Closing Date: 15th July, 2024

Description:

Summary:
A Government Entity's, Office of General Counsel invites talented and diverse attorneys to apply for an Attorney-Adviser position. We may hire for multiple media law offices from this applicant pool.

For more information:http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-general-counsel-ogc.

Duties:
OGC serves as the chief legal advisor to the Agency's senior management and program offices on Agency rules, permits, response actions, implementation actions, litigation and legislation. OGC lawyers also work with attorneys in the Department of Justice to represent the Agency in defensive litigation in the federal courts. Some offices independently handle litigation in front of the Environmental Appeals Board to defend A Government Entity actions, or work to prepare to defend Agency decisions in formal hearings. We routinely engage in challenging issues, addressing complex, and often novel or cutting-edge legal issues. OGC attorneys assume great responsibility and quickly become national experts in their assigned areas. They also develop strong analytical, problem solving and communications skills while working closely with their program policy clients, other OGC colleagues, other agencies, and outside stakeholder groups. OGC prides itself on its core values of excellence, community, work-life balance, integrity, empowerment and responsibility, and respect.

The Attorney-Adviser works under the supervision of the Associate General Counsel and/or the Deputy Associate General Counsel. We are currently accepting applications that may be used to hire multiple attorneys for our law offices. We may also hire from this pool for additional law offices should any vacancy occur before our next hiring cycle, projected early-2025.

Each law office consists of practice groups that provide legal counsel to A Government Entity Headquarters, regional offices, and some field offices concerning the environmental statutes and administrative law related to that particular law office. From this posting we may hire for the following law offices:
Air and Radiation: The Air and Radiation Law Office provides legal support for A Government Entity to reduce threats to public health and the environment by cleaning up the nation's air and dealing with radiation issues.

Cross-Cutting Issues: The Cross-Cutting Issues Law Office provides legal advice under the numerous federal statutes, Executive Orders, and policies that affect all of A Government Entity's programs, including the Administrative Procedure Act, Environmental Justice, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act, Indian law and Children's Health issues.

Pesticides & Toxic Substances: The Pesticides and Toxic Substances Law Office handles legal issues for the A Government Entity programs that address pesticides and toxic chemicals, including implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act which substantially revised the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Solid Waste and Emergency Response: The Solid Waste and Emergency Response Law Office provides legal support for the Agency's hazardous and solid waste programs and cleanup initiatives.

Water Law Office: The Water Law Office provides legal support for Agency programs that ensure drinking water is safe, that restore and maintain oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.

For more information, visit our website: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-general-counsel-ogc

In this position you will:

Analyze and anticipate legal issues with a problem-solving approach to support A Government Entity Headquarters program offices (and in some cases other law offices) on a wide variety of issues within the attorney's areas of responsibility.
Conduct research of laws, legal opinions, precedent cases, and relevant Agency guidance and actions, as needed, to address complex and difficult legal issues, either on their own or as a member of a team.
Analyze factual and legal issues presented to determine what further facts are needed and what legal sources are applicable.
Initiate contacts with program officials and other persons having knowledge of the facts involved in the substantive matter or case at issue.
Provide oral and written advice and counseling in support of all A Government Entity Headquarters program offices on a broad array of legal matters within the attorney's areas of responsibility.
Assist the U.S. Department of Justice in defending the A Government Entity in litigation filed against the Agency in federal courts. Serve as A Government Entity's legal counsel to ensure the Agency's views are represented in proceedings filed before courts.
Work under the general supervision of the Associate General Counsel and Deputy Associate General Counsel, as appropriate, under the guidance of one or more practice group leaders. Receive preliminary and established instructions as to methods of approach, source material available, and Agency policy and precedent.
Work closely alongside others with different viewpoints and social identities from your own (including race, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and genetic information).

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

You must be a U.S. citizen
If you are selected, a pre-employment background check is required
You must submit a statement of interest, resume and other required documents (See How to Apply)
You may be required to travel occasionally

Qualifications:
Applicant must possess a J.D. degree or equivalent apprentice experience as allowed per state law, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction in good standing.

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, applicants must have an LL.M. degree or at least one year of post J.D. legal experience with specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-9 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include law clerk experience at the federal, state, or local level, performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; composing pleadings, briefs, and other court documents involving legal issues in counseling or litigation.

OR

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, applicants who meet the GS-9 requirement and in addition have superior law student activities while earning a JD degree. Superior law student activities include: (A) Academic standing in upper third of law school graduating class; (B) Work or achievement of significance on law school's law review; (C) Special high-level honors for academic excellence, such as election to Order of the Coif; (D) Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team representing the law school in competition with other law schools; (E) Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program or significant summer law office clerk experience; or (F) Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement, as determined by the hiring office and documented in writing for the case file.

To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-11 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers; composing pleadings, briefs, and other court documents involving legal issues in counseling or litigation. Employee must be able to conduct basic legal research and draft legal advice for EPA clients in the relevant area of law. The drafts must be complete and clear. Employee must be able to review draft regulations and guidance documents and identify basic legal issues in the relevant area of law and provide advice on how to address them with assistance from managers.

Incumbent should have experience in providing legal advice and counsel at A Government Entity, other federal, state or local agencies, or courts, non-governmental organizations, or in private practice.

The ideal candidate will have a strong academic and/or employment record, including evidence of nuanced legal analysis with respect to both statutory construction and applicable case law, excellent research and writing skills, superior oral and written communication, strong interpersonal skills, initiative and self-motivation, the ability to work effectively in a team and independently, a commitment to public service, mature judgement, and the ability to work with diverse persons and perspectives. Knowledge and relevant experience in administrative or environmental law, or both, preferred but not required.

More information on GS levels for the 0905 Attorney position are available at:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/classifying-general-schedule-positions/standards/0900/gs0905.pdf.

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Environmental Protection Agency considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from