Summary
Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is the legal department for CSOSA and Pretrial Services Agency (PSA), providing a full range of legal advisory and representational services to support CSOSAs mission, goals and objectives. This Office also provides advisory informational assistance to the United States Courts, United States Probation Officers and other Federal and state officials, all with respect to CSOSAs legal position on a wide range of criminal justice and administrative matters.
Duties
Assist the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel in responding to questions from agency staff related to conflicts-or-interest and financial disclosure concerns. Provides authoritative legal advice and formal opinions on criminal and correctional law issues, torts, liability, labor and employment, procurement, appropriations ethics, and FOIA/Privacy Act. Serves as legal advisor on difficult and substantive legal problems affecting the plans and operations of several related programs. Conducts research on legal issues that affect a significant segment of public interest. Serves as an organizational or agency representative for discussions regarding legal issues in a specialty area, for example copy rights. Addresses legal issues that are specific to the specialty area. Provides legal assistance in litigation involving CSOSA and PSA (Pretrial Services Agency), e.g., prepares answers to interrogatories, draft pleadings, performs legal research of complex legal issues for use at trial, provides advisory assistance to U.S. Attorneys in trial and appellate presentation. Incumbent prepares investigative reports and position papers, based on CSOSA policy, statutory authority and case law. Prepares authoritative descriptive and background reports, compilations, surveys, comparisons of laws and bills, and other written products on significant legal issues of national or international significance.
Education
Applicant must possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree. Positive Education Requirement: This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic education requirement by submitting a copy of college unofficial transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
How you will be evaluated
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your résumé and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the applicant questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, CSOSA 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). Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics): Decision Making Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Writing