Attorney-Advisor AMC Honors Program

Who May Apply: Current and former Federal employees and US Citizens.

Qualification Requirements: Applicants must meet the following minimum qualification requirements:

1) Education: Applicants require the first professional law degree (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctorate (J.D.)). Applicants for initial appointment into attorney positions must be graduates of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of the applicant's graduation. The Army General Counsel may make an exception upon a showing that a candidate possesses superior qualifications and that no well-qualified candidates from accredited law schools are available.

2) Bar Membership: Although applicants may apply prior to bar admission, at the time of selection, they must be active members in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of a State, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

3) Professional Legal Experience

GS-11: In addition to their first professional law degree (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctorate (J.D.) and active bar membership at the time of selection, applicants must possess one or more special qualifications, such as a second professional law degree(Masters of Laws (LL.M.), provided it required one full academic year of graduate study; academic standing in the upper third of the attorney's law school graduating class; work or achievement of significance on one of the attorney's law school's official law reviews or journals; special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school (e.g., membership in the Order of the Coif, winning of a moot court competition, or membership on the moot court team that represents the attorney's law school in competition with other law schools); full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program; significant summer law office clerk experience, or other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement.

4) Time in Grade (current Federal employees): Candidates selected for advancement will normally have completed at least one year of service that is one grade lower than the position to be filled. The selecting official may request a waiver of the one-year requirement in cases where hardship or inequity exists.

NOTICE OF VETERAN'S PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") to their submissions.