Attorney Advisor (Agency Law)

Summary

The Surface Transportation Board (STB or Board) is an independent regulatory agency responsible for economic regulation of freight railroads and limited regulatory responsibilities over passenger rail, certain water carriers, non-energy pipelines, trucking companies, and intercity bus companies. The position is responsible for conducting legal research, developing recommended outcomes of cases, and preparing initial drafts of Board decisions.

Duties

The major duties of this position are researching and drafting decisions in proceedings before the Board. The Board adjudicates, among others, the following types of proceedings: complaints of unreasonable railroad rates or practices; declaratory orders; licensing of rail line constructions, acquisitions, and abandonments; railroad mergers and acquisitions; and proceedings under the Board's jurisdiction over motor carriers, water carriage in the noncontiguous domestic trade, and certain pipelines. In preparing draft decisions, the selected attorney will review the record before the agency and apply the relevant statutes, regulations, policies, and case law. Board decisions include summaries of relevant evidence, analysis of salient legal issues, and findings of fact, conclusions of law, and determinations of actions to be taken by the Board. The selected attorney also will lead meetings with staff from other offices within the Board to develop recommendations for resolving Board proceedings, lead briefings of the Board members to present staff recommendations, and draft legal memoranda, correspondence, or other materials as assigned. If you are selected at a grade lower than the highest shown in this listing, you will be placed under a career development plan and can be non-competitively promoted when you successfully complete the requirements for the higher grade. This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Qualifications

The Office of Personnel Management has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. However, STB sets minimum qualifications for attorney positions and sets forth these qualifications for this position. Therefore, you must possess the following minimum qualifications before the closing date of this posting: Professional law degree (LL.B., J.D., LL.M.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA); Upon entering duty, current membership in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Proof of bar membership will be required before entering on duty. All candidates must demonstrate through their application documents: excellent research and writing skills, incisive legal analytical ability, and strong oral advocacy and presentation skills. AND Specialized Experience: GS-12 Level GS-12 candidates must have one year of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience. GS-13 Level GS-13 candidates must have two years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision and resolving disputes. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience. GS-14 Level GS-14 candidates must have three years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision and resolving disputes. Candidates must possess a legal background in transportation, economics, administrative law, or government regulation. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience. GS-15 Level GS-15 candidates must have four years of professional legal experience: analyzing statutes, regulations, and decisional law, and presenting those analyses and relevant legal or policy issues for decision and resolving disputes in support of an efficient, competitive, and economically viable surface transportation network. Candidates at this level will also have experience providing advice on complex technical issues concerning rail transportation. Federal clerkships count towards creditable experience. We will consider only candidates who submit complete application packages (writing sample, cover letter, transcripts, and a resume). In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or education. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. Please Note: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages ( see USAJOBS for formatting requirements ). Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job: Name, address, telephone number, email address; Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade); To receive full consideration for specialized experience, please list month/year to month/day/year (MM/DD/YY - MM/DD/YY) or month/day/year to present (MM/DD/YY-present); Hours worked per week (if other than full time); If qualifying based on related unpaid (e.g. volunteer service) experience, you must provide hours worked per week and beginning/ending dates (MM/DD/YY to MM/DD/YY); Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination; and PLEASE NOTE: If you submit multiple resumes, only the latest uploaded resume will be reviewed. If a determination cannot be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration.

Education

Education alone is not sufficient for qualification for this position. Therefore, applicants must also possess an active bar membership and meet the specialized experience requirements described in this announcement. Educational Requirements Applicant must possess a professional law degree, (Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctor (J.D.)), from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing. You must submit a copy of both your law school and college transcripts with your application. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited toward qualifications; applicants' resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.abanet.org/legaled/approvedlawschools/approved.html Foreign Education: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must submit a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please click Foreign Education.