Closing Date: 8th July, 2024

Description:

Summary:
TTB's mission is steeped in America's history, from the time of the Whiskey Rebellion to the work of agents like Eliot Ness. We are a nationwide team dedicated to collect alcohol, tobacco, firearms and ammunition excise taxes and ensure that alcohol beverages are labeled, advertised and marketed by law. We ranked 35th of 432 (top 10%) on agency subcomponents of 2022's Best Places to Work.

Duties:
This position is located at Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Office of the Chief Counsel - Field Operations Division.

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-15. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

Complete legal work of an administrative nature for civil, criminal, and administrative cases arising in connection with laws administered by the Bureau by: analyzing, researching, and reaching conclusions on the factual, legal and policy issues; applying the pertinent laws, regulations, and other precedents when available; and reviewing cases involving tax, criminal, and civil matters, as well as administrative adjudications involving the denial, suspension, or revocation of permits.
Prepare legal opinions, both written and oral, for the guidance of Bureau officials and employees, often on very short notice to meet pressing deadlines; review and prepare recommendations on offers in compromise of tax and other liabilities, petitions for remission or mitigation of forfeitures; and other cases involving important legal issues or significant amounts of money.
Provide litigation support to DOJ in defense of TTB, as well as prepare recommendations to DOJ for prosecution of criminal cases within the jurisdiction of TTB's authority.
Represent TTB in alcohol and tobacco permit proceedings before an Administrative Law Judge and the TTB Administrator; in litigation cases, prepare all necessary documents, conduct discovery and motion practice, represent TTB at the hearing and prepare post-hearing briefs, appeals or responses.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.

Key Requirements:

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Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National

Qualifications:
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized experience for the GS-11: You must be a law school graduate with a J.D. degree and be admitted to the bar. In addition, you have to have one of the following:- One year (52 weeks) of experience as a practicing attorney at the GS-09 level, or equivalent level of difficulty in the Federal service demonstrating outstanding written and analytical work;OR

Held a judicial clerkship; OR
Have an LL.M. degree that required one full year of graduate study; OR
Have superior law student work or activities.

Specialized experience for the GS-12: You must have a minimum of one year (12 months) of professional legal experience at the GS-11 or equivalent level. The experience must include acting as an agency or client representative in administrative or judicial proceedings, preparing drafts of legal briefs for court proceedings, drafting legal memoranda regarding effects of proposed legislation or regulations, or drafting briefing papers on legal issues for senior government officials or private sector clients.

Specialized experience for the GS-13: You must have a minimum of one- and one- half years (18 months) of experience practicing as a licensed attorney. The experience must include one year of experience at the GS-12 level or equivalent in the Federal service or private sector including acting as a lead agency or client representative in administrative or judicial proceedings, preparing drafts of legal briefs for court proceedings, drafting legal memoranda regarding effects of proposed legislation or regulations, or drafting briefing papers on legal issues for senior government officials or private sector clients.

Specialized experience for the GS-14: You must have a minimum of two years (24 months) of experience practicing as a licensed attorney. The experience must include one year of experience at the GS-13 level or equivalent in the Federal service or private sector including acting independently as a lead agency or client representative in administrative or judicial proceedings, preparing drafts of legal briefs for court proceedings, drafting legal memoranda regarding effects of proposed legislation or regulations, and drafting briefing papers on legal issues for senior government officials or private sector clients.

Specialized experience for the GS-15: You must have two years (24 months) of experience at the GS-14 level, or equivalent level of difficulty in the Federal service or private sector, that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Examples of such experience might include independently handling cases involving sensitive or highly visible issues that may contain facts which are difficult to develop and prove or matters of a precedent-setting nature.

Education:
To be qualified for this position, you must meet the basic educational and/or work experience requirements for Attorney-Advisor positions in the federal government. Applicants must:

Be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.;
Be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
Meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement.

The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.