LAW CLERK

The primary purpose of this position is: This is a formal Law Clerk intern position, established under the PALACE ACQUIRE (PAQ) program; centrally managed and funded by the Air Force Personnel Center, Directorate of Civilian Personnel Operations (AFPC/DPC) and administered by the Legal Career Program, AFPC/DPZC, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

Duties

- Assists military and civilian attorneys in rendering legal advice and litigating matters which may involve government contracts, labor and employment, environmental law, torts, administrative law, legal assistance and other areas in support of Air and Space Force missions and personnel.

- Drafts and edits legal opinions and memoranda, motions, discovery documents, briefs, and other documents under the supervision of senior attorneys.

- With assistance from other attorneys, performs other duties as assigned in support of the work of the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.

Salary

• $62,629 - $121,785/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Males must be registered for Selective Service, see www.sss.gov
• A security clearance may be required.
• Position may be subject to random drug testing.
• Employee may be required to work other than normal duty hours, to include evenings, weekends and/or holidays.
• Employee must maintain current certifications.
• Attorney appointments are subject to serve a year-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.
• Depending on the type of position (competitive/excepted) you are selected for, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period.
• PCS expenses if authorized will be paid IAW JTR and Air Force Regulations.
• Grade Point Average - 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0.
• Student Loan Repayment may be authorized.
• Recruitment Incentive may be authorized for this position.
• To receive further consideration, YOU MUST apply at https://afciviliancareers.com/recentgraduates/
• Position locations may vary from listed locations. Total salary varies depending on location of position.

Qualifications

Applicants must have completed their law degree from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) within the previous two years or is a third year law student.

Applicants must also have demonstrated superior law student work or activities, as demonstrated by one of the following:

• Academic standing in the upper third of the law school graduating class; Work or achievement of significance on one of the law school's official law reviews or journals;
• Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school (e.g., membership in the Order of the Coif, winning a moot court competition, or membership on the moot court team that represents the law school in competition with other law schools);
• Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program, as opposed to one time, intermittent, or casual participation;
• Significant summer law office clerk experience; or
• Other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement.

Finally, applicants must have a Grade Point average of 2.95 or higher.

Any individual appointed as a law clerk may serve for no more than 14 months before being admitted to the bar of the highest court of a State, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory, or a U.S. commonwealth. Any individual who fails to be admitted to such bar within 14 months of appointment from the date of appointment shall be separated.

Law clerks may convert to an entry-level attorney (0905) position after demonstration of satisfactory employment as a law clerk and admittance to a bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth. Department of the Air Force attorneys must remain in good standing and in active (or equivalent) status in at least one jurisdiction during their entire course of employment with the Department of the Air Force.

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 legal systems, principles, research and writing.
2. Skill and ability to identify legal issues, cite applicable law, and determine if precedents are involved.
3. Skill in writing legal opinions and memoranda.
4. Skill in identifying and understanding issues, options and recommending courses of action.
5. Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of individuals, in and outside the legal profession, both orally and in writing, in both formal and informal settings.
6. Ability to prepare cases for litigation, to include interviewing witnesses and collecting and organizing evidence.

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.

Education The PALACE Acquire Program offers you a permanent position upon completion of your formal training plan. As a Palace Acquire Intern you will experience both personal and professional growth while dealing effectively and ethically with change, complexity, and problem solving. The program offers a 2-year formal training plan with yearly salary increases. Promotions and salary increases are based upon your successful performance and supervisory approval. This is your opportunity to begin a successful civilian career with the Department of the Air Force. You must have completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) AND must have documented Superior Academic Achievement (SAA):a) Class Standing - upper third of the graduating class based on completed courses;b) Grade Point Average - 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum; PLEASE SUBMIT COPIES OF ALL TRANSCRIPTS TO INCLUDE TRANSFERRED HOURS - OFFICIAL COPIES ARE NOT REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION. IF SELECTED, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE OFFICIAL COPIES OF ALL TRANSCRIPTS. ***NOTE*** Degree Audits are not accepted. IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: If position has a positive degree requirement or education forms the basis for qualifications, you MUST submit transcripts with the application. Official transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if position has a positive degree requirement, qualifying based on education alone or in combination with experience, transcripts must be verified prior to appointment. An accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must accredit education. Click here to check accreditation. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Other Information Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information. Current Federal Civilian employees may apply for temporary and term positions and if selected, a break in service may be required prior to appointment to the position. Writing Example: Prior to receiving an offer, you will be asked to provide a writing sample demonstrating your legal analytical skills. Temporary and Term Appointments: If you are selected for a temporary or term position, your appointment may be extended to the maximum period allowed by law without further competition. NOTE: Current federal civilian employees may apply for this position and if selected, a break in service of at least 3 days may be required prior to appointment to this position. 120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur. Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit. Incentives: Recruitment and/or retention incentives may or may not be used. Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more. For more information, click here. If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here. Required Documents

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.

1. Online Application: Questionnaire
2. 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".
3. 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.

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act requires federal agencies to treat an eligible active duty service member as a veteran, disabled veteran, and preference eligible (as applicable) when applying for civil service positions before the effective release or discharge date. Appointment of military members before the release or discharge date is permissible if the member is on terminal leave. At the time the active duty member applies for a civil position, he or she must submit a "certification" memo in lieu of a DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. The certification memo must originate from the member's military service branch on official letterhead and contain the following:

• 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

NOTE: The VOW Act provides tentative preference. If appointed, a DD Form 214 must be submitted upon receipt.

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.)

Position locations may vary from listed locations. Total salary varies depending on location of position.

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 09/30/2027

To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13080706

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 receive further consideration, YOU MUST log in to https://afciviliancareers.com/recentgraduates/ . Once there, select the "Apply Now" button. You will be directed to Hire Vue to begin your application.

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.