Federal Judicial Clerkship (2 Years) (2027)

About the role

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! This Federal Judicial Clerkship (2 Years) (2027) position is located in the Office of Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ). For more information visit: OALJ

What you will do

• The Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) is an administrative law court located within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
• FERC regulates interstate aspects of the national energy industry.
• OALJ receives its cases in orders from the Commission, which instruct the OALJ's Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) to resolve issues of material fact, and to apply relevant laws, regulations, and FERC-interpreted policies to those facts in the form initial decisions.
• OALJ initial decisions are then reviewed and voted on by the FERC Commissioners before accruing appellate oversight of the D.C. Circuit, or other U.S. Circuit Court with jurisdiction.
• In formulating decisions, OALJ judges hold courtroom hearings and issue a broad range of intermediate orders on motions, sometimes after oral argument.
• Law clerks serve for two-year terms, and are assigned to 1-2 judges, depending on office needs.
• Although each judge's needs may vary, the law clerk will often work closely with the assigned judge in drafting orders and decisions on complex issues in energy law, among many other matters.
• While clerks work with judges on foundational energy law questions, the vibrant field of energy regulation also requires clerks to gain familiarity with legal questions of all sorts, such as administrative, environmental, corporate, corporate finance, contract, tort, tax, securities, antitrust, evidence, and much more.
• Law clerks will often independently conduct legal and factual research, advise the judge verbally and in-person, and prepare draft decisions, orders, or memos for the judge's review.
• To provide this assistance, the law clerks will sometimes work with energy industry analysts and other in-house experts to gain technical knowledge.
• Law clerks will also have the opportunity to sit in, and assist with, trials, oral arguments and mediations, and act as the judge's primary communicator with participants.
• As a Federal Judicial Clerkship (2 Years) (2027) some of your typical work assignments include: Analyzing data, information and legal argument to understand and evaluate competing views, helping to plan strategies, helping to create constructive solutions to aid the administrative law judge in reaching a reasoned decision.
• Presenting and explaining concepts and information in writing, supporting conclusions with legal authority.
• Presenting and explaining concepts and information orally, supporting conclusions with logic, policy, and legal authorities.
• Addressing inquiries from internal and external customers on OALJ activities of all levels of complexity and either responds to the request or directs customer to the appropriate staff or external entities where the matter can be addressed more appropriately in another forum.
• Working independently or with others to plan and complete assignments, simultaneously handling multiple assignments, anticipating workload and plans accordingly, and may direct others or receive direction in a team setting.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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 Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: ***

Documents you must provide

• Failure to submit all required documentation by the closing date of this vacancy announcement, including adhering to the maximum two-page resume requirement, will result in removal from consideration and loss of any special hiring preference (e.g., veterans' preference).
• REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CANDIDATES: RESUME (maximum of 2 pages in length): Your resume should describe your specialized experience and support your answers to the vacancy announcement questionnaire.
• You must ensure it contains the following information for each experience/position: Position title Name of employer Beginning and ending dates of employment (Month/Day/Year format) Hours worked per week Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable) Series and grade or equivalent (for federal positions) If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on your education, you must list your education history, including the type of degree and your major of study.
• VACANCY QUESTIONNAIRE: You must submit and complete the online eligibility and vacancy questions.
• TRANSCRIPTS: You are required to submit copies of your college and law school transcripts to verify your education.
• Unofficial copies are acceptable; however, if selected you will be required to provide official transcripts before your effective date.
• OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR CANDIDATES (You are strongly encouraged to submit these documents as a part of your initial application; however, if contacted for an interview, these documents will be required): COVER LETTER: You may be required to submit a cover letter that showcases how your unique combination of skills and experience(s) meet the requirements of the position.
• WRITING SAMPLE: You may be required to provide a writing sample that demonstrates your persuasive writing skills and that reflects your analytic skills.
• OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT PREFERENCE OR ELIGIBILITY CLAIMS: VETERANS'PREFERENCE (DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.): There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, FERC considers military service a positive factor when reviewing applications.
• If you are claiming veterans' preference, you are encouraged to submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge.
• Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an "Application for 10-point Veteran Preference" (SF-15), along with official VA letter and the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form.
• For more information about veterans' preference, visit: ***

What to expect next

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. You will be notified of the status of your application up to four times throughout the application process, via your USAJOBS dashboard.

To verify the status of your application, both during and after the announcement open period, log on to your USAJOBS account. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an option to "Track this application." Your "Applicant status" will also appear along with the dates you applied to this position and when your application was last updated.

To learn more about your specific job status and how this helps you track jobs and applications visit: *** Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement.

More than one selection for similar positions may be made from this announcement and the program office for that selection may vary. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s).

Additional information

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: *** 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.