GENERAL ATTORNEY, GS 14/15 (Open to ALL U.S. Citizens) – Office of EEO Affairs (OEEOA) – Washington, DC

fbi Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
FBI personnel are offered unique professional development opportunities to advance in their careers. Employees can take virtual classes or temporary case assignments at offices around the country.
Who May Apply
Job Opening : 43768
Open to ALL U.S. Citizens
Opening Date: 06/03/2022
Closing Date: 06/17/2022 11:59 pm (EST)
Questions regarding this opening should be directed to HR Specialist Jasmine Tompkins at jttompkins@fbi.gov.
Job Summary
Position: GENERAL ATTORNEY, GS-14/15
Division: Office of EEO Affairs (OEEOA)
Unit: Services Unit
Location: Washington, DC
Working Hours: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Salary: GS-14 – $126,233.00 – $164,102.00
GS-15 – $148,484.00 – $176,300.00
Full Performance level: GS-15
Number of Positions Available: 1
Duration: Full Time/Permanent
The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs (OEEO) Services Unit (SU) is seeking an Attorney-Advisor to provide legal guidance and support for its various programs. The SU administers the FBI’s Disability, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Counseling, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs. The Reasonable Accommodation (RA) and Sign Language Interpreter/Reader (SLIP) programs fall under the umbrella of OEEOA’s Disability Program. RA engages employees, applicants, supervisors, and in some cases contractors in an interactive process to assess reasonable accommodation requests on an individualized basis. RA makes recommendations based on the requestor’s individual circumstances so that supervisors make informed decisions when approving or denying reasonable accommodation requests. SLIP provides services to the FBI’s Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired employees. The EEO Counseling program provides traditional EEO counseling to FBI employees, former employees, applicants, and contractors during the informal phase of the EEO process. The ADR program provides mediation services for FBI employees involved in the informal phase of the EEO process.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement to fill positions within the same division when the position includes substantially the same duties, responsibilities, and qualifications.
Key Requirements
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must be able to obtain a Top Secret clearance
- Some travel may be required
- Selectee will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450 annually
ALL applicants must verify active membership, in good standing, in the U.S. bar association.
ALL applicants must verify completion of the basic education requirement by submitting a copy of college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
Mission Statement:
The mission of the FBI is to protect the American People and uphold the Constitution of the United States.
Major Duties:
GS-14
- Serve as the legal expert in meetings attended by senior FBI officials and/or attorneys
- Provide training to employees, supervisors, and senior FBI officials on EEO matters
- Review current FBI OEEOA SU policies and procedures to ensure they are compliant and consistent with the intent of applicable laws, regulations, and legal precedent
- Prepare detailed advisory opinions, legal briefs, memoranda and/or reports outlining and analyzing facts and legal issues
- Provide continual, accurate, proper, and timely legal advice on all facets of FBI EEO matters ranging from procedural, operation, administrative, and personnel issues
- Develop and direct short and long-term projects to improve the administration and delivery of the unit’s services and legal advice
GS-15 (In addition to the above):
- Respond orally and in writing to complex and novel requests for legal advice or questions involving interpretations of legislation, case law, Federal regulations, and other legal authorities
- Serve as mentor for lower level attorneys in the planning of strategy or tactics to be employed in the defense of a case
Qualifications and Evaluations
Please make sure your specialized experience/requirement(s) can be identified in your resume. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under the FBI’s Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared to your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. High self-assessment in the vacancy questions that is not supported by information in your resume, and/or supporting documents may eliminate you from Most Competitive status.
Your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Most Competitive, Competitive, or Least Competitive. Names of candidates in the Most Competitive category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. Veterans’ preference will be applied.
All applicants will be rated on the following Competencies:
- Communication
- Leadership
- Governance and Legal Jurisprudence
- Analytical Thinking
Positive Education Requirement
This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic educational requirement by submitting a copy of their college transcripts by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.
Applicant must possess a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (or have an LLM degree or other graduate law degree in addition to a J.D.) and be an active member of the bar (any US jurisdiction).
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.
Basic Requirement:
All applicants must possess a law degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and be an active member of the bar (any US jurisdiction).
Specialized Experience (SE):
GS-14: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. SE is defined as follows:
- Experience actively participating in processing and/or resolving discrimination complaints
- Experience providing clear legal advice to executives or legal officials
- Experience providing independent, comprehensive, and sound legal advice on reasonable accommodations and federal labor and employment laws
GS-15: In addition to the above, applicant must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level. SE is defined as follows:
- Experience demonstrating proficiency in interpreting, analyzing, and managing complex legal tasks
- Experience drafting or revising organizational polices, based upon continuing review of case law, appropriate legislation, and regulatory implementation, to minimize organizational legal risk
Desired Skills
Desired skills are NOT mandatory and will NOT be utilized to minimally qualify applicants.
The ideal candidate will have experience in one or more of the following practice areas:
- Civil Litigation
- Employment Law
Education
Applicant must possess a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (or have an LLM degree or other graduate law degree in addition to a J.D.) and be an active member of the bar (any US jurisdiction).
Please be advised candidates that are selected for this position, must be approved by the Department of Justice, before they can complete the FBI’s background process.
How to Apply
For detailed instructions related to applying, uploading documents, withdrawing an application or updating your application, please review instructions on How to Apply . If applying online is a hardship, please use the contact information listed in the vacancy announcement prior to the closing date for assistance.
Required Documents
To apply to this position, interested applicants must provide a complete application package by the closing date which includes:
- Your resume, specifically noting relevant work experience and associated start and end dates
- A complete assessment questionnaire
- Other supporting documents ( if applicable ):
- College transcripts, if qualifying based on education or if there is a positive education requirement
- Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50; not applicable to current FBI employees.
- Most recent Performance Appraisal; not applicable to current FBI employees
- Veterans: DD 214; Disabled Veterans: DD 214, SF-15, and VA letter dated 1991 or later
You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. If applying online is a hardship, please contact the HR Specialist listed in the vacancy announcement prior to the closing date for assistance.
What to Expect Next
Once your complete application is received we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The Most Competitive candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of your status throughout the process.
Additional Information
- The FBI is in the Executive Branch of the federal government. It is one of the components of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The FBI is the principle investigative arm of the DOJ. All FBI positions are in the excepted service.
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens and consent to a complete background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph. You must be suitable for Federal employment; as determined by a background investigation.
- Failure to provide necessary and relevant information required by this vacancy announcement may disqualify you from consideration. Additional information will not be requested if your application is incomplete. You application will be evaluated solely on the basis of information you have submitted.
- Management may select any grade for which this position has been announced.
- Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties.
- If you are hired, you will be required to serve a two-year probationary period. Probationary employees are precluded from being considered for all job opportunities until 12-months of their two-year probationary period has concluded. Probationary Employees may be considered for competitive vacancies that are advertised within their respective division or field office after serving 90 days within the FBI.
- The probationary periods will be served concurrently.
- Memorandum of Understanding: Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on an SF-50, i. e., back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished no credit will be given for time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation (Memorandum of Understanding):
a. Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties)
b. The month/year work began
c. Frequency worked (i.e., daily, monthly, etc.)
d. Specific duties performed
Attach the Memorandum of Understanding to your application in the “Cover Letters and Attachments” section of My Career Tools on the Careers Home page. Please upload the attachment as type “Other.”
Veterans’ Preference
If you are entitled to veterans’ preference, you should indicate the type of veterans’ preference you are claiming on your resume and application. Your veterans’ preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency.
Nepotism
Nepotism is the act of favoring relatives in the hiring process, and is prohibited by law. Public officials are prohibited from hiring or promoting relatives or relatives of officials in their chain of command, as well as actively or indirectly endorse a relative’s appointment or promotion.
During the hiring process, all selected candidates and FBI hiring managers will be required to certify they are not related to anyone involved in the hiring process.
COVID-19 Implementation of Executive Order (E.O.) 14043
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
Reasonable Accommodation Request
The FBI provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and/or hiring process, please notify the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs (OEEOA) Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Program by either e-mail at REASONABLE_ACCOMMODA@fbi.gov , telephone at 202-324-2158, or FAX at 202-324-3976. Your request will receive an individualized assessment.
This e-mail address is only for reasonable accommodation requests. Please do not submit your application and/or any questions unrelated to reasonable accommodations. Should any applications be received, they will not be forwarded for consideration during the hiring process.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The FBI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for this vacancy. Except where otherwise prohibited by law, selection will be made without regard to, and there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, parental status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, age, sex, sexual orientation, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit factors.
Benefits
The FBI offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.
This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees: http://www.opm.gov/insure/new_employ/index.asp