General Attorney (GS-12/13)

Summary

About the Position: This position is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwestern Division, Ft Worth District, Office of Counsel with a duty station location of Ft. Worth, Texas. This is a Time Limited Appointment Not to Exceed (NTE) 13 months but may be extended up to a total of 3 years. This position will NOT be made permanent. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Duties

Works under the technical and advisory supervision of the District Counsel. Responsible for the preparation or review of complex legal issues, instruments, assemblies, or the preparation of legal opinions on complex questions relating to state and Federal laws and regulations. Assigned cases involve extremely complex and difficult legal questions or issues involving novel questions of law and policy affecting several million dollars or more. Responsible for acting as an official legal representative of the office to which assigned in contacts with municipal, state, and federal agencies, other federal agencies, and private stakeholders.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration: 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 J.D.). Law school transcripts must be submitted at the time of application. Bar Membership: An applicant 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. Professional Legal Experience: Experience for the GS-12 level: An applicant must have two or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. NOTE: The qualifying authority may make exceptions to the experience requirements when nominees possess special qualifications in place of those specified. For example, a second professional law degree (master of laws) or graduation with a distinguished record from an accredited law school (for example, in the top 25 percent of the class) may be substituted for 1 year of professional legal experience. Experience for the GS-13 level: An applicant must have two or more years of professional legal experience, acquired after being admitted to the bar, commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position. NOTE: The qualifying authority may make exceptions to the experience requirements when nominees possess special qualifications in place of those specified. For example, a second professional law degree (master of laws) or graduation with a distinguished record from an accredited law school (for example, in the top 25 percent of the class) may be substituted for 1 year of professional legal experience. Time in Grade Requirement: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed one year at the next lower grade level. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Your application package will be evaluated to ensure your experience, knowledge, skills, training and/or education meet the qualification requirements stated in this vacancy announcement. Quality of experience relates to how closely or to what extent an applicant's background and recency of experience and education clearly reflect that you possess the following required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of this position. The following KSA's must be addressed in your resume. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating or effect your overall rating. These Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's) must be related in the following areas of federal laws and practices: government contracts and fiscal law, civilian personnel and employment, labor-management relations, civil works project authorities, litigation, general administrative law, environmental law, standards of conduct, ethics and real estate. 1. Knowledge, skills, and abilities with research, analyze, and drafting legal opinions, memoranda, and instruments regarding complex and difficult legal questions (such as federal procurement, civil works, environmental, real estate, or administrative law). 2. Knowledge, skills, and ability as it applies to represent an agency or organization in negotiations, meetings, conferences, administrative hearings, or complex litigation in federal courts and before federal administrative tribunals. 3. Knowledge, skills, and experience in providing comprehensive, clear, and timely oral and written legal advice, guidance, and assistance to command leadership, staff, agency military and senior management with other governmental entities, and with private parties on day-to-day operations and varied legal matters. 4. Knowledge, skills, and experience to work independently with minimal supervision, applying legal principles, analyzing conflicting precedents, and developing creative solutions to novel or precedent-setting legal issues. 5. Knowledge, skills, and experience to communicate clearly and persuasively complex legal concepts effectively, both orally and in writing, to negotiate resolutions on varied and complex topics with diverse clients and constituencies.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How you will be evaluated

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of three quality categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified and Qualified. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Best Qualified. Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for the announced position. Highly Qualified. Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for the announced position. Qualified. Candidates in this category meet the minimum experience requirements for the announced position. You may claim Military Spouse preference. Military Spouse Preference (MSP) applicants will receive preference consideration and will be placed (if selected) at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined best qualified, up to and including the full performance level. You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/04/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13110009). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.

Other information

Note: This is an open continuous announcement. First cutoff occurs 10 days after open date. Applications after first cutoff will receive consideration as future vacancies occur. Period of Eligibility: Your application will remain active for 3 months from the date it is received. After 3 months, to receive further consideration, you must submit a new application package. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration. You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship. Two-year trial period may be required. Direct Deposit of Pay is required. This position requires you to submit a Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE 278) or a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE450) upon entry, and annually thereafter. Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees. If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet. This is a Legal Career Field position Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement. When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information. Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances MAY be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest. Student Loan Repayment, Advance in Hire, and/or Advanced Leave Accrual MAY be authorized. A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive MAY be offered, depending on funding availability and management discretion. An Incentive must be requested by selected applicant at the time of the tentative job offer and approved prior to hire. An Incentive requires a signed service agreement. Current USACE Attorneys WILL be eligible for Administrative Return Rights. Current Army Attorneys MAY be eligible for Administrative Return Rights in accordance with AR 690-300, Ch. 9-8, a.