Summer Internship - Student Trainee (Legal)

This position is in Region 2. About Region 2: Region 2 This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis. *EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section.

Duties

You will:

• Perform varied routine legal support or law-related functions.
• Research and interpret legal and regulatory material for use by the supervisor or coworkers
• Collect data from a variety of reference sources in office and prepare documents for use by attorneys or other legal support staff.
• Assemble materials for staff associated with briefings, conferences, and meetings.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Salary

• $57,594 - $74,874/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must submit transcripts & proof of enrollment--see Required Documents.
• You must be age 16 or older.
• If you are selected, a written participant agreement must be signed.
• You must submit a resume and required documents--see How to Apply section.
• This is a temporary position (see Other Information on assignment limits).
• You must be a U.S. citizen.

#LI-Onsite

You must be enrolled at least half-time and maintain at least a half-time course load as defined by your academic institution (typically 6 undergraduate credit hours or 4.5 graduate credit hours per semester).

You must have and maintain good academic standing as defined by your academic institution (typically a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0).

If you are selected, the entire period served under the Internship Program will be a trial period.

This position is designated as Moderate Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

If you are selected, fingerprinting is required.

Qualifications

NOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program, you must have educational achievements as described below to qualify for this position:

To qualify for the GS-07 level, you need to have completed one full academic year* of law school (leading toward a J.D., LL.B., or LL. M. degree).

*One full academic year of law school education is the number of credit hours determined by the college or university representing one year of full-time study.

The college or university must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Other Information

If you are graduating from your present course of study at the end of the current semester/quarter: You may be hired prior to graduation; however, to continue in this program after graduation, you must be continuing your education next semester/quarter and be accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis.

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

If you are selected, your appointment may be extended beyond the initial not-to-exceed date.

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

This position is in the bargaining unit if appointment is more than 90 days.

Required Documents

Required documents to be submitted online:

ALL APPLICANTS

• Resume clearly stating your background and/or experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section--include specific dates (MM/DD/YY - MM/DD/YY) so we can determine that you have the required amount of experience (if applicable). PLEASE LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO A MAXIMUM OF 7 PAGES.
• College transcripts - unofficial or official transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter or semester hours earned.
  NOTE: Official educational transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work with EPA.
  IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION: You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
• Proof that you are currently enrolled (e.g., transcript showing courses in progress) or have been accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis. If you will be completing your current semester/quarter or graduating at the time this vacancy announcement closes, you must submit proof of continuing education (e.g., transcript showing courses for the next semester or documentation of acceptance for enrollment in a graduate program).

APPLICANTS CLAIMING VETERANS’ PREFERENCE

Separated veterans claiming 5-point preference:

• DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge)

Separated veterans claiming 10-point preference based on compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more:

• DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service); document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge); and
• VA letter stating overall/combined disability rating (percentage); and
• SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form)--see page 2 for documents that can be submitted in lieu of the DD-214 and VA letter

Other separated veterans claiming 10-point preference OR spouses, widows/widowers, or mothers claiming 10-point derived preference:

• SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form); and
• Other required documentation indicated on the SF-15

Active duty service members:

• Certification from the Armed Forces documenting active duty dates, expected discharge/release date, campaign medals/badges, and character of service (a certification is any written document from the Armed Forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged/released from active duty service in the Armed Forces under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge) within 120 days after you submit the certification)

How to Apply

You are strongly encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position.

To begin the application process, click the Apply button to the top right on this screen, follow the prompts to log-in/register, submit all required documents, and complete the assessment questionnaire. To be considered, you must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the day the announcement closes.

All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS document portfolio feature (see How to Upload Documents).

If you cannot apply online, you must contact the Human Resources Office listed below for assistance no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement. You must provide complete application materials by the day the announcement closes.

For detailed instructions to assist you in ensuring your application package is received, go to EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

EPA welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. Through the reasonable accommodation process, we provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment that persons without disabilities enjoy. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done. An accommodation removes workplace barriers and enables an applicant with a disability to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process, be considered for a position, and, if hired, perform the essential functions of their job.

The EPA National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators will provide assistance to you, the Human Resources Office, and/or the hiring official as needed. For more information, refer to EPA’s Reasonable Accommodation website. Below is more detailed information about how to request a reasonable accommodation during the application, selection, and hiring process:

• If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process (submitting the application or completing the application process), contact the Human Resources Office listed below no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement, and the Human Resources Office will work directly with you.

• If you are referred to the hiring official for consideration and need an accommodation during the selection process, including the interview, notify the person who contacted you from the hiring official’s office. If you do not hear back within three days about your reasonable accommodation request for the selection process, please notify EPA’s National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators via email at disabilityaccommodations@epa.gov.

• If you are selected and need an accommodation during the hiring process up to orientation, notify the HR Specialist who made the job offer to you.

Please note: Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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.

You will earn annual leave if your appointment is for 90 days or longer and sick leave regardless of appointment duration

If you are a full-time employee, you will be eligible for health benefits if you are expected to work 130 hours per month or more for at least 90 days. If you are a part-time employee, you will be eligible for health benefits after one year of continuous employment.

You are not eligible for life insurance or retirement coverage except under special circumstances.

EPA offers workplace flexibilities as described on the EPA Benefits page. These flexibilities are not guaranteed, and eligibility will be determined in accordance with position requirements, policy, and/or applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement after you are hired.

This position has portable work. If selected for this position, you may be eligible for partial work-from-home flexibilities after meeting eligibility requirements, as allowable by agency policy and/or applicable collective bargaining agreement.

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF):  As a federal employee, you may be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer, including EPA. Learn more:  pslf.gov

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