Attorney-Adviser

Summary

The Office of Counsel within the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) provides legal advice to OIG senior management, support for auditors, investigations, and operations.

Duties

• •Duties described below are at the highest grade advertised. Duties assigned at lower grade levels will be of more limited scope, performed with less independence and limited complexity; duties will be commensurate with the grade of selected employee.
• •Advising on applicable federal criminal law and procedures and the Inspector General Act and assisting the Department of Justice in federal court actions.
• •Reviewing and drafting policies and regulations for consistency with law and making recommendations on discretionary matters to management.
• •Written and oral advocacy in conducting administrative litigation before the Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and other bodies.
• •Analyzing and applying the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act in the review and release of records to the public.
• •Researching, drafting, and advising on a broad spectrum of general federal law topics, to include ethics, contracts, appropriations and audits.
• •Diplomacy in communications as Office of Inspector General legal representative at Field Center.
• •Overseeing legal administrative systems, tracking, and reporting actions to Office of Inspector General legal management at Headquarters.
• •Researches legal issues, evaluates law and facts to develop potential litigative strategies, prepares pleadings, motions, interrogatories, fact finding, and other related documents.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements for all grade levels: You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from a full course of study at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; be an active member in good standing of the bar of any state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and have been admitted to practice law before a state or federal court. To qualify for the GS-13: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above). In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied: One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level: Applicants must possess at least 3 years of professional legal experience after admission to the bar, including at least ONE YEAR of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service or non-Federal service in the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act; ethics, personnel law, torts, appropriations, or whistleblower matters and experience in ONE of the following legal areas: criminal, civil, or administrative investigations, litigation, inspector general matters, federal grants, acquisitions, or audits. OR A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above. To qualify for the GS-14: you must meet the basic requirement for all grade levels (as outlined above). In addition, one of the following requirements must be satisfied: One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level: Applicants must possess at least 4 years of professional legal experience after admission to the bar, including at least ONE YEAR of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal or non-Federal service in the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act; ethics, ethics, personnel law, torts, appropriations, or whistleblower matters and experience in TWO of the following legal areas: criminal, civil, or administrative investigations, litigation, inspector general matters, federal grants, acquisitions, or audits. OR A graduate law degree (e.g., Master of Laws/LL.M.) and 1 year of professional legal experience equivalent to the experience described above. Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job. Please visit https://www.nasa.gov/careers/how-to-apply/#Artificial-Intelligence to review NASA's guidance on the use of artificial intelligent (AI) or AI-assisted tools during the application process.

Education

Basic Requirements: U.S. degrees must have been awarded from colleges or universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting organizations. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs. These education credentials must be deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.