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Legal Careers

Supervisory Attorney Advisor

Hiring Organization
Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
Hiring Office
Central Office, Office of General Counsel, Legislative and Correctional Issues Branch
Location:
Grand Prairie Office Complex, 346 Marine Forces Drive
Grand Prairie, TX 75051 - United States
Application Deadline:
About the Office

The Federal Bureau of Prisons' (Bureau) Grand Prairie Office Complex, Grand Prairie, Texas, consists of the Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) and the Human Resource Services Center (HRSC).

The DSCC is a branch of the Correctional Programs Division, Central Office, and is responsible for centralized agency functions related to inmate designations, sentence computations, and inmate transportation. Additionally, legal department staff located at the DSCC perform reviews of inmates' offenses to determine whether the inmates are eligible for early release upon successfully completing the Bureau's Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program (RDAP).

The HRSC consists of the Consolidated Benefits Unit (CBU), Consolidated Processing Unit (CPU), and Consolidated Staffing Unit (CSU), and is responsible for nationwide Bureau personnel actions and record retention.

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

The Complex Supervisory Attorney-Advisor, under direction of the Assistant Director/General Counsel, is responsible for management and supervision of the legal department at the Complex, its legal staff, and activities relating to legal functions of the DSCC and HRSC.

DSCC legal functions include, but are not limited to, legal analysis and assistance on correctional law issues related to sentence computations, national policy formulation and implementation, related administrative remedies and appeals, litigation and discovery, and RDAP offense reviews.

HRSC legal functions include, but are not limited to, legal advice, policy formulation, and review of matters regarding court orders affecting Bureau staff (e.g., wage withholding and other orders), review of personnel files in response to Giglio and Touhy requests, and other personnel related legal activities.

The Complex Supervisory Attorney-Advisor works under the general on-site direction of the DSCC Chief, with direct supervision and performance evaluation provided by the Associate General Counsel, Legislative and Correctional Issues Branch, Office of General Counsel, Central Office.

The incumbent is responsible for legal review of matters concerning sentencing and sentence calculation, inmate classification and designation, and RDAP offense reviews. The incumbent reviews inmate appeals of decisions made by Wardens and other management staff of the Bureau, and assesses the need for change in Bureau policies based on trends in inmate grievances, statutes, and case law. The incumbent researches and prepares responses to legislative, judicial, and executive branch representatives, and others, in response to written correspondence, and establishes positive relationships with high-ranking or other criminal justice system officials. The incumbent interprets federal laws, regulations, and Bureau policies, and suggests methods for policy development and serves as a resource in the areas of sentencing and designation processes and RDAP offense reviews. The incumbent also performs many other functions such as evaluating management assessment data, conducting studies of programs, and making recommendations for improvements.

The incumbent is responsible for providing direction and support to Bureau field, regional, and central office staff concerning sentencing and designation matters and RDAP offense reviews. Additionally, the incumbent is responsible for providing legal review of requests for Bureau personnel actions and records production. The incumbent provides direct management and supervision of legal staff consisting of several attorneys, several paralegals, and a legal assistant.

Qualifications

Required qualifications: Applicants must have a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least three years of post-J.D. experience or other relevant experience. Applicants must also submit to and pass a drug test.

Preferred qualifications: Prior experience, education, and training in correctional law, with a focus on matters relating to calculating prison sentences, facility designations, and RDAP offense reviews, is highly desired, though not required.

Application Process

Applicants must submit a resume or current OF-612 (Optional Application for Federal Employment), a cover letter (highlighting relevant experience), a writing sample, and a list of legal references, by July 23, 2021, to:

U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Office of General Counsel
320 First Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20534
Attention: Crista Colvin, Associate General Counsel, Legislative and Correctional Issues Branch

It is preferred that you submit your application packet via email to cmcolvin@bop.gov.

No telephone calls, please. This position is open until filled, but no later than July 23, 2021.

Salary

Current salary and years of experience will determine the appropriate salary level. The appropriate salary range, including locality pay adjustments, is GS-15 ($138,053 to $172,500).

Number of Positions
One
Travel
Some travel will be required.
Relocation Expenses
Not authorized.

Department Policies

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.

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://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.

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.

Updated July 6, 2021