Attorney Advisor

This position resides in the Training Division, Content Branch of the Defender Services Office (DSO). The DSO provides leadership, direction, administration, management, oversight, and support for the federal appointed counsel system. DSO also serves as staff and counsel to the Judicial Conference's Defender Services Committee (DSC) and administers the hybrid system of federally appointed counsel consisting of Federal Defender Organizations (FDOs) and Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorneys. Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/. The mission of the Defender Services program is to ensure that the right to counsel guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, the Criminal Justice Act (18 U.S.C.3006A), and other congressional mandates is enforced on behalf of those who cannot afford to retain counsel and other necessary defense services. By fulfilling its mission, the Defender Services program helps to (a) maintain public confidence in the nation's commitment to equal justice under law and (b) ensure the successful operation of the constitutionally based adversary system of justice by which both federal criminal laws and federally guaranteed rights are enforced.

The incumbent will be committed to the principle of public defense and responsible for conducting reviews of the federal defender program, providing written and oral guidance to FDOs, conducting research and developing written policies and procedures, and presenting to and organizing meetings and conferences for federal defenders, administrative officers, and judges.

The duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

1. Responding to "hotline" inquiries from attorneys appointed pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act (CJA), relating to all aspects of representing a client in a federal criminal case.
2. Preparing written materials for distribution at national, regional, and local training programs or for posting on the division's website.
3. Planning and coordinating national, regional, and local training programs for CJA panel attorneys.
4. Assisting with the planning of core training programs for federal defender organizations.
5. Serving as faculty at national, regional, and local training programs.
6. Assisting with the use of distance learning tools to supplement traditional in person training.
7. Participating in distance learning activities as required.
8. Monitoring legislation of relevance to criminal defense representation.
9. Monitoring federal criminal case decisions and orders.
10. Performing other substantive and administrative activities related to the duties listed above.

Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction. Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Post J.D. Experience: Applicants must also possess at least 3years of post J.D. experience.

Specialized Experience: Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience for this position is demonstrated experience in providing legal advice and/or training involving criminal defense, the interpretation of statutes, regulations, decisional law and opinions, and/or the preparation of legal memoranda, legislative proposals, and congressional testimony, particularly at the Federal level.