting (OERA) and the Office of the General Counsel (OGC).

This vacancy is for a Spring/Summer 2027 internship.

While the duties of the Student Trainee (Legal) may vary depending on office placement, some of your typical work assignments may include:

  • In the Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL), Student Trainees receive front-line exposure to administrative litigation involving cutting-edge issues in energy law applied to specific cases concerning infrastructure and rates in the electric, natural gas, and oil sectors. Working directly with multidisciplinary case teams, an intern will see first-hand how the administrative process resolves disputes through litigation or settlement, including negotiations, trial preparation and practice, motions practice, preparation of expert witness testimony, and legal research on energy law and policy.

  • In the Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ), Student Trainees (Interns) assist FERC's administrative law judges and their law clerks with conducting formal administrative hearings and settlement proceedings, managing complex evidentiary records, drafting orders, and issuing Initial Decisions (ALJ opinions) in contested proceedings involving some of the most significant and technically sophisticated issues in energy regulation. This assistance may include legal research, legal writing, legal analysis, summarizing testimony and exhibits, and attending settlement conferences and hearings.

  • In the Office of Enforcement and Regulatory Accounting (OERA), Student Trainees assist enforcement staff as they conduct investigations and engage in litigation or administrative hearings. This assistance may include evidence collection, legal research, drafting legal memos, and helping attorneys prepare for, and then attending depositions or interviews. Student Trainees will also complete a semester-long research project of their choice.

  • In the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) Energy Markets Section, Student Trainees perform legal research, draft legal memoranda, and assist with drafting orders related to the Commission's regulatory responsibilities under the Natural Gas Act, Federal Power Act, Interstate Commerce Act, and Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, as well as administrative law. In the OGC Projects Section, Student Trainees perform legal research, draft legal memoranda, and assist with drafting orders related to the Commission's regulatory responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental statutes; work with nonlegal technical staff to review, analyze, and resolve energy issues presented to the Commission; and review applications, analyze legal memoranda and orders relating to proposed hydropower and natural gas facilities. In the OGC General and Administrative Law Section, Student Trainees can expect to work in a variety of areas including labor relations, personnel disputes, Freedom of Information Act, ethics, contracts, Critical Energy/Electric Infrastructure Information, and to assist with any related litigation concerning these matters.

  • In the Office of Commissioner David Rosner, Student Trainees assist with the review, summary, and analysis of substantive matters within the Commission's jurisdiction. This assistance may include: preparation of memos on legal and/or technical issues arising under the Federal Power Act, Natural Gas Act, and the Interstate Commerce Act; background research for the Commissioner's public statements and engagements; participation in meetings with external stakeholders; and completion of other projects as assigned.

The intern program at FERC is unique in that we post one intern vacancy for multiple offices to make selections. This means you may be contacted by several different hiring managers for different vacancies. See Next Steps section for additional information.

Our Internship Program offers students the opportunity to attend networking events, visit regulated hydropower dams, and participate in seminars with career advice and tips from FERC's top management officials. For more information, visit: https://www.ferc.gov/about/careers/student-relations.

This appointment is not to exceed (NTE) 09/30/2027. May be extended if the student continues to meet program requirements. This internship position may confer non-competitive conversion eligibility, if student meets all Pathways Program requirements for conversion, however, conversion is not required or guaranteed.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • A one-year probationary period may be required.
  • A background investigation is required.
  • This is not a bargaining unit position.
  • Generally, male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.
  • This position has an education requirement; you must submit transcripts.
  • Relocation expenses will not be paid.
  • If hired, you may be required to divest certain energy-related securities.
  • Maximum of 2-page resume.
  • If hired, you will be required to sign a Pathways Participant Agreement

Qualifications

You must meet all eligibility and qualification (experience and/or education) requirements by the end of the Fall 2026 semester for spring internships and by the end of the spring 2026 semester for summer internships.

Eligibility: In order to be eligible for our Pathways Internship Program, you must:

  • Be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution on a half- to full-time basis (as determined by the educational institution); AND
  • Meet the definition of a student throughout the duration of your appointment; AND
  • Meet the qualification standards (e.g., series and grade).


You must meet the qualification (experience and/or education) and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications
:

To qualify as a GS-9 Student Trainee (Legal), you must complete your second year of law school by the end of the fall 2026 semester for spring internships and by the spring 2027 semester for summer internships.

To view the qualification requirements of Student Trainee (Legal) please visit: Internship Qualifications

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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 any volunteer experience.

Please do not cut and paste the "Duties" section, specialized experience statement, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Education

This position has an education requirement and therefore, transcripts are required. Failure to submit a copy of your transcripts at the time of application will result in your application being marked incomplete and you will not receive further consideration.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Additional information

This internship position may confer non-competitive conversion eligibility, however, conversion is not guaranteed.

To be eligible for conversion to the competitive service, you must complete 640 hours of work experience (up to 320 hours may be waived based on successful performance in the position and a 3.0 overall GPA); meet the OPM qualification standards for the target position; and meet the requirements of the FERC Pathways Internship Agreement. Service in the Pathways Internship Program confers no right to further employment.


The duty location of this position is Washington, DC.

If selected for this position, you will be required to:

  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
  • Have your Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choice.
  • 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. FERC also participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). For more information about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.
  • Attend a mandatory ethics training. We are governed by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Standards of Conduct, the criminal conflict of interest statutes, and FERC's supplemental ethics regulation, which specifically prohibits FERC employees from holding certain energy-related securities. To comply with these regulations and statutes, divestiture of at least some energy securities is likely to be required after you begin employment. See 5 C.F.R. 2634-41; 18 U.S.C. 201-208; 5 C.F.R. 3401. If selected, you may also be required to file a financial disclosure statement within 30 days of appointment.
  • Receive authorization from OPM on any job offer you receive, if you are or were (within the last 5 years) a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Flexibility
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Problem Solving
  • Self-Management
  • Technology Application

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method based on your assessments. You will receive a score based on the responses to the assessment questions.

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and assessment score will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

  • Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
  • Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
  • Qualified - for those who meet the minimum qualification requirements

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13090191

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines as well as licensing hydropower projects.

Our Mission: Economically Efficient, Safe, Reliable, and Secure Energy for Consumers. For more information visit: https://www.ferc.gov/.

Agency contact information

Amanda Hoch
Phone
202-502-8476
Email
amanda.hoch@ferc.gov
Address
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First St NE
Washington, DC 20426
US

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