General Attorney

THIS IS NOT AN IMMIGRATION LAW POSITION as experience regarding immigration issues will not qualify you for this non-immigration law position.

The selectee for this vacancy will serve as a dedicated attorney providing advice to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer the Office of Contracting and other USCIS officials on issues related to fiscal law acquisitions and procurement and other areas of general administrative law in support of USCIS mission. The attorney is supervised by a Commercial and Administrative Law Division (CALD) Deputy Chief and the CALD Chief. The duties and responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:

• Performing legal research and writing on fiscal law topics and statutes including the Anti-Deficiency Act the Economy Act and annual appropriation statutes.
• Provide guidance in accord with the U.S. Government Accountability Offices Principles of Federal Appropriations Law Comptroller General Decisions and decisions from the Office of Legal Counsel (DOJ).
• Advise on issues related to Acquisition Debt Collection Grants Intellectual Property Inter-Agency and Intra-Agency details interagency MOUs.
• Review government contract-related documents for legal sufficiency (including but not limited to Acquisition Plans and draft Solicitations);
• Represent the USCIS in government contract litigation;
• Provide legal advice to the contracting office and program officials;
• Conduct training in federal acquisitions and/or fiscal law.
• Review acquisitions above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold.

Conditions of employment

U.S. Citizenship: Candidate must be a United States Citizen and present proof of citizenship if selected.

Qualifications by Closing date: You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Please note that qualification claims will be subject to verification.

A Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (SF-450) will be required for certain positions. You may be asked to complete the necessary Financial Disclosure Report to meet that requirement.

Drug Testing: If position has been identified as a Testing-Designated position under DHSs Drug-Free Workplace Plan any individual tentatively selected will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.

Selective Service Registration: Male applicants born after December 31 1959 will be required to certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law.

Residency Requirement: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The residency requirement states that candidates must have for three of the last five years immediately prior to applying for this position(s);

• resided in the United States; or
• worked for the United States Government as an employee overseas in a Federal or Military capacity; or
• been dependent of a U.S. Federal or Military employee serving overseas.

• the state-side address of the company headquarters where the applicants personnel file is located
• the state-side address of the Professor in charge of the applicants Study Abroad program
• the church records for the applicants overseas church mission
• and/or the state-side addresses of anyone who worked or studied with the applicant while overseas. Applicants must be able to provide information at a later date if deemed necessary.

Qualifications

You qualify at the GS-15 level if you: are currently an attorney in federal employment with the equivalent of being a GS-14 and at least one year experience at that level or if not a federal employee and you have at least three years of post-J.D. professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Applicants must possess a J.D. or LL.M. degree from an ABA-accredited law school or serve a legal apprenticeship in California Virginia Vermont or Washington and pass the bar exam in order to be permitted to practice law in one (1) of those jurisdictions.

Bar Requirement GS-13 thru GS-15: Be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction).

Prior to entering on duty all selected attorneys must provide a Certificate of Good Standing in holding an active Bar License to practice law in any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

All applicants will be rated against the following factors:

• Ability to resolve questions and provide accurate legal advice to both attorneys and non-attorneys on complex legal matters.
• Ability to handle a heavy workload and meet deadlines.
• Legal aptitude as reflected in the resume provided.
• Quality of writing sample not to exceed 10 pages.
• Quality of the cover letter addressed to OCC summarizing interest in the position not to exceed 1 page.
• Quality of recommendations provided (No more than 3 recommendations total).