Attorney Advisor (General)

Department of Justice (DOJ) agencies post experienced attorney job announcements on the DOJ Careers page. The DOJ typically hires hundreds of attorneys each year.

Duties

The Diversion Law Section works with investigators across the country to bring administrative enforcement actions against individuals and companies in the pharmaceutical industry who handle controlled substances in a manner inconsistent with federal regulations; provides legal guidance relating to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA); litigates complex matters in administrative court and coordinates parallel criminal and civil proceedings; provides legal guidance in the promulgation of regulations; reviews legislative proposals; and provides training to DEA personnel in this area of law. Attorneys in the Diversion Law Section may engage in litigation activities, legal review activities, or both.

For litigation attorneys, duties also include:

• Representing the DEA in administrative hearings and civil litigation regarding license revocations, denials, suspensions, regulatory violations, or revocation of DEA Registrations for doctors, pharmacies, distributors, and manufacturers.
• Providing legal advice on the enforcement of the CSA and the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act.
• Working with DEA Special Agents, Diversion Investigators, federal/state law enforcement, and prosecutors on criminal, civil, and administrative cases.
• Advising Diversion Investigators and Special Agents on civil and regulatory issues during active investigations and drafting charging documents.

For legal review attorneys, duties also include:

• Serving as legal advisor on all issues related to the diversion of controlled substances and listed chemicals into illegitimate channels.
• Advising DEA on its authorities under the CSA, including drug and chemical control, drug scheduling actions, and quotas.
• Reviewing and providing legal advice on relevant legislation and agency policies.
• Reviewing rules, regulations, and notices relating to the legitimate handling of controlled substances and listed chemicals, and evaluating them for compliance with the requirements of federal statutes including the CSA and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Salary

• $121,785 - $197,200/year

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be able to obtain and maintain Top-Secret Security Clearance
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Drug testing designated position
• Must be active member of a Bar Association
• Initial appointment is conditional upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprints, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• Selectee will be required to serve a 1-year OR 2-year trial period, as appropriate) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

All applicants must be an active member of a bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction) and possess: 1) a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and have at least 2-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience; 2) excellent academic credentials; 3) strong oral and written advocacy skills; 4) superior legal research and analytical skills; and 5) a demonstrated ability to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.

Preferred Experience: Expertise in the Controlled Substances Act is preferred. For litigating attorneys, experience in litigation and regulatory compliance is highly preferred. For legal review attorneys, extensive knowledge of the Administrative Procedure Act is required and knowledge of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) or training and experience in scientific areas such as biochemistry or pharmacology is highly desirable but not required.

To qualify for each GS Level:

- Applicants applying for the GS-13 must have 2 or more years of post J.D. legal experience
- Applicants applying for the GS-14 must have 3 or more years of post J.D. legal experience
- Applicants applying for the GS-15 must have 4 or more years of post J.D. legal experience

Education A J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see www.ed.gov. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: www.naces.org/members.php. Other Information All applicants for employment with DEA must possess and maintain the highest levels of character and conduct. DEA will evaluate applicants' qualifications based on these qualities. Once a conditional offer is made, DEA will conduct a continuous evaluation of information, as it is obtained, to ensure that the prospective employees with DEA meet the agency-specific qualifications in the areas of character and conduct. To this end, an unfavorable decision in any of the areas that follow will be deemed as disqualifying: Drug Policy Requirements (as specified in this announcement), Credit History, Candor and Honesty, Work History, History with the Law, and other qualities that would detract from the integrity and efficiency of the DEA. Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. Please notify this office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances Required Documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Required for ALL Applicants

Cover letter describing your interest in the position.

Resume - Showing applicant's name, email address, relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed. (No more than 2 pages)

Writing Sample - A brief or comparable analytic legal exposition that is your work product. (No more than 10 pages).

Law School Transcripts - Submit a copy of your law school transcript(s) (unofficial is acceptable). Applicants must be graduates of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.

Proof of current and active bar association membership.

SF-50 (If Applicable) - SF-50(s) must show the effective date, position title, series, grade, salary, tenure, competitive status, position occupied, full promotion potential, and name of agency.

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.

Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. Click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.