The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a Senior Civilian Labor and Employment, Military Personnel, and Information Law expert for the Office of The Judge Advocate General (HQ AF/JA). The Personnel and Information Law Division serves as the premier organization responsible for representing the Air Force and Space Force in litigation worldwide as lead counsel on labor and employment, military personnel and information law cases.
Duties
- Provides legal advice, recommendations, and assistance to management officials, supervisors, and the servicing Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office(s) and Civilian Personnel Offices (CPO) on all matters pertaining to the Agency's EEO Program, equal employment opportunity issues, merit systems protection issues, affirmative action, individuals with disabilities, and complaint processing on both a strategic and operational level.
- Represents the DAF as trial attorney before Administrative Judges of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), and the EEOC.
- Provides leadership and assists with management oversight of multiple attorneys throughout JACL, including dispersed geographic locations.
- Trains judge advocates, civilian attorneys, paralegals, personnel specialists, equal employment opportunity specialists, commanders, managers, and supervisors on all aspects of labor and employment law to ensure observation of regulations, law, and the Constitution.
- $169,279 - $197,200/year
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- If authorized, PCS will be paid IAW JTR and AF Regulations. If receiving an authorized PCS, you may be subject to completing/signing a CONUS agreement. More information on PCS requirements, may be found at: https://afciviliancareers.com/regulatory/
- Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance
- Must be able to obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel
- Incumbent must adhere to the Air Force Rules of Professional Conduct.
- Highly desire at least 5 years of related subject matter and/or litigation experience
- May occasionally be required to work other than normal duty hours and/or Shift work may be required which may include overtime and/or irregular hours.
- Attorney appointments are subject to serve a one-year probationary period.
- Candidates are not required to have active duty service or veterans’ preference to be referred and considered. All qualified candidates who meet the recruitment assessment criteria will be referred to the selecting official.
- Advance in hire may be authorized if there is demonstrable proof on your resume
- Leave accrual may be authorized upon request
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
- You MUST have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).
- In addition, at the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
1. Knowledge of case law, pertinent governing statutes, and regulations in personnel and/or information law. Incumbent is charged with demonstrating a high degree of expertise in every aspect of law, policy, and procedure related to the matters within his/her area of responsibility.
2. Ability to render authoritative written legal opinions and products involving extremely complex and difficult legal problems related to labor and employment matters. Mastery in written and oral advocacy and communicating legal information.
3. Skill in conducting advanced legal research using modern methods, and litigation techniques and procedures for the defense of Air Force and Space Force before the appropriate administrative and Federal judicial forums to expertly defend the Air Force's and Space Force's interests.
4. Ability to mentor, train, and guide other counsel and paralegals in research, analysis, and evaluation of complex and difficult legal questions in developing appropriate and effective legal strategies.
5. Ability to liaise with external offices, agencies, and organizations to successfully present the Air Force and Space Force positions, build consensus, and form effective working relationships.
6. Ability to independently analyze, plan and adjust work operations to meet program requirements and objectives within available resources.
At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status and in good standing with a bar of the highest court of a State, US commonwealth, US territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status and dated within four months of application.
PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.
VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Conditions of Employment Continued:
- Employee must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and be currently licensed as an attorney, in active (or equivalent) status and in good standing, with the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth or the District of Columbia.
- Work may occasionally require travel away from the normal duty station on military or commercial aircraft/vehicle to conferences, meetings, or functions away from the duty office/location. Travel may include overnight stays.
- Incumbent may be required to file an Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and may be required to file annually.
The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Other documents may be required based on the eligibility/eligibilities you are claiming. Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide and the required documents you must submit to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming.
- Online Application: Questionnaire
- Resume: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts. You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable. Additional information on resume requirements can be located under "How To Apply".
- License: At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status.
- Name/Rank/Grade of Service Member
- Branch of Armed Forces
- Dates of Active Service (Start and End Date(s)
- Expected Date of Discharge/Release from Active Duty
- Terminal leave start date (if applicable)
- Expected character of service/discharge (honorable/general) and type of separation (i.e. separation or retirement)
- Must be certified within 120 days of anticipated discharge
- Signature by, or by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, unit commander, or higher headquarters commander
NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE:
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim Veterans Preference must submit VOW certification memo or copy of the official DD Form 214, which must include the character of service, and a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at www.opm.gov.)
NOTE: Applicants for attorney appointments do not require veterans' preference in order to be eligible for consideration. How to Apply
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/29/2026
To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12870810
To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the application questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Application button at the end of the process.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Your Resume. If you submit more than one resume, only the most recent will be reviewed. The "most recent" is considered the resume with the latest timestamp.
- Resumes may not exceed two pages. The two-page resume ensures the most relevant experience is reviewed and considered, which is a common practice in both the public and private sectors. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Additional information on how to complete or update your resume may be located here.
- For qualification determination your resume must contain hours worked per week and dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as insufficient, and you will not receive consideration for this position. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade, i.e. GS-0301-09. Current Federal Civilian Employees may list any relevant performance related rating (given within the last three years) and/or incentive awards in your resume.
- Do NOT include photographs, inappropriate material, inappropriate content, nor personal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number, etc., on your resume. If the resume you submit contains such information you will not be considered for this vacancy.
- Your name, first and last, MUST be included on your resume.
2. A complete Application Questionnaire
3. Additional Required Documents (see Required Documents section). Ensure all submitted documents contain your full name.
4. Help recruiters find you. Make your resume and profile searchable, which means recruiters may contact you about possible jobs. Additional information may be located here.
5. Optional Documents: Performance Appraisals for Current Federal Civilian Employees - Most recent performance appraisals (dated within last 3 years) showing the official rating of record, signed by a supervisor, or statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable.
PLEASE NOTE: It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and/or uploaded, (i.e., resume) is received, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. You may verify your documents have been processed with your application package successfully. You can access your USAJOBS account to do so by clicking here. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
Human Resources WILL NOT modify or change any answers submitted by an applicant.