Attorney-Advisor (General Law and Ethics)
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Posted: February 12, 2026 (0 days ago)
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Office of the Secretary
Department of Commerce
Base salary range: $88,520 - $115,079
Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-12. Expert-level knowledge in field.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves working as a lawyer for the U.S.
Department of Commerce to help foreign countries and Native American tribes create fair business rules, especially in the energy sector like power plants and electricity grids, to support economic growth and U.S.
interests. You'll advise on laws, contracts, and policies to build reliable energy systems.
It's a great fit for experienced attorneys passionate about international development, energy projects, and working with governments worldwide.
The Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the Office of the General Counsel, U.S.
Department of Commerce, is seeking an individual with exceptional analytical, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills to join our team of international technical assistance Attorney-Advisors to partner with countries and sovereign Tribes to advance shared prosperity, diversify energy supply chains, and advance energy and data partnerships.
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards.
This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Must be a law school graduate with a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
AND Must be able to verify ACTIVE BAR MEMBERSHIP in good standing in one of the 50 United States, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
To qualify for GS-13, applicants must possess a J.D., active U.S. state/territory bar membership, and a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience as listed below.
To qualify for a GS-14, applicants must possess a J.D., active U.S. state/territory bar membership, and a minimum of 6 years of relevant professional experience as listed below.
Prior legal experience in the energy sector, most helpfully power generation and transmission.
In this position, Attorney-Advisors will be expected to be able to converse with a variety of stakeholders on the structuring of rules relating to investment into power and energy, including generation, storage, and transmission infrastructure projects.
Prior experience with the drafting or review of transactional documents in the energy sector, in particular the power sector.
Examples include power purchase agreements, PILOT agreements, ROWs for transmission, utility franchise agreements, host government instruments in the power, energy or other related sectors, as well as project finance documents.
Prior experience and/or familiarity with working with foreign governments, Tribal governments, and/or development finance institutions is strongly preferred.
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. Major Duties:
The CLDP team consists of highly skilled lawyers, trade experts, and international program specialists with deep knowledge of commercial law, international trade and business, and economic development.
With fluency in over 35 languages, CLDP staff work directly with foreign governments to advance U.S. interests abroad while helping host countries achieve their economic development objectives.
CLDP partners with various offices within the U.S. Department of Commerce, other federal agencies, the U.S.
judiciary, and international organizations to help countries draft laws and regulations, strengthen legal institutions, and train officials to ensure fair and predictable environments for business.
CLDP's Energy and Minerals Team provides legal technical support in partnership with host governments developing their minerals and energy resources.
This work would involve advising foreign and Tribal governments around the world on the policies, laws, regulations, contracts, and standards for them to rapidly adopt new competitive power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure; incorporate new generation and storage resources into a grid; and structure financeable power generation and transmission projects in accordance with international best practice.
This work would also engage foreign and Tribal governments in protecting the public interests in structuring procurement of new energy sources.
As an Attorney Advisor (International), you will perform the following duties: Consult with senior foreign and Tribal government officials; Assess development needs and barriers to investment; and Design, implement and evaluate legal reform technical assistance programs that meet the policymakers and regulators' economic development needs and are in line with U.S.
energy policy goals.
To implement the technical assistance programs, the Attorney-Advisor will: Organize and deliver expert legal advice on the policies, laws, regulations, contracts, and standards for host countries to increase investment into energy infrastructure; and Collaborate across U.S.
government agencies in the power and data center spaces, work with outside experts in energy/power law, and support the efforts of the U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Energy.
For more about CLDP's Energy and Minerals team and what we do with regard to power sector, please see our website Energy and Minerals | Commercial Law Development Program.
This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Attorney Advisor (International) (Public Notice Flyer) GS-0905-13/14, FPL GS-14 positions within the Office of the Secretary in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.
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