About the Position: As a real property attorney with Portland District's Office of Counsel you will be responsible for researching, analyzing and advising on meeting all statutory, regulatory and policy requirements in promoting and protecting the interests of the government in real estate matters. You will also work with the Corps of Engineers and Department of Justice on cases in federal courts.
Duties
- Provide legal advice with respect to real property law to the District Counsel, the Real Estate Division, and other staff elements.
- Draft and/or review all documents prepared for title work, closings, relocations, acquisitions and disposals including permits, easements, licenses, leases and other outgrants, claims, condemnations, and other real estate actions.
- Prepare and review reports covering compensable interests of owners and the government's liability for relocations.
- Participate in negotiations relative to acquisitions, transfers, disposals, and other real property functions.
- Prepare litigation reports to be used by the U.S. Attorney and Department of Justice for the defense or prosecution of suits involving real estate interests of the District.
- Advise the District Commander and Deputy District Engineer on matters involving real estate, civil works programs and projects, and project management.
- Research and analyze facts, law, and policy relating to programs and projects of the District including environmental law and policy, cost sharing and fiscal law, and contract law.
- Negotiate with attorneys and other high-level representatives of nonfederal sponsors, with regulatory or consulting agencies, with public and private interest groups, and with legislative staffs.
Salary
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens ***Please carefully read the "Required Documents" section to ensure you submit a FULL application. If you fail to submit all of the required documents your application may not receive further consideration for the position.*** In order to qualify, you must meet the experience and education requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Minimum Qualification Requirements: The following minimum qualification requirements must be met before applicants are eligible for further consideration as prescribed in DoDI 1442.02 and AR 690-300. Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing (as defined by the pertinent bar) of the bar of a State, territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Education: Assignments require the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and active membership in the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia. In addition to the minimum requirements listed above applicants must possess the following experience: GS-12: At least two years of professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position, acquired after being admitted to the bar, to be eligible for the position at the GS-12 level. - OR - Applicants may qualify by having received a second professional law degree (LL.M.) AND at least one year of professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position, acquired after being admitted to the bar, to be eligible for the position at the GS-12 level. GS-13: Greater than two years of professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position, acquired after being admitted to the bar, to be eligible for the position at the GS-13 level. - OR - Applicants may qualify by having received a second professional law degree (LL.M.) and two years of professional legal experience commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the position, acquired after being admitted to the bar, to be eligible for the position at the GS-13 level. Note: The Chief Counsel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has authority to waive the experience requirements listed above. The Selection Panel appointed by Portland District Office of Counsel will evaluate applicants to determine if they meet the minimum qualification requirements and on the extent to which their application shows possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the position. Management will evaluate you further on your level of competency in the following areas: Ability to develop and utilize innovative approaches in solving problems, formulating effective solutions, and resolving complex issues. Knowledge, experience, and ability to effectively advise in one or more of the following areas of federal law and practice: a) real property law; b) civil works law; and c) government ethics, conflicts of interests, and standards of conduct. Knowledge and experience in handling complex and other litigation, judicial or administrative, in any of the aforementioned practice areas. Ability to function as an advisor to real property specialists and contracting officers, project managers, and district leaders; to work effectively with other military and management officials within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with other governmental entities, and with private parties. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with diverse clients and constituencies on varied and complex topics. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:
Education
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/.
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. As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. 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. ***IN ADDITION, the following documents must be provided based on your applicant status (i.e. current USACE Attorney or NOT a current USACE Attorney)*** 2. If you are a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney and are applying through this announcement, you MUST submit the following documents online: Cover Letter/Statement of Interest Most recent Performance Appraisal Your latest non-award Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50); Time-in-grade documentation: If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). A writing sample NOTE: WRITING SAMPLES SHALL NOT EXCEED 10 PAGES 3. If you are NOT a current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney, you MUST submit the following documents online: Cover Letter/Statement of Interest Copy of law school transcripts (official copies required if selected and before placement); Certificate showing that you are a member in good standing with the bar, dated no more than 3 months before the opening date of this announcement (a copy is sufficient for the application, but a certified copy may be necessary upon selection) A sworn statement, certifying that your fitness to practice law or your conduct as an attorney has never been challenged in any jurisdiction. This statement should be notarized, and dated no more than 3 months before the opening date of this announcement. IF YOUR FITNESS TO PRACTICE LAW OR YOUR CONDUCT AS AN ATTORNEY HAS BEEN CHALLENGED IN ANY JURISDICTION, you must provide a notarized statement concerning the facts and circumstances, and any other explanation that you deem appropriate; Three letters of reference from members of the bar dated within 12 months of the opening date of this announcement; A writing sample NOTE: WRITING SAMPLES SHALL NOT EXCEED 10 PAGES 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 03/04/2025 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/12682698). 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/.
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