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Posted May 01, 2024

ATTORNEY-ADVISOR

Office of the Secretary of Defense
Arlington, VA Full Time
Reference: OfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense788492300
This position is located in the Office of General Counsel, Legal Counsel, of the Department of Defense. The General Counsel (GC)/Director, DLSA, who is appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the chief DoD legal officer (10 U.S.C. 140). The GC is the principal legal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on, and has final authority and responsibility for, legal policy and determinations and the delivery of legal services within DoD and its components. Education cannot be substituted for experience.

You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Incumbent typical work assignments may include the following:
  • Responsibility for legal advice and services in the following areas: responding to habeas corpus and collateral litigation regarding individuals detained at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (Guantanamo); responding to requirements placed on DoD by reason of civil litigation in subject areas of responsibility, to include litigation involving classified information; public affairs issues; counterintelligence activities congressional matters; and detainee policy matters.
  • Serves as the DoD senior attorney regarding issues involving the use of official DoD information in federal civil litigation in a variety of contexts and often will review and analyze legal questions involving executive privilege.
  • Drafts, reviews and coordinates for action DoD issuances, policies, legislative proposals, and responses to Congress, other Executive Agencies and the public in areas of functional responsibility.
  • Collaborates with DOD and Command leadership on policy matters related to Guantanamo detainees; this includes assessing litigation risk as well as advising on other matters relevant to the policymakers.
For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Read more about what should I include in my federal resume? at https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/

The General Attorney Series 0905, has Individual Occupational Requirements that must be met in addition to the specialized experience.


In order to qualify, you must meet the education requirements described below.

0905 BASIC REQUIREMENT:

1. Must possess the first professional law degree, i.e. Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctorate (J.D.), from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

2. Must be an active member, in good standing, of the bar of the highest court of any one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and any territory or possession of the United States.

3. This position requires you to have professional legal experience in excess of 3 years that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements:

You may qualify at the GS-15 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability to: 1) Providing legal advice on the development of policies, procedures, regulations, and/or publications governing civil litigation; 2) Adapting legal principles to identify and resolve legal issues or policy problems; 3) Conducting legal research and analysis of applicable laws to defend litigation in assigned areas; And 4) Performing legal work such as preparing affidavits, briefs, and responses to discovery requests.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

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