Attorney Advisor

Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Attorney
810 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
United States
JP-23-015
About the Office: 

Join our team! The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking experienced attorneys to work in the Public Safety Officers' Benefit (PSOB) Program. The PSOB provides death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders, and disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. This is a Term position not-to-exceed four (4) years, located in Washington, DC.

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.

Job Description: 

Legal Advice and Guidance under the PSOB Act
Provides advice on legal problems that affect a significant segment of public interest,  but lack clearly applicable legal precedents due to the complexity of the program or the novelty of the issue. Advises on laws, regulations of federal agencies, opinions of the courts, common law, and administrative law.

Legal Support and Advice on PSOB Matters
Responsible for developing the materials that become the agency's justification for policies and procedures for legal review of claims for a high profile and mission critical public officers benefits program. Independently develops completed decisions, reports, briefs, opinions, and other products affiliated with difficult legal issues in a specialty area affecting a significant segment of public interest. Drafts legislation and regulations or prepares complete reports on changes in basic legislation and regulations pertaining to legal matters pertaining to the PSOB Program. Reviews proposed legislation and regulations to determine impact on the PSOB Program and drafts memoranda and guidance regarding the impact of the proposed changes on the PSOB Program. Evaluates and prepares written comments on the proposed legislation and regulations in terms of its foreseeable effect on agency programs, policies, procedures, regulations, methods of operation, extent of operation, and on existing legislation and regulations. Makes recommendations based on the comments of operating organizations, personal program knowledge, awareness of the legal implications of the proposed legislation, and knowledge of related legislation. Proposes alternative language or policy changes to draft legislation and recommendations changes as appropriate.

Legal Review and Edit of PSOB Work Products
Under the direction and in the absence of PSOB Counsel, oversees and manages the process for legal review of the PSOB claims. Responsible for training legal personnel assigned to the PSOB Program. Reviews and edits the work product of legal personnel assigned to the PSOB Program, ensuring legal and factual accuracy and Program consistency. Performs legal research in connection with issues of higher complexity that arise in particular claims of the Program and advises on Federal laws and regulations, rules and policies of the Department of Justice and other Federal agencies, opinions of the Agency's General Counsel, the common law, administrative law, and state laws (among others). Prepares and renders well-reasoned and thorough legal advice, as required, for claims before the Program. In coordination with the BJA and PSOB Directors and PSOB Legal Counsel, recommends policies and develops procedures and regulations to implement the PSOB Act.

Qualifications: 

Eligibility Requirements and Minimum Qualifications:

To be eligible for this position, applicants must:

  1. Possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an accredited law school; and
  2. Be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction)


GS-14 Qualifications:

  1. Have a minimum of four (4) years of post J.D./LL.B legal experience, three (3) of which must have been in at least one of the following areas:
  • In handling legal matters involving programs such as those providing disability, death, and education benefits, or other complex programs governed by law, regulation and procedures;
  • In handling Torts, insurance claims, workers' compensation or similar matters; or
  • Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB).

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Salary: 
$126,233 - $164,102 per year
Travel: 
Occasional travel may be required for meetings, conferences, and/or training.
Application Process: 

Applications must be submitted online.  Please access the USAJOBS vacacny announcement for more information: USAJOBS - Job Announcement

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Application Deadline: 
Monday, October 31, 2022
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
3
Updated October 20, 2022

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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.