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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
- You must be a U.S. citizen.
- This is a term position (see Other Information on assignment limits).
If you have not yet passed the bar exam, offer of employment will be contingent upon admission to the bar and licensure/authorization to practice as an attorney.
You must self-certify annually and in writing that you hold an active bar membership.
If you are selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure form within 30 days of your first day of employment and annually thereafter.
This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.
If you are selected, you may be required to complete a one-year trial period.
This position is in the bargaining unit.
If you are selected, your appointment may be extended beyond the initial not-to-exceed date to a maximum of two years.
Qualifications
NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.
In addition to the educational requirements, you must meet the minimum grade-specific qualifications as described below:
To qualify for the GS-11 level, you must have either:
OR
- at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level defined as Up to three years post-law school paid and/or unpaid legal and/or public service experience in some combination of litigation (civil, criminal, or commercial), judicial clerkship, providing legal advice to agencies or clients in private practice; drafting or reviewing legal memoranda, legal opinions, or other legal documents; interacting with clients, other attorneys, investigators, prosecutors, agency representatives, or other stakeholders in performing their legal functions. The candidate must have exceptional written and oral communication skills, the ability to manage a busy case docket, and a strong interest in practicing environmental law, public service, and EPA’s mission of protecting public health and the environment.
OR
- completed superior law student activities while earning a J.D. degree. Superior law student activities include:
- Academic standing in upper third of law school graduating class;
- Work or achievement of significance on law school’s law review;
- Special high-level honors for academic excellence, such as election to Order of the Coif;
- Winning of a moot court competition or membership on the moot court team representing the law school in competition with other law schools;
- Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program or significant summer law office clerk experience; or
- Other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement, as determined by the hiring office and documented in writing for the case file.
Skills
To qualify for the GS-12 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level defined as excellent legal research and writing skills, oral and written communication skills, and collaborative work skills as demonstrated through academic courses and activities or other experience; knowledge of environmental law or administrative law as demonstrated through academic courses and activities or other experience; and either:
- A legal clerkship, either administrative or judicial, at the state or federal level.
OR
- A position as a licensed attorney or, if you have already taken a state bar exam but have not yet been admitted to the bar, a position working under the supervision of a licensed attorney:
- Providing legal counsel on technical and legal issues,
- Drafting legal documents and reviewing and editing client work product,
- Developing and presenting policy and legal recommendations,
- Collaborating with teams of counseling or litigation attorneys, and/or
- Representing clients in administrative or judicial proceedings, including negotiations and settlements.
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.
- If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
Education
You Must
- possess a J.D. or LL.M. degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university or equivalent apprentice experience as allowed per state law; and
- be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; and
- be an active member of the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction in good standing.
NOTE: Bar membership and licensure are not required at the time of application, but you must be admitted to the bar and obtain your license before entry on duty.
For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
Additional information
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA. You can also hear a diverse group of attorneys talk about their careers at EPA on the Legal Careers at EPA Webinar.
About the Office of Regional Counsel, Region 8: EPA’s Rocky Mountain Region (Region 8) implements and enforces federal environmental laws in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 28 Tribal Nations. Region 8’s Honors Attorney Fellowship is designed for recent law school graduates with excellent academic credentials and a strong interest in an environmental law career and service in the public sector. It provides an opportunity for entry-level attorneys to practice law in a leading governmental environmental organization and to receive extensive training in, and exposure to, environmental law and policy work in the public sector. Region 8 offers new attorneys significant responsibility, including the opportunity to handle a varied enforcement caseload. Extensive training and mentoring for the Fellow will be provided by dedicated attorney colleagues with recognized expertise. EPA’s Office of Regional Counsel is responsible for developing and prosecuting administrative, judicial, and criminal cases against alleged violators of federal environmental laws. In addition to bringing enforcement actions, the office defends agency actions and provides advice on the legal sufficiency of permits, program delegations to the states, grants, Freedom of Information Act issues, general law issues, administrative law issues, and ethics. The Office of Regional Counsel also provides legal interpretations and support for the implementation of statutes under EPA’s jurisdiction and the Agency’s regulations.
If you have questions about this position, contact Brian Joffe at joffe.brian@epa.gov
EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
This position is excluded from provisions of the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP).
Selection under this appointment authority does not confer civil service competitive status.
Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.
Read more
- Help Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Join EPA in protecting human health and the environment and enjoy many work life quality options! Working for the EPA offers you 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. To learn more about us, visit Life and Careers at EPA.
EPA offers workplace flexibilities as described on the EPA Benefits page. These flexibilities are not guaranteed, and eligibility will be determined in accordance with position requirements, policy, and/or applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement after you are hired.
This position has portable work. If selected for this position, you may be eligible for partial work-from-home flexibilities after meeting eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.
PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF): As a federal employee, you may be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer, including EPA. Learn more: pslf.gov
If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
