Attorney Advisor (General)

• Drafts and provides opinions on non-controversial legal matters and questions as directed/assigned by senior attorneys.
• Supports non-attorney agency leadership and staff in interpretation of various statutes and regulations pertaining to their operational work and tasks.
• Participates in the formulation drafting publishing and responding in regards to agency rulemaking activities (Administrative Procedure Act).
• Monitors areas of legal concern for the agency including proposed federal and state legislation regarding all areas of environmental review and permitting that may present a nexus with FAST-41.
• Assists Permitting Council officials for intergovernmental meetings and hearings to ensure that they are informed on all pertinent legal issues. Assisting in the drafting or review of testimony prepared for presentation to external stakeholders.
• Participating in the analysis and editing of reports prior to submission to Congress the Office of Management and Budget OPM and other requestors to ensure that they meet Permitting Council and Administration policy objectives and statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Assists various agency teams and personnel regarding FAST-41 projects including advancing advising and addressing issues and disputes related to FAST-41 projects including participating in meetings and calls with project sponsors and relevant federal state and local agencies. Provides clear written summaries and assessments of the issues and circumstances involved.
• Provides advice and assistance to other agency staff on legal issues related to their operational subject areas.
• Provides counsel to agency officials concerning intergovernmental relations on sensitive issues and solutions to problems.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation and suitability review.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A pre-employment drug test may be required.
• Two year trial period may be required. See Additional Information section below.
• Current and former federal employees must submit an SF-50.
• Experience Time-in-Grade and all other qualification and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306Declaration for Federal Employment and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• e-Verify an Internet-based system may be used to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the UnitedStates.
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of theirchoosing.
• These positions may be eligible for telework and other flexibilities in accordance with agency policy
• You may be subject to financial disclosure reporting requirements.

Qualifications

The closing date of this announcement has been extended to 2/2/2026. The applicant cutoff below still applies.

This vacancy has an applicant cutoff of 50 applications. The announcement will be removed from USAJOBS at midnight on the day the set number of applications has been received.

*****Two (2) page resume limit:*****This announcement will only accept resumes up to two (2) pages in length. If more than two pages are submitted only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.

Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration:

Education Requirements: Position requires the possession of the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association at the time of the applicants graduation.

AND

Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be a member in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of the highest court of a State U.S. territory or common wealth of the United States (e.g. American Samoa Guam Puerto Rico the Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) or the District of Columbia. As noted below an official certificate dated at any time may be submitted with the application. However in the event the applicant is selected for further consideration during the hiring process the applicant must provide an official certificate dated within three (3) months of the date of the request by HR..

AND

In addition to the requirements listed above applicants must meet experience requirements for further consideration: Applicants must also possess 2 years of professional legal experience acquired after being admitted to the bar one year of which must demonstrate specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal Service as listed below:

GS-13 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is defined as experience in all of the following: Conducting in-depth legal research including analyzing facts ascertaining law and giving opinions AND drafting legal correspondence and briefing documents regarding low-to-moderately complex questions of law AND explaining legal principles and identifying alternative courses of action.

Time in Grade: Human Resources Staff will make a determination as to the applicability of time in grade based on the requirements of the position and the applicants unique circumstances.

All qualification and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. IMPORTANT: Your resume must clearly document the following for each block of work experience: month and year the work assignment began and ended; the hours worked per week; position title and series and grade (if federal); and description of duties performed. This information must be provided for each permanent temporary or seasonal appointment/work assignment or volunteer work and should be clearly documented as a separate block of time. Incomplete inaccurate or conflicting work history may not be credited for qualifications purposes. This can result in an applicant not being considered for the position.

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.