Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings Directorate, located in Washington, DC. These positions are headquartered at 90 K Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20229. More than one selection may be made from this announcement.
Basic Requirement: You must provide supporting documentation in your application to show you are an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Education Requirement: You must provide supporting documentation in your application to show your completion of the first professional law degree (LL.B. or JD) from an accredited institution. If applying to a GS-12 grade level position or higher, you must satisfy the legal experience requirements set forth below. GS-11 Qualifications: Recent law school graduates with superior law student work or activities as demonstrated by one of the following: Academic standing in the upper third of the attorney's law school graduating class; Work or achievement of significance on one of the attorney's law school's official law reviews or journals; Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school (e.g., membership in the Order of the Coif, winning a moot court competition, or membership on the moot court team that represents the attorney's law school in competition with other law schools); Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation; Significant summer law office clerk experience; or Other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement. Experience: You qualify for the GS-12 grade level if you possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Preparing comprehensive and succinct administrative rulings, decisions, and interpretations of laws that address matters involving legal or factual questions and novel issues where the precedents which should apply are highly arguable and/or the facts are so complex that different possible constructions or interpretations can be placed on the laws, the facts, and/or the precedent involved. Participating in meetings and briefings with representatives and legal counsel for private companies and industries, and staff members of federal agencies. Working under the general supervision and guidance of the branch chief (or the supervisory equivalent) when adjudicating and giving advice on cases involving the imposition, mitigation, remission or cancellation of fines, penalties, seizures and forfeitures and liquidated damages for violations of customs laws, regulations, and policies. Experience: You qualify for the GS-13 grade level if you possess 2 years of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Preparing comprehensive and succinct administrative rulings, decisions, and interpretations of laws that address matters involving difficult legal or factual questions and novel issues where the precedents which should apply are highly arguable and/or the facts are so complex that different possible constructions or interpretations can be placed on the laws, the facts, and/or the precedent involved. Participating in meetings and briefings with representatives and legal counsel for private companies and industries, and high-level members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies. Working under the general supervision of a branch chief (or the supervisory equivalent), with minimal guidance, when adjudicating and giving advice on cases involving the imposition, mitigation, remission or cancellation of fines, penalties, seizures and forfeitures and liquidated damages for violations of customs laws, regulations, and policies. Experience: You qualify for the GS-14 grade level if you possess 3 years of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, performing duties such as: Preparing comprehensive and succinct administrative rulings, decisions, and interpretations of laws that address matters involving difficult legal or factual questions and novel issues where the precedents which should apply are highly arguable and/or the facts are so complex that different possible constructions or interpretations can be placed on the laws, the facts, and/or the precedent involved. Participating in meetings and briefings with representatives and legal counsel for private companies and industries, and high-level members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies. Working under the general supervision of a branch chief (or the supervisory equivalent), with minimal guidance, when adjudicating and giving advice on cases involving the imposition, mitigation, remission or cancellation of fines, penalties, seizures and forfeitures and liquidated damages for violations of customs laws, regulations, and policies. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 07/22/2025. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information, review the following links: Background investigation and the e-QIP process. Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions: Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government
The Regulations and Rulings (RR) Directorate of the Office of Trade (OT), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is seeking interested candidates to apply to Attorney-Advisor positions, at the GS-0905-11, GS-0905-12, GS-0905-13, and GS-0905-14 levels, with a full performance level (FPL) of GS-0905-14. These assignments are full-time bargaining unit positions. Current practicing lawyers or recent graduates who are already members of a bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are eligible to apply. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, and the desired candidate should have an interest in international trade law, customs law, administrative law, and intellectual property law. Candidates with significant legal experience may be hired at a higher grade level. Although a successful candidate may be assigned to any one of RR's three headquarters divisions (Border Security and Trade Compliance (BSTC), Commercial and Trade Facilitation (CTF), or Regulations and Disclosure Law (RDL)), priority will be given to those candidates who qualify to serve as an Attorney-Advisor in either the Exclusion Order Enforcement (EOE) Branch, within BSTC, or the Disclosure Law & Judicial Actions (DLJA) Branch, within RDL. All candidates must meet the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Section below and possess a juris doctor (J.D.) degree or equivalent from an accredited law school. But additional requirements are necessary for those candidates interested in applying for positions with the EOE Branch or the DLJA Branch. A strong candidate for the EOE Branch has qualified for the patent bar, has a master's degree or bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or physics, or has substantial experience in computer programming. The preferred EOE Branch candidate also has litigation experience, especially appearing in federal district court or before the United States International Trade Commission (ITC). However, those candidates with litigation experience before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, United States Patent and Trademark Office, will also be considered for selection to the EOE Branch. A strong candidate for the DLJA Branch possesses relevant legal experience with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or other information disclosure statutes. The ideal candidate has experience litigating FOIA cases, such as drafting motions. Experience providing legal advice on FOIA, the Privacy Act, or Trade Secrets Act is also desired. This position starts at a salary of $84,601.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $185,234.00 (GS-14, Step 10) with promotion potential to $185,234 (GS-14, Step 10). Working under general supervision, the incumbent exercises a significant degree of independence in completing the types of assignments typical of the Branch to which assigned. Typical work includes: Develop binding rulings (e.g., in response to protests, requests for internal advice, or requests for reconsiderations and modifications of earlier rulings) with respect to classification, valuation, marking, country of origin of imports, or with respect to legal issues relating to trade issues in entry procedures, carrier and navigation matters, penalties for violations of customs laws, duty refunds, unfair trade practices (e.g., infringement of patents, copyrights, trademarks, etc.), and similar type of cases. Adjudicate and give advice on cases involving the imposition, mitigation, remission, or cancellation of fines, penalties, forfeitures, and liquidated damages for violations of customs laws, regulations, and policies. The incumbent may perform work involved in deciding to accept or reject offers in compromise, and in deciding strategies for settling cases relating to significant penalties, forfeitures, and liquidated damages claims. Develop appeal decisions on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cases and perform work consistent with other information disclosure statutes, such as the Trade Secrets Act and Privacy Act. The incumbent may provide informal advice in these areas to the public, CBP field personnel, including law enforcement officers, and other Branches in RR. Develop new or revised regulations pertinent to the functions of the Branch to which assigned or carry out other broad responsibilities with regard to the wide range of regulations falling within the purview of CBP, including title 8 U.S.C. and title 19 U.S.C. subject matters. The incumbent prepares briefing materials and briefs senior CBP, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of the Treasury officials about proposed regulations. Review and prepare comments on and consult with officials of CBP, Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Treasury, and congressional committee staff members on proposed legislation, trade agreements, and Presidential actions affecting the programs of the Branch, RR, or the Office of Trade.