The Attorney Advisor position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Judicial Conference Secretariat Office (JCS). JCS supports the Judicial Conference of the United States and its committees and coordinates the advisory group process for the AO. The Judicial Conference, a standing body of federal judges, serves as the national policymaking arm of the federal judiciary and sets policies governing the operation of federal courts and federal defender offices.
Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions. Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction. Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Post J.D. Experience: Applicants must also possess at least 2 years of post J.D. experience. NOTE: THIS ANNOUNCEMENT ALLOWS APPLICANTS TO QUALIFY USING EITHER THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION. DETAILS ARE LISTED BELOW. Specialized Experience: Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience for this position must demonstrate experience in ALL areas defined below: Providing legal and policy advice and guidance on a broad range of issues, policies, procedures, and legislative matters. Analyzing and presenting interpretations of statutes, regulations, decisional law, opinions, and legal or policy issues. Preparing written communications, such as legal or policy memoranda, judicial opinions, executive-quality correspondence, and reports. Highly Desired: Federal judicial law clerk experience. Experience or knowledge of federal judiciary policies, procedures, and regulations, and membership on law review editorial board. Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat. OR Education: If you are using your education to qualify for the specialized experience requirement, you must submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of courses (which includes equivalent information from the transcript e.g., course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade), from an accredited college or university, with a major in a field that provided you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This information must show superior academic achievement. Superior academic achievement is defined as a 3.5 GPA in your major or an overall GPA of 2.9. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Evaluation of Foreign Education: Evaluation of Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants must provide the following in order for foreign education to be acceptable: A copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation; the type of education received; the level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and state that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the U.S. National Council for the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials; the content of the education program earned abroad and the standard obtained; the status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system; information on what the evaluation service did to obtain this information; and any other information of interest pertaining to the assessment/evaluation of the foreign education. Failure to provide required/sufficient documentation will result in lost consideration.
The incumbent of this position will occupy an entry-level Attorney Advisor position. This opportunity offers tailored learning and development activities to include formal and informal instruction, guidance, and mentoring. The goal of this career development plan is to enable the selected individual to meet the requirement of the full performance level. At the successful conclusion of the development period, the full performance salary range increases to $102,415 to $191,965. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Judicial Conference Secretariat Office (JCS), seeks a motivated, professional entry-level Attorney Advisor to join its team. This position reports to the Judicial Conference Secretariat Officer. JCS activities are highly visible to senior officials of the federal judiciary and high-level staff in the AO. JCS provides procedural guidance, advises on policymaking, and addresses inquiries regarding Judicial Conference policies and actions. The Attorney Advisor reviews and suggests revisions to policy proposals concerning the governance and administration of the federal judiciary that are presented to the Judicial Conference and its committees; prepares agenda materials for the Judicial Conference's Executive Committee; guides and supports committee staff; and helps with logistical and administrative arrangements for Judicial Conference sessions and Executive Committee meetings. The ideal candidate must have excellent research, critical-thinking, and analytical skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly. The ideal candidate can plan, organize, and work under demanding circumstances and time constraints; identify and resolve problems; work collaboratively; and effectively communicate with AO management, judges, senior court personnel, and employees of the executive and legislative branches. At the entry level, the incumbent performs professional entry-level assignments specifically designed to prepare the incumbent for higher-level professional work. The incumbent will participate as a team member working under the direction of the Judicial Conference Secretariat Officer. As competencies in entry-level assignments increase, the incumbent will be assigned progressively more complex work with an appropriate level of supervision. At the full performance level, the duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Assisting senior attorneys in providing legal, policy, and professional staff support to the Judicial Conference and its Executive Committee. Assisting senior attorneys in responding to inquiries concerning Judicial Conference policy positions. Assisting senior attorneys in advising Judicial Conference and committee members and AO leadership and staff on procedural matters. Identifying, researching, and analyzing relevant legal, policy, and factual issues pertaining to Judicial Conference policy and policymaking. Reviewing draft internal policies, regulations, and briefing papers from the Judicial Conference committees to provide the analysis and justification for a policy proposal and working with committee staff to address concerns. Assisting in the drafting, preparing, and reviewing materials distributed to Judicial Conference members, including consent and discussion calendars, and the preliminary and final reports of Judicial Conference proceedings. Managing the process for finalizing Judicial Conference committee reports and reviewing draft reports to ensure both format and substantive changes are incorporated prior to distribution to the Conference. Providing advisory process support and assistance to advisory councils and groups. Maintaining the office's subject-matter database of Judicial Conference positions and assisting with recordkeeping and related functions. Providing support and back up to the JCS Policy Analyst, supporting the Judicial Conference appointments process and AO Advisory Group process.