Attorney-Advisor (General)

About the role

GPO employees possess a diverse array of talent in many administrative fields and trades. We provide other agencies with innovative services for the printing, publishing, storage, and distribution of digital content. If you are an energetic, inventive individual looking for a challenging, yet rewarding career opportunity, GPO may be the place for you.

This position is part of the The Office of the Inspector General, Government Publishing Office in Washington, DC.

What you will do

• Address issues generally concerning criminal, civil, and administrative investigations, audits, inspections, operations reviews, legislation, regulations, policy, procedures, complaints, and Congressional and public inquiries.
• Review proposed and/or existing legislation, regulations, and guidelines relating to the operations of GPO and makes recommendations to the Inspector General on their efficiency, impact, and/or prevention of fraud, waste, and abuse.
• Prepare memorandum, reports, correspondence, and where litigation is undertaken, assists in the preparation of briefs, motions, and other pleadings in coordination with the Department of Justice.
• Advise on the legality or policy implications of operations, activities, or changes in procedures.
• Assist with preparation of IG testimony and aids in the preparation of IG appearances, when requested and approved, before committees of Congress, and represent the OIG in judicial proceedings.

Education

Substitution of education in lieu of legal experience may not be used for this grade level.

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to verify you meet the education requirement.

Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts which cites the name of the institution are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades and GPA, semester, year, and credit for the course. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer.

FOREIGN 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: ***

How you will be evaluated

Attorney positions are Schedule A excepted service positions (5 C.F.R. § 213.3101(d) and (e)).

There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, GPO considers military service a positive factor in the hiring process and will apply veteran's preference as far as administratively feasible to ensure veterans receive fair and equitable treatment.

Traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply. Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this position, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be excluded from further consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You will be further evaluated on the following Competencies required for the position: Legal, Government and Jurisprudence We DO NOT require a separate narrative statement responding to the competencies: however, your resume must CLEARLY show possession of these competencies.

If you meet the qualifications stated above, your application may be referred to the Selecting Official for further review.

Documents you must provide

• Your resume or other written form you choose to describe your job-related experiences are used to verify your qualifications.
• Therefore, it is important that your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer.
• In describing your experience, please be clear and specific.
• It is your responsibility to make sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY; and total number of hours worked per week).
• If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified, and you will no longer be considered for this position.
• To assist you in sending in a complete resume, use the checklist at: *** Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal positions, those eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) 0pt, on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section(s) provided.
• Only veterans discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions are eligible for veterans' preference.
• DD-214: If you are claiming Veterans' Preference, provide a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4) Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other equivalent documentation to prove your entitlement and to verify your type of discharge.
• Failure to provide this information may result in your application not receiving preference.
• VA Letter and SF-15: If you are claiming Veterans' Preference based on a Compensable Disability, Widow or Spouse Entitlement, or as a Purple Heart recipient, you must submit your DD-214 or other proof of entitlement as described above; and SF-15, and the required proof of disability, i.e., Department of Veterans Affairs letter dated 1991 or later.
• Failure to provide this documentation may result in your application not receiving preference.
• (Please see veteran eligibility documentation for more information on veterans preference in federal hiring) Active Duty Service Members: If you are veteran who has not yet been discharged, you may provide a statement of intent to discharge from your agency to receive Veterans Preference under the VOW (Veteran Opportunity to Work) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.
• Agencies are required to accept, process, and grant tentative veterans' preference to those active duty service members who submit a certification (in lieu of a DD-214) along with their job application materials.
• Agencies must verify the individual meets the definition of 'preference eligible' under 5 U.S.C.
• 2108 prior to appointment.
• A '"certification" is any written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted by the applicant.
• The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service.
• More information may be found at ***
• School transcript(s) - official or unofficial.
• A transcript showing you possess a J.D. or LL.B. is required.
• The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable; at the minimum the transcript should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses, semester hours, GPA, and date degree conferred.
• If you provide an unofficial transcript at the time of application and you are selected, you will be asked for official versions prior to an official job offer.
• Attorney license and active bar membership - you must submit certification that you are an active bar member in good standing licensed to practice law in a state, the District of Columbia, or any United States territory or commonwealth.

What to expect next

After each step in the recruitment process, your status will be updated in the online application tracking system and if you have elected to receive email updates, you will be notified through your USAJOBS registered email address. If you have not elected to receive email updates, you can review your current application status in USAJOBS at any time.

Please check that your USAJOBS profile contact information is current and correct each time you apply to a job. This will ensure we can contact you as quickly as possible.

In addition to changing your status online, we will send you email notifications at each major step in the process, to include: application received, eligible or ineligible, referred or not referred, selected or not selected.

Position Reconsideration Process Applicants who have applied for employment with the Government Publishing Office who were found to be ineligible for a position, may submit a request for reconsideration upon reasonable demonstration that a reconsideration review is necessary.

Request for Reconsideration will not be accepted for failure to submit appropriate required documentation and/or failure to complete required Assessments or respond accurately to Assessment Questions.

Applicants seeking a Request for Reconsideration should reach out to the servicing Human Resources Specialist indicated in the Vacancy Announcement to see you meet the eligibility requirements for reconsideration.

If you meet the eligibility requirements for reconsideration, the Human Capital Talent Acquisitions and Transactions Division will review the application based on the reconsideration request to determine if the rating was appropriate and render a final decision to the applicant.

A request to reconsider a rating determination must be received in the servicing Talent Acquisitions Office within 5 business days from the date indicated on the Touch Point Notification, Notice of Results received from USA Staffing, or it will be rejected as an untimely request for reconsideration.

Additional information

Employment of Relatives: Section 3110 of Title 5, U.S. Code, prohibits a Federal official from appointing, promoting, or advocating the appointment or promotion of a relative in the agency where the official is serving or exercises jurisdiction.

In addition, Section 2302(b)(7) of Title 5, U.S. Code, makes it a "prohibited personnel practice" for a person in authority to "appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for the appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement of a relative." For further information visit: *** and *** Separated Employees: If you have separated from Federal Government employment, you may obtain a copy of your SF-50 via: National Personnel Records Center, Annex, 1411 Boulder Boulevard, Valmeyer, IL, 62295; or visit the National Archives Website.

Work Life Balance: The GPO offers Transit subsidy for commuters using public transportation (Metro Bus/Rail, MARC, VRE, etc.). Background Investigation for a Secret Clearance: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the GPO requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy; this position requires a Secret clearance.

To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully completed a background investigation for a Secret clearance.

This review could include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs; this security process may take between 6 weeks to 12 months.

GPO will conduct an interim security clearance, pending the completion of the full investigative requirements for the final Secret clearance. The interim security clearance will be granted based on the favorable completion of preliminary checks that are accomplished as part of the security clearance process.

The Agency may rescind the tentative offer if the candidate is unable to obtain an interim clearance. Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.