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Attorney Advisor (Employment Counsel) at U.S. Department of Justice
Job Description
ATTORNEY ADVISOR (EMPLOYMENT COUNSEL)
The Antitrust Division (ATR) is seeking highly qualified attorneys to serve in the Office of the Chief Legal Advisor (OCLA) in the Washington, DC, office. OCLA's mission is to provide the best legal advice and guidance to the Assistant Attorney General, Deputy Assistant Attorneys General, and other ATR management and staff in order to minimize risk to ATR by ensuring compliance with all applicable statutes, rules, and policies. Within OCLA, the Employment Counsel provide legal advice to and train ATR senior officials and supervisors on federal labor and employment law matters.
Additional information about the Antitrust Division can be found at
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
As an Attorney Advisor (Employment Counsel), the incumbent will be responsible for:
- Providing legal advice to ATR senior officials and supervisors on federal labor and employment law matters, including performance, disciplinary and adverse actions, equal employment opportunity, human resources, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and labor relations, as well as other programmatic, operational, administrative, and general legal issues.
- Reviewing and providing legal advice to Division senior officials and supervisors on all decisions to discipline employees.
- Drafting and reviewing all proposed disciplinary and adverse actions, including removals, suspensions, and letters of admonishment and reprimand.
- Creating, developing, and presenting trainings to supervisors on federal labor and employment law matters.
- Investigating facts relative to federal labor and employment law and general legal issues. Such research or investigation may involve outlining facts or legal issues, analyzing factual or legal concerns, explaining the application of legal principles and precedents, and justifying recommendations or conclusions.
- Drafting policies for approval by ATR senior officials in concert with the Executive Office for issuance as directives, policies, or ATR guidance for implementation by ATR senior officials and supervisors.
- Working closely with the Department and other Federal agencies, including on policy guidance applicable to Division operations.
- Serving as agency counsel in administrative and judicial proceedings, including before the Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Labor Relations Authority, Office of Special Counsel, and arbitrators.
- Appearing on behalf of ATR in settlement negotiations including in connection with EEOC ADR.
- Working closely with employment counsel within the Department and throughout the federal government.
Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the position qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are minimally qualified for this position, your resume and supporting documentation will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. To qualify, an applicant must:
- Be a citizen of the United States;
- Possess a J.D. degree or equivalent, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction) and, have at least one and one-half years of post J.D. legal experience to qualify at the GS-13 level; two and one-half years of post J.D. legal experience to qualify at the GS-14 level, and/or at least four years of post J.D. legal experience to qualify at the GS-15 level.
- Have experience with at least two of the following areas: Federal Employment Law, Federal Labor Law, and Equal Employment Law.
Preferred Qualifications: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Merit Systems Protection Board litigation experience.
Applications will be accepted until May 5, 2023. To receive consideration, please submit your application through USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov).
- If you do not already have a USAJOBS account, please create one before applying via the “Create an Account” link. You will be able to complete your profile and upload your resume and supporting documents prior to applying.
- Once an account has been created, apply to the USAJOBS vacancy:
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Updated April 20, 2023
Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice.
Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice 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 for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
USAO Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.
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