Trial Attorney (Labor)

This position is located in the Department of Housing and Urban Development , Office of General Counsel . Duties The following are the duties of this position at the GS-14 . If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position. As a / an Trial Attorney (Labor) , you will : Represent the Department in administrative litigation arising under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 before the Merit Systems Protection Board or in arbitration under applicable collective bargaining agreements. In Federal Court litigation concerning personnel issues falling within the responsibility of the Division, the incumbent provides coordination, assistance, and maintains direct contacts with Department of Justice attorneys. This responsibility may include assisting in appellate litigation before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Incumbent provides legal advice concerning personnel law and regulations under Title 5 of the United States Code. Matters falling within this area include adverse actions for misconduct, performance-based actions and actions resulting from reductions in force or reassignments, as well as pay, leave, travel, and other personnel actions. This advice involves complex and sensitive issues as well as high level officials. Litigate appeals arising under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and that involve adverse actions for misconduct and performance-based actions and appeals that concern alleged violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA), as well as the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (WPEA). Represent management before the FLRA against unfair labor practice (ULP) claims, and violations of the Federal Labor Management Relations statute under Chapter 71 of Title 5 of the United States Code. Before arbitrators, the incumbent represents management in arbitrations which concern alleged violations of the collective bargaining agreement. Represent the Department in unfair labor practice litigation before the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Provide advice concerning the law governing Federal Labor Management Relations under Chapter 71 of Title 5 of the United States Code. This area of responsibility includes providing advice on the negotiability of both management and union bargaining proposals, review of collective bargaining agreements for legal sufficiency, and evaluation of matters involving contract interpretations which are raised in the collective bargaining process. Prepare evidence for hearings, post-hearing briefs, and filing of exceptions. The incumbent is responsible for independently planning and carrying out these assignments under the supervision of the Assistant and Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Personnel Law. RequirementsQualifications You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements : Applicants MUST : (1) be a graduate of an accredited law school with an LL.B. or J.D.; (2) be a current member of a bar with a valid license to practice law in a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and (3) meet all specialized experience requirements as described in the vacancy announcement. AND For the GS-14, you must : Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus four (4) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. OR Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. OR Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1 / 3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-13 level in the Federal service. For the GS-14, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for the GS-14 include : - Experience providing oral and written legal opinions on federal personnel, equal employment opportunity or other substantive issues; OR - Experience in labor law related advice and litigation; OR - Experience representing state or federal government agencies in hearings before administrative tribunals or in court. A desirable candidate should have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level that has demonstrated legal knowledge in one or more of the areas described above, and has experience providing effective legal advice on complex and novel legal issues, managing a heavy workload and developing and maintaining productive working relationships with clients, other agencies and stakeholders, and the public. For the GS-13, you must : Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus three (3) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. OR Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. OR Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1 / 3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. For the GS-13, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for the GS-13 include : - Experience providing oral and written legal opinions on federal personnel, equal employment opportunity or other substantive issues; OR - Experience in labor law related advice and litigation; OR - Experience representing state or federal government agencies in hearings before administrative tribunals or in court. A desirable candidate should have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level that has demonstrated legal knowledge in one or more of the areas described above, and has experience providing effective legal advice on complex and novel legal issues, managing a heavy workload and developing and maintaining productive working relationships with clients, other agencies and stakeholders, and the public. For the GS-12, you must : Have a professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) plus two (2) years of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. OR Have a second professional law degree (LL.M.) plus one (1) year of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. OR Have a first professional law degree (LL.B., or J.D.), plus superior law student work (academic standing in upper 1 / 3 of the law school graduating class, high-level honors for academic excellence in law school, winning of a moot court competition with other law schools, significant work or achievement on the school's official law review, significant summer clerkship or other evidence of clearly superior achievement) plus one (1) year of professional legal experience, at least one of which must be specialized experience at a level of difficulty comparable to the GS-11 level in the Federal service. For the GS-12, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for the GS-12 include : -Experience providing oral and written legal opinions on federal personnel, equal employment opportunity, labor relations or other substantive issues; OR -Experience representing state or federal government agencies in hearings before administrative tribunals or in court. A desirable candidate should have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level that has demonstrated legal knowledge in one or more of the areas described above, and has experience providing effective legal advice on complex and novel legal issues, managing a heavy workload and developing and maintaining productive working relationships with clients, other agencies and stakeholders, and the public. The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month / date / year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your resume. About the company The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development is a Cabinet department in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government. Although its beginnings were in the House and Home Financing Agency, it was founded as a Cabinet department in 1965, as part of the "Great Society" program of President Lyndon Johnson, to develop and execute policies on housing and metropolises. J-18808-Ljbffr