ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (LABOR)

About the role

This is a Defense Legal Services Agency (DLSA) position with duty in the Office of General Counsel, Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). The General Counsel of the Department of War is dual hatted as the DLSA Director. DLSA provides a full range of legal advice and services to officials of the Defense Agencies and the DoW Field Activities.

Read the entire announcement before starting the application process

What you will do

• The Office of General Counsel, DeCA, has a robust and varied legal practice in support of DeCA and its mission.
• Our attorneys provide legal advice, counsel and representation in substantive areas including federal labor and employment law, commercial law, fiscal law, procurement law, construction law, environmental law, government standards of conduct and ethics, administrative law, and issues arising under the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act.
• Our attorneys represent DeCA before various administrative bodies and provide litigation support to U.S. Attorney Offices for matters pending in Federal courts.
• As an Assistant General Counsel for Personnel Law, the incumbent reports to the Deputy General Counsel for Personnel Law and assists in discharging the responsibility of DeCA OGC to provide legal advice, counsel and representation in all aspects of federal employment law, including but not limited to employee appointment, classification, compensation, benefits, conduct, performance, termination of employment, labor management relations, whistleblower protection, and equal employment opportunity.
• The incumbent independently performs in-depth legal research and analysis, as well as writing briefs, legal memoranda, and other documents.
• The incumbent represents the agency before third parties, including but not limited to the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the Office of Special Counsel, and is responsible for the investigation, preparation and presentation of the agency's positions and defenses before such tribunals.
• The incumbent addresses difficult and novel legal policy questions where frequently there is an absence of clearly applicable precedents.
• The incumbent provides support to the Department of Justice in matters litigated in Federal courts.
• The incumbent provides legal advice in the areas of the Freedom of Information Act, and the Privacy Act.
• The incumbent may perform the duties of the Deputy General Counsel for Personnel Law in his/her absence and other duties as assigned.
• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• The Defense Commissary Agency is an Equal Employment Opportunity Agency.
• Notice of Veterans Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring.
• Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documents (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions.
• Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit an SF 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed.
• (SF15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at ***) If two of more applicants for an attorney position are determined to be equally "best qualified" for the position, but one of the applicants is a preference eligible veteran, the preference eligible veteran has preference over the non-preference eligible applicant.
• TRAVEL REQUIRED - Occasional Travel - Business travel is required less than 20% of the time RELOCATION EXPENSES - Recruitment/relocation incentives may be authorized. - Permanent Change of Stations (PCS) may be authorized.
• KEY REQUIREMENTS - U.S. Citizenship is Required - Direct Deposit of Pay is Required - Tour of Duty: Full Time - Bargaining Unit: No - FLSA: Exempt - License/Certification: Bar Certificate of Good Standing reflecting Active Status Read the entire announcement before starting the application process.

Education

Transcripts. REQUIRED when using education to meet qualifications or when education is required.

Foreign education may be qualifying if a private organization specializing in interpreting foreign education programs has deemed the foreign education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program or a U.S. accredited college or university has given full credit for the foreign courses.

Unofficial transcripts from U.S. Department of Education accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions listing your name, the name of the school, the date and degree awarded, and the list of classes and credits earned are acceptable for the application process. If selected, official transcripts are required before a firm job offer is made.

A photocopy of your degree/diploma is not acceptable. When relying on foreign education, submit transcripts and a copy of the equivalency evaluation results letter with a course-by-course listing. Documents must be in English or include an English translation.

The hiring employer for this position does not evaluate degrees from foreign colleges or universities.

How you will be evaluated

Your application package (resume and cover letter) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Documents you must provide

• Your resume and cover letter must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Monday 9/21/2026.
• Documents to be submitted later: 1) An example of writing skills demonstrated by a legal brief, memorandum, letter, etc. (five pages or less).
• 2) If the applicant is a current Federal employee, a copy of the applicant's most recent performance appraisal (or an explanation of why a performance appraisal cannot be provided), plus the applicant's most recent non-award SF-50 or DD3434.
• 3) Applicants who are not currently serving in a DoD civilian attorney position must also submit: a) a transcript of the applicant's law school records with an official statement of his/her relative standing in his/her class, if obtainable.
• A copy of the transcript is acceptable for the application but the official transcript must be submitted prior to entrance on duty; b) a certificate showing active membership of a qualifying state bar (see Bar Membership above).
• A copy is acceptable for the application but the official certificate or on-line link to verify the information, presented prior to entrance on duty. c) a statement that his/her fitness to practice law or their conduct as an attorney has never been challenged.
• If fitness or conduct has been challenged, a statement explaining the circumstances must be provided.
• The successful applicant will be required to submit an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, within 30 days of assuming the position.

What to expect next

The hiring manager may choose to conduct interviews and may conduct telephone interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants. Someone from the hiring agency (i.e., DeCA) will contact you if the hiring manager decides to interview you.

Should you receive a tentative job offer, be aware such offers are automatically withdrawn if you fail to (1) record an acceptance or declination by the response date provided in the offer notice and/or (2) meet any pre-employment requirements, including a scheduled appointment. If you receive a job offer, use a computer to submit your response rather than a mobile/cell phone.

Additional information

Executive Order 12564 requires a federal workplace to be free of illegal drugs and prohibits the use of illegal drugs both on and off duty by federal employees.

As a reminder, marijuana is still classified as an illegal drug by the Federal government and is prohibited for use by Federal employees even if such use is legal in the state where the Federal employee resides and/or works.

The Defense Commissary Agency is a Drug-Free Federal Workplace where the use of illegal drugs will not be tolerated and may result in penalties up to and including removal from Federal service. The display of a salary range on this announcement does not suggest or convey an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

Upon first appointment to a civilian position in the Federal government, you are entitled only to the lowest step (Step 1) of the grade for which selected. The minimum age requirement is generally 18 years. Employing those under 18 may be possible under certain circumstances.

If under 18 years of age, ensure you provide documentation showing how you are eligible. Applicants with financial difficulty are not automatically removed from consideration.

Selectees are required to complete an online onboarding process.

Retired military service members cannot be appointed to a Department of War (DoW) civilian position within 180 days of their retirement date. 5 United States Code 3326. PCS May be authorized.

Most civilian PCS entitlements are now taxable. The Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) reimburses eligible employees for additional Federal, State, and local income taxes incurred as a result of receiving taxable travel income. More information is available at Civilian Relocation/PCS Tax Changes.

The following may result in a rating of ineligible. Ineligible applicants receive no consideration. Submitting an incomplete application package may result in your not being considered for this position.

Your resume must reflect that you are either Part-Time with the number of hours listed, Full Time, or 40 hours per week as your work schedule. If you fail to provide this information in your resume, your resume will be considered as incomplete. Your resume may not exceed two pages.

If your resume exceeds the two page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement Submitting encrypted documents or uploading Adobe portfolio documents. Submitting any document that contains a photo or image of you.

Including social media links, inappropriate material or content, classified or government sensitive information, or personal information such as age, gender, race, religion, or social security number on your resume. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials.

Deliberately attempting to falsify your application information, such as copying portions of this announcement into your resume.