Student Trainee (Legal)

About the Position: Position(s) will be filled under the Department of the Army Pathways Intern Program. Click here for more information on Pathways program participation. This is a temporary position not to exceed 30 August 2025. These internships are located within the US Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Office of Counsel, where you will perform legal research using commercially available legal research software and publicly available research tools.

Duties

• Pathways Internship positions provide for development and training. Assignments become more responsible as incumbent increases knowledge and skills through work experience and academic training. At the full-performance level, you will be expected to:

• Investigate questions of law raised in response to matters brought to the Office of Counsel for action.

• Search legal documents, historical files, and other legal resources on questions relating to myriad legal subjects.

• Prepare legal memoranda and other written documents in accordance with general law school standards.

• Locate private parties and witnesses and contacts as needed to elicit relevant facts.

Salary

• $49,025 - $63,733/year

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• Required to sign a Pathways student agreement.

Qualifications Who May Apply: Students who are eligible for participation in the Department of the Army Internship Program
Positions are open to current students pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate in an accredited high school, college (including 4-year colleges/universities, community colleges, and junior colleges); professional, technical, vocational, and trade school; advanced degree programs; or other qualifying educational institution on at least a half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which the student is enrolled). Short-term training programs (e.g., several two-week programs completed) are not considered an academic course of study.

For this internship, you must be able to work full-time when not attending classes (i.e., summers and/or co-op semesters). You may work full-time or part-time as school schedule allows. Work hours are flexible and will typically be Monday through Friday.

This intern position is designed to prepare a student trainee for employment after graduation as a General Attorney. Interns will be assigned tasks designed to increase familiarity with the target occupation in a real world work environment.

For qualification purposes, an academic year is computed as follows:

• An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.
• When academic credit is expressed in contract months, units, or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard.

NOTE: If your law schools' definition of "academic year" differs from above, you must submit proof of this difference (e.g., copy of course catalog that defines an academic year). Absent this documentation, you will screened for academic qualifications based on the academic hours as defined in the bullets above.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Grade Point Average
• Learning
• Courses Completed

Education For this internship, we are seeking a current law student working towards a LL.B., L.L.M., or J.D. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been 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/. This is a student internship opportunity. Your transcripts are a required part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Other Information

• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship, as applicable.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• This is a Legal Career Field position.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• You may claim military spouse preference.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

2. Transcripts and Enrollment Verification:

• Enrollment verification (if transcripts do not reflect current enrollment), and unofficial transcripts for education claimed in your resume and occupational questionnaire is required. If you provide an unofficial transcript at the time of application and you are selected, you will be asked for official versions prior to appointment. See: Transcripts and Licenses

3. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Applicants claiming Veterans Preference or Military Spouse preference (MSP): to verify your preference claim you MUST submit supporting documents with your application package.
• If you are currently serving on active duty: You MUST submit a certification from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date you apply to this opportunity. If you supply a certification at this stage, your preference/eligibility will be verified prior to appointment. More information about Veteran's Preference is located on the Feds Hire Vets website. Please upload veteran's documents under the appropriate category.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/13/2024 to receive consideration

• To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12602927).
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
• You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
• It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
• Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Benefits

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. Learn more about federal benefits.

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