Legal Careers
Attorney Advisor (General)
Arlington, VA 22202 - United States
The Drug Enforcement Administration Headquarters, Office of the Administrator, Equal Employment Opportunity Office, Discrimination Complaints Unit provides legal expert analysis on EEO and Civil Rights related legislation, policies, regulations and executive orders that govern the EEO complaint process, including alternative dispute resolution (ADR), proactive prevention, compliance evaluation, and reporting functions. Interprets Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations for workforce and law enforcement civil rights issues and recommends possible agency remediation to issues.
Duties of the Equal Employment Opportunity Attorney includes:
Providing authoritative legal advice and counsel on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, regulations and federal employment matters.
Reviewing investigative case files, final agency decisions, settlement agreements, and corrective actions plans to ensure the agency is meeting regulatory and legal requirements.
Reviewing, analyzing and developing new EEO policies, procedures, and guidelines for use throughout the agency in conjunction with established laws, Executive Orders, and applicable regulations.
Requiring a high degree of judgment when making decisions regarding what must be done to resolve questions of authority, procedures, and interpretation of guidelines and recommending decisions on individual cases with broad impact and actions to correct conditions underlying these problems.
Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year OR 2-year trial period, as appropriate) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
All applicants must be an active member of a bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction) or equivalent legal or other relevant experience; 2) excellent academic credentials; 3) strong oral and written advocacy skills; 4) superior legal research and analytical skills; and 5) a demonstrated ability to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
All applicants must possess specialized experience below:
Applicants applying for the GS-13 must have at least 2 years of post J.D. degree (or equivalent) in federal employment law. 1) Providing legal advice and counsel on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, regulations, and federal employment matters; 2) Interpreting policies, defining objectives that establish precedents, and/or resolving technical and legal problems involving complaint processing; 3) Conducting extensive legal research and evaluating complex legal factual issues.
Applicants applying for the GS-14 must have at least 3 years of post J.D. degree (or equivalent) in federal employment law. 1) Providing legal advice and counsel on Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws, regulations, and federal employment matters; 2) Advising on Reasonable Accommodation policy and practices to ensure compliance with the Rehabilitation Act and 29 CFR 1614.203; 3) Conducting extensive and advanced legal research and evaluates complex, difficult and sensitive legal factual issues presented; and 4) Knowledgeable of pertinent laws, regulations, policies, EEOC Decisions, appeals, and civil action cases, including 29 CFR 1614, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the No Fear Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and relevant federal regulations.
A J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see www.ed.gov.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the 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. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: ww.naces.org/members.php.
All Applicant must apply through USAJobs Vacancy Announcement Number H-DEA-27-13113103-DE-DJ
All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Resume - must be no more than two pages in length; resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Resume should include applicants' name, email address, phone number, relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full-time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed. Education/Certification/Licensure when relevant or required for position. See Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information.
SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), if applicable: SF-50(s) must show the effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, competitive status, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency. Multiple SF-50s may be needed to show all required information. Award SF-50s often do not show the required information. To verify the time in grade requirement, applicants must submit a SF-50 verifying the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks. Examples include, promotions with an effective date greater than one year, within grade increases demonstrating the highest grade held for at least 52 weeks or appointments/conversion of appointments with an effective date greater than one year.
Transcripts: An unofficial transcript containing a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award. Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcripts will be required prior to your first day.
Writing Sample: A brief or comparable analytic legal exposition that is your work product. (No more than 10 pages)
Proof of current and active Bar Association Membership.
Cover Letter
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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
For GS 13 $121,785 - $158,322 - GS 14 $143,913 - $187,093. Salary includes locality rate.
Department Policies
The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and treating employees with fairness, dignity and compassion. We must ensure that no applicant for employment or employee of our Department is denied equal opportunity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex – including pregnancy – or because of age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor and that all have the freedom to compete on a fair and level playing field. To learn more, please view the Department’s full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
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.
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.
Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
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://help.usajobs.gov/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.
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).
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.
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.