General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney) (GS-12)

Summary

This position is established as part of the National Labor Relations Board Honors program. The Honors program supports positions working in three different program areas: Board-side, General Counsel-Headquarters, and General Counsel-Field. This position is specifically for the Board-side program area. The purpose of this position is to provide experience that exposes the employee to the full range of agency legal practices.

Duties

As a General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), GS-0905-12, typical work assignments in the Board Office may include: Reviewing the formal trial or hearing record, including transcripts of testimony and exhibits, the Hearing Officer's Report, the Administrative Law Judge's Decision, or the Regional Director's Decision, and exceptions, requests for review, and briefs; and Researching statutes, decisions, opinions, regulations, legislative history, and other legal authorities on the points of law involved and applying the research to the case at hand; and Preparing bench memoranda in consultation with the Assistant Chief Counsel setting forth the contested issues the Board must decide, the relevant facts, the disposition of those issues below, the parties' arguments, and counsel's recommendation as to how the Board should resolve each contested issue; and Orally presenting cases to the Board Members for disposition; and Drafting official decisions and orders of the Board and/or Board Members' separate dissenting or concurring opinions in consultation with the Assistant Chief Counsel.

Qualifications

All qualifications and eligibility requirements specified in the announcement must be met by the closing date of the job announcement. Ideal Candidate Statement The ideal candidate for the General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney) will have a strong academic law school record, currently be serving in a judicial clerkship, or law fellowship, or honors attorney position, or be in the last year of an advanced law degree (e.g., LL.M or J.S.D.) from an ABA accredited law school, and hold a Bar license. Candidates should have strong legal research and oral and written communications skills. Candidates should also have experience or course study in labor or industrial relations and the National Labor Relations Act. Basic Eligibility Requirements Education: An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LL.B or JD). Bar Membership and Certification: Must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Your active bar license must reference bar number and indicate the status of good standing. Agency Internal Self-Certification Forms are not acceptable for verification. In order to meet the basic eligibility requirements, applicants must also have at least one of the following: A GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 or above (or equivalent) or are in the top 25% of their law school class or their school does not use a numerical GPA/rank; OR Have previously interned or worked at the NLRB or another labor agency; OR Have other specialized labor law or labor relations experience. In addition to the Basic Eligibility Requirements, applicants must also meet the following: Minimum Qualifications To be eligible for the General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), GS-0905-12 position and grade, applicants must meet one of the following qualifications: Currently serving in at least a one (1)-year post-law school experience as a judicial clerk, honors attorney; OR A legal fellow that was started within six (6) months of graduating with my first professional law degree (J.D. LL.B); OR In the last year of an advanced law degree (e.g., LL.M or J.S.D.) from an ABA accredited law school that was started within six (6) months of graduating with my first professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B). Specialized Experience Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the GS-12, General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), and that is typically related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: Experience providing analysis and/or the interpretation of issues that may include legal and/or policy matters; and Experience performing legal research and recommendations based on legal principles to substantiate cases; and Experience communicating orally to relay and explain legal issues and factual scenarios in a legal environment. This experience must be fully supported and articulated in your resume to receive consideration. Please do not cut and paste the specialized experience from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level. NOTE: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Applicants must have successfully completed a full course of study in a law school accredited by the ABA and have their first professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B). OR Applicants must be currently in process of obtaining an advanced law degree (e.g., LL.M or J.S.D) from a law school accredited by the ABA. You must meet all qualification requirements. 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 this criteria, see www.ed.gov. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. Special Instructions for Foreign Education If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in accredited U.S. education programs; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.

How you will be evaluated

Once the application process is complete, your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Decision Making Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Oral Communication Reasoning Written Communication Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13100323 In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. For evaluating the quality of applicants for referral to the selecting official, a multi-phased process will be used. Phase 1: Applicants' resume and supporting documents will be reviewed by Human Resources (HR) to determine whether they meet the minimum qualification requirements. Phase 2: Applicants who are minimally qualified may be advanced to a Structured Resume Review assessment conducted by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. SMEs may review applicants' resumes to evaluate technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Phase 3: Applicants who successfully pass the Structured Resume Review assessment may be advanced to a Writing Sample Review conducted by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. SMEs may assess applicants' ability to demonstrate the required competencies for the position. Phase 4: A final score, which may combine the results from one or more assessments, may be used to identify the top-rated applicants. Applicants meeting the established cut-off score may be referred to the selecting official for consideration and may be required to participate in one or more additional interviews as part of the hiring process. THE RULE OF MANY The NLRB uses the Rule of Many which ranks job applicants numerically and allows for selection from a broader, top-ranked pool. Applications will be evaluated and rated using the Rule of Many procedures under 5 C.F.R. §332.402 based on a set number, score or percentage of highest ranked eligibles. Preference eligibles will receive 5 or 10 points added to their score based on the adjudicated preference. All eligibles at or above the pre-determined number, score or percentage, including any preference eligibles with a service-connected disability of 10 percent or more, at any score, will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. For this job opportunity announcement applicants will be referred to the selecting official using the Rule of Many under 5 C.F.R. §332.402 based on a predetermined score.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes: Resume; and Any other documents needed to verify your qualifications or eligibility (see the Required Documents section). Please follow the instructions listed below for submitting your complete application package. Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all instructions before you begin. To begin the process, click the APPLY ONLINE button at the right side of this screen to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire. Please ensure you click the SUBMIT MY ANSWERS button at the end of the process. If you have never applied through USAJOBS for a position with the Federal Civil Service, you will need to create a USAJOBS account. To change or update your application, simply reapply through USAJOBS, before the closing date. New or updated resumes are considered "incomplete" applications until the required virus scan is cleared. To check the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.

Other information

The Board program area of the Honors Program is also accepting applications for a Law Clerk (Trainee) GS-0904-11 (Notice of Vacancy NL27EX13100321ZA) and Law Clerk (Trainee) GS-0904-12 (Notice of Vacancy NL27EX13100322ZA). Additionally, the General Counsel-Headquarters and General Counsel-Field (Regional Office) have posted Notices of Vacancy for their respective program areas. We encourage individuals who may be interested in any of these positions to review the applicable Notices of Vacancy to determine qualifications and/or eligibilities. Please visit the NLRB's Honors Program webpage for additional information about the different program areas and Notices of Vacancy. SUPPLEMENTARY VACANCIES Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/REASONABLE ACCOMODATION The National Labor Relations Board is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for appointment without regard to race; color; religion; sex; national origin; age; disability; genetic information; pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. Applicants with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Agency's Selective Placement Coordinator by email here. NLRB offers a wide array of reasonable accommodations and programs for individuals with disabilities. (Note: For additional information for job seekers with disabilities, please click on the following website here.) PLACEMENT POLICY The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position will be filled by a new appointment. TRIAL PERIOD As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: Your performance and conduct; and The needs and interests of the agency; and Whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and Whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. ALTERNATE APPLICATION INFORMATION Applicants may contact the Office of Human Resources. The National Labor Relations Board offers career opportunities that feature competitive starting salaries and the potential for performance-based increases, flexible hours, and the ability to achieve and maintain a balanced lifestyle. You will enjoy a range of comprehensive and competitive employment benefits that include Work/Life Balance Programs (Alternative Work Schedules, Telework, Employee Assistance Program, and the Child Care Subsidy Program), the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, Flexible Spending Accounts, Life Insurance, Long-Term Care Insurance, Thrift Savings Plan, and the Transit Benefit Program.