Senior Puerto Rico Attorney Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

This position is in the Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA), Enforcement Office (EO). The Enforcement Office is responsible and accountable for enforcing laws and rules governing the issuance, receipt and management of federal student aid. The incumbent is an attorney responsible for analyzing and investigating borrower defense claims.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualification Requirements GS-13

• You must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association,

AND

• Proof of admission to the Bar of the highest court of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and current membership in such Bar as would permit the practice of law. You must be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar,

AND

• Has three years professional legal experience, at least one of the three years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled, OR
• Has two years professional legal experience, at least one of the two years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled, PLUS a second professional law degree (LL.M.) which requires one full year of graduate study, OR
• Has two years professional legal experience, at least one of the two years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled, PLUS record shows superior law schoolwork or activities as demonstrated by one of the following:
  • Academic standing in the upper third of the law school graduating class.
  • Work or achievement of significance on his/her law school's official law review.
  • Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif.
  • Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools.
  • Full-time or continuous participation, for one year or two semesters of law school, in a legal aid program (as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation).
  • Significant summer law office clerk experience after beginning law school.
  • Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.

NOTE: For purposes of counting the number of years of legal experience after graduating from law school, equivalent writing and legal analysis performed as a judicial law clerk will be considered even if the applicant was not admitted to the bar at the time.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-13
One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-12 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience in drafting legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers.
2. Experience in drafting pleadings, briefs, legal memoranda, or other court or administrative documents involving legal issues in civil or criminal litigation or administrative proceedings.
3. Experience in adjudicating administrative decisions with limited supervision, drafting memoranda, orders, or decisions for judges of deciding officials; conducting civil or criminal litigation or administrative law proceedings with supervision.

Minimum Qualification Requirements for GS-14:

• You must be a graduate from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association,

AND

• Proof of admission to the Bar of the highest court of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and current membership in such Bar as would permit the practice of law. You must be a member in good standing of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bar,

AND

• Has four years professional legal experience, at least one of the four years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled, OR
• Has three years professional legal experience, at least one of the three years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled, PLUS a second professional law degree (LL.M.) which requires one full year of graduate study, OR
• Has three years professional legal experience, at least one of the three years MUST be at the level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to that of an attorney at the grade immediately below the one being filled, PLUS record shows superior law schoolwork or activities as demonstrated by one of the following:
  • Academic standing in the upper third of the law school graduating class.
  • Work or achievement of significance on his/her law school's official law review.
  • Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, such as election to the Order of the Coif.
  • Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools.
  • Full-time or continuous participation, for one year or two semesters of law school, in a legal aid program (as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation).
  • Significant summer law office clerk experience after beginning law school.
  • Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement.

NOTE: For purposes of counting the number of years of legal experience after graduating from law school, equivalent writing and legal analysis performed as a judicial law clerk will be considered even if the applicant was not admitted to the bar at the time.

AND

Specialized Experience for the GS-14
One year of experience in either federal or non-federal service that is equivalent to at least a GS-13 performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience in performing legal analysis and formulating recommendations to senior managers.
2. Experience in composing pleadings, briefs, legal memoranda, or other court or administrative documents involving complex legal issues in civil or criminal litigation or administrative proceedings.
3. Experience in adjudicating administrative decisions, writing final memoranda, orders, or decisions for judges of deciding officials; conducting civil or criminal litigation or administrative law proceedings.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).
GS-13/14
1. Skill in legal analysis.
2. Skill in strategy formulation, critical thinking, and multi-tasking under pressure.
3. Skill in legal writing and editing.
4. Skill in written and oral communication.Education:This position has a positive education requirement.
Foreign Education:
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.Employment Type: OTHER