Legal Careers
Attorney Advisor (Supervisory)
This position is in the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Office of the Chief Immigration Judge. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is responsible for adjudicating immigration cases. Specifically, under delegated authority from the Attorney General, EOIR interprets and administers the federal immigration laws by conducting Immigration Court proceedings, appellate reviews, and administrative hearings. EOIR consists of three components: The Office of the Chief Immigration Judge, which is responsible for managing the numerous Immigration Courts located throughout the United States where Immigration Judges adjudicate individual cases; the Board of Immigration Appeals, which primarily conducts appellate reviews of the Immigration Judges' decisions; and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, which adjudicates immigration-related employment cases. EOIR is committed to providing the fair, expeditious, and uniform application of our Nation's immigration laws in all cases.
More than one position may be filled from this vacancy announcement.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing expert legal advice regarding the interpretation and application of this country's highly technical and exceedingly complicated immigration laws to a Board Panel. The major duties of the Supervisory Attorney Advisor, GS-0905-15 include:
· Managing the work of attorney-advisors, law clerks, paralegals, and support staff assigned to the Panel. Supervisory Attorney-Advisors have administrative management responsibility over the personnel assigned to their Team, as well as being the "Rating Official" of attorneys and other staff;
· Working with panel members and the Senior Panel Attorney in planning, organizing, assigning, monitoring, and reviewing case work;
· Interpreting and implementing legal and policy determinations of the Board and Panel by translating what may be general directives into specific, legally sound resolutions of issues;
· Proposing constructive, effective solutions to the most problematic and unusual issues before the Panel and assists in developing and implementing procedures to ensure consistency in Board decisions;
· Reviewing records of proceedings for completeness and accuracy; identifying and understanding all factual, procedural and substantive issues; identifying and correctly applying all relevant constitutional, statutory, judicial and regulatory law;
· Drafting clear, well organized decisions that are property supported by legal authority and virtually devoid of errors of style and substance;
· Writing and rewriting decisions in complex or controversial cases before the Panel; often within demanding time limits;
· Recommending and implementing improvements in the case-adjudication process;
· A Supervisory Attorney-Advisor's "Rating Official" will be a Senior Panel Attorney and the "Reviewing Official" will be the Director of Operations.
In order to qualify for the Supervisory Attorney Advisor position applicants must meet all of the minimum qualifications listed below.
Education: Applicants must possess a LL.B. or a J.D. degree.
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Licensure: Applicants must be an active member of the bar, duly licensed and authorized to practice law as an attorney under the laws of a U.S. state, territory, Puerto Rico or the District of Columbia (include the date of your admission to the bar).
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Experience: Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have a minimum of four (4) years of professional legal experience, post J.D. to qualify for the position.
Writing Sample: In addition to the minimum qualifications, applicants must submit a writing sample not to exceed ten (10) pages to be considered for this position.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE
Qualifications must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/search.aspx. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. (Note: If you are selected for this position based on education, an official transcript will be required, prior to your first day.) You must meet all qualification requirements by Wednesday, October 07, 2015, the closing date of this announcement.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in accredited U.S. education programs; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
- A supervisory probationary period maybe required, if not previously completed.
- All DOJ applicants, whose job location is within the U.S., must meet the residency requirement. For a total of three years (not necessarily consecutive years) of the five years immediately prior to applying for a position, the applicant must have: 1) resided in the U.S.; 2) worked for the U.S. overseas in a Federal or military capacity; or, 3) been a dependent of a Federal or military employee serving overseas.
- Employment is contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package by the closing date of this announcement, which includes:
1. Your Résumé showing relevant experience; cover letter optional
2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire
3. Transcripts (include your name, college name/address, type of degree, major, date degree conferred, courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, G.P.A. etc.), if qualifying based on education
4. Other supporting documents (submit if applicable to you):
CTAP/ICTAP documents
Veterans' documentation (DD-214 (Member 4 copy), dated VA Letter, SF-15)
SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," supporting your eligibility: If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must submit a copy of their SF-50 which shows competitive service appointment, tenure group, grade, and salary. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form, which shows the length of time you have been in the next lower grade level. (Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within grade/range increases, and SF-50s one or more years old.)
Non-Competitive or Special Hiring Authority documentation. For further information: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments
Note: Please ensure that your resume contains your full name, address, phone number, employment information such as: Employer name and location; From and to dates (or from date to present for current position), which include the month and year for each description of experience, with grade level held, if applicable, education, training etc. Your description of experience and education must be able to support any claim for qualifying for this position.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
If you completed the occupational questionnaire online and are unable to upload supporting document(s):
1. To fax your documents, you must use the following cover page http://staffing.opm.gov/pdf/usascover.pdf and provide the required information. The Vacancy ID is 1508839.
2. Fax your documents to 1-478-757-3144. If you cannot complete the Application Package online, you may fax all of your materials. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Wednesday, October 07, 2015 to receive consideration. Keep a copy of your fax confirmation in the event verification is needed.
To complete the occupational questionnaire and submit via fax:
1. Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire View Occupational Questionnaire
2. Print the 1203FX form, follow the instructions and provide your responses to the occupational questionnaire items http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/opm1203fx.pdf.
3. Fax the completed 1203FX form along with any supporting documents to 1-478-757-3144. Your 1203FX will serve as a cover page for your fax transmission.
$126,245 - $158,700/Per Year
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice 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 Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
USAO Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
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This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.