Attorney-Advisor

This position is located at the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Office of the Secretary, Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Operations. The selectee will serve as the primary legal advisor to the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsels (often acting on their behalf) on matters involving operational issues related to the Department's policies and programs.

Duties

As an Attorney Advisor, you will:     

• Perform legal analysis and research, conducts necessary conferences, fact­ gathering and consultations, prepares memoranda and maintains continuing liaison with clients and others affected to ensure their understanding of the legal positions involved.
• Provide oral counsel and drafts legal documents, opinions, or decisions on the legal aspects of matters involving: (a) transportation security and emergency response; (b) environmental law; (c) information management, disclosure, privacy, and security; (d) Congressional, Office of the Inspector General, and other oversight of the Department; (e) Native American sovereignty and jurisdiction; and other operational issues across all modes of transportation.
• Research laws, legal opinions, policies, regulations, and precedential cases that have a bearing on matters for which the office is responsible, particularly those matters where legal implications present novel or complex issues of fact or law.
• Recommend changes to Departmental regulations and policies to the Assistant General Counsel.
• Assign tasks in other operational areas within the Office of the General Counsel, depending on the nature and volume of the workload, to ensure the most efficient use of the resources of the Office, and normally undertakes necessary work on own initiative.

The Ideal Candidate: The Office of the General Counsel is looking for a motivated, self-reliant, and skilled candidates willing to work in a challenging environment with experienced professionals committed to ensuring safety and fairness in the transportation industry.

Salary

• $143,913 - $197,200/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S.Citizen and eligible for consideration.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• This is an Excepted Service position.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: 

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• TRIAL PERIOD: This is an Excepted Service position. This job will be filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive service. Applicants selected for an excepted service position may be subject to a two-year trial period.
• ETHICS/CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: All employees are subject to the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 2635, including restrictions on owning financial interests that may conflict with performance of their duties. Some employees, like those involved in contracting or regulating non-Federal entities, are subject to Executive Branch Financial Disclosure requirements set out in Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 263.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.

Qualifications

To qualify, your experience should include experience and education equal or equivalent to the following:

GRADE 14 -  A law degree or have completed a structured, multi-year apprenticeship under the supervision of a practicing attorney or judge equivalent, bar membership in good standing, and at least 3 years of professional attorney experience.

• Be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D., or have completed a structured, multi-year apprenticeship under the supervision of a practicing attorney or judge equivalent, AND at least THREE (3) years professional legal work experience of a progressively responsible nature.
• Be an active member in good standing of the bar in a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

GRADE 15 -  A law degree or have completed a structured, multi-year apprenticeship under the supervision of a practicing attorney or judge equivalent, bar membership in good standing, and at least 4 years of professional attorney experience.

• Be a graduate of an accredited law school with a LL.B., J.D., or have completed a structured, multi-year apprenticeship under the supervision of a practicing attorney or judge equivalent, AND at least FOUR (4) years professional legal work experience of a progressively responsible nature.
• Be an active member in good standing of the bar in a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

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:

• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process. 
•  Administrative Law - Knowledge of state and Federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements. 
•  Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance. 
•  Oral Communication (*) - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. 
• Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: In order to qualify for this position, candidates must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have a professional law degree, and must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Other Information As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your 2-year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, FairChanceAct@dot.gov. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Required Documents

The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position. Please review each of the following sections to determine which documents you need to provide with your application.

RESUME: In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.  These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages. 

Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week,  and position titles.  If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.  The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.

For assistance with the resume builder, please visit:  https://help.usajobs.gov/

COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE.

PROOF OF BAR MEMBERSHIP: Must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a State or Territory of the United States or the District of Columbia.  

TRANSCRIPTS - Transcripts are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here. 

WRITING SAMPLE: If selected for an interview, a writing sample may be requested.

VETERANS: Department of Transportation attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Transportation considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in the attorney hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans’ preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with supporting documentation, e.g., SF15, DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.  You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

How to Apply

You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.

• To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
• Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
• You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/

If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at Transjobs@dot.gov.