Attorney Advisor

Summary The Attorney Advisor position is in the Department of Program Services, Judicial Services Office (JSO), Judicial Programs Division. JSO provides support, services, and programs addressing the administrative, governance, and policy needs of federal judges, Article III courts, territorial district courts, Court of Federal Claims, bankruptcy courts, and magistrate judges and their staff. Learn more about this agency Duties The Judicial Services Office (JSO) is seeking an experienced Attorney Advisor to join its Judicial Programs Division (JPD) team. JSO serves as a liaison, consultant, advocate, and resource on matters affecting judges for the Administrative Office (AO) and with the Federal Judicial Center, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, executive and legislative branches of the federal government, the public, and others. This position reports to the JPD Chief. The Attorney Advisor works with the JPD Chief and staff to perform complex legal and policy research and analysis and to provide support and oversight of JPD's various programs and services. The Attorney Advisor is responsible for writing and presenting agenda items to the committees, advisory councils, and advisory groups, and often works with other AO and JSO staff in the drafting and review of the items. The duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Assisting JSO senior attorneys and management in providing information, advice, policy guidance, training, and assistance to federal judges, chambers staff, court executives and their staff, AO management, members of Congress and congressional staff, and the public on a variety of legal, policy, and administrative matters impacting federal judges. Assisting JSO senior attorneys and management in providing attorney support for the new chief circuit, district, and bankruptcy judge orientation programs, chief judge follow-up programs, and judicial nominee orientation programs. Assisting JSO senior attorneys and management in developing and updating publications and resources on the judiciary's internet and intranet sites. Assisting JSO senior attorneys and management in performing judgeship and judge position surveys, including the analysis of requests for temporary, new, and ongoing Article III and bankruptcy judgeships and magistrate judge positions, and cyclical utilization reviews of judgeships and magistrate judge positions. Assisting JSO attorneys in providing policy and program support to the Judicial Conference Committees on International Judicial Relations, Intercircuit Assignments, the Administration of the Bankruptcy System, and the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System, and the Committee on Judicial Resources' Subcommittee on Judicial Statistics. Assisting AO offices with reviewing and providing feedback on Judicial Conference Committee, advisory council, and advisory group agenda items, topic briefs, and policy proposals impacting judges, chambers staff, and staff attorneys. Assisting JSO attorneys in providing support to the AO's Judicial Programs and Services Advisory Council, Magistrate Judges Advisory Group, Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Group, Chambers Staff Advisory Group, Artificial Intelligence Task Force, and Pro Se Working Group. Assisting JSO senior attorneys and management with providing oversight of supplemental law clerk programs, including the pro se law clerk program, court law clerk program, and temporary emergency fund (which provides additional law clerk support to judges in certain emergency situations); providing expertise in Article III chief judge authorities and senior status; and providing expertise in magistrate judge authority. Coordinating with judges, court staff, internal groups, and AO and JSO management on the development of other projects, reports, and publications. Requirements Conditions of employment CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation. Qualifications Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions. Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction (attach a copy of license). Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Post J.D. Experience: Applicants must also possess at least 3 years of post J.D. experience. Specialized Experience: Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience performing legal work involving the interpretation and application of statutes and regulations and preparing legal memoranda directly related to assessing judicial administration and operational matters. Attaching a cover letter is highly encouraged but not required to qualify for this position. Education Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) (Transcript required). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/. Additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.