Attorney-Advisor

Full Job Description

This position is for an Attorney-Advisor within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of Inspector General (OIG).

OIG enhances DOT programs and operations by conducting objective investigations and audits of departmental programs and operations in addition to detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of law.

Qualifying applicants must have successfully completed a law degree (J.D.

or L.L.B) and must be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Additionally, applicants must also possess the specialized experience as described below.

GS-13: To be considered for the GS-13 grade level applicants must have at least two years of relevant specialized and professional legal experience as an attorney.

The professional legal experience must include providing legal advice both orally and written in the form of legal opinions, briefs, pleadings, or other analysis.

The professional legal experience must also include responding independently to routine requests for legal support and managing multiple projects simultaneously.

The specialized experience must include analyzing legal issues related to transportation laws; government-wide laws and regulations related to contracts, grants, appropriations, Government employee integrity, or similar fields; or regulatory or enforcement actions.

GS-14: To be considered for the GS-14 grade level, applicants must have at least five years of relevant professional legal experience as an attorney.

The specialized experience must include that described for the previous grade level and providing expert legal advice to senior executives and others related to Federal transportation safety, grant program laws, and/or the Inspector General Act with minimal input on drafts of work from supervisors.

Identifying areas of improvement for agency operations, policies, or procedures and making recommendations/participating in implementation of solutions to such areas.

Applicants must meet the required qualifications by the closing date of the announcement. Major Duties:

Duties This position is located in the Office of Inspector General, Office of Chief Counsel (OCC). The Office of Chief Counsel provides legal advice and guidance in support of OIG's mission.

Attorney-Advisors advise on every aspect of OIG operations, including audits, investigations, and other reviews; internal management issues; appropriations; ethics; information disclosure law; and much more.

Attorney-Advisors handle a broad range of long-term and short-term assignments and interact with management and staff across the OIG.

The individual(s) selected will work on a team of Attorney-Advisors and will primarily perform the following duties: Providing legal opinions or memoranda on complex and difficult issues of law relevant to general OIG operations or to particular OIG audits, investigations, or reviews.

Provides legal review and advice on transportation statutes and regulations and general law matters, including fiscal law, government contracts, tort claims, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and appeals, employment law, government ethics, and other areas.

Provides legal support to the OIG Office of Auditing and Evaluation, collaborating with auditors and analysts to answer legal questions encountered during audits, and ensuring legal sufficiency for audit-related written products.

Provides legal support to the OIG Office of Investigations, collaborating with investigators to answer legal questions encountered during investigations.

Represents OIG OCC in meetings, personal contacts, and telephone conferences with top legal and administrative personnel in the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies, on important legal and policy questions and issues.

Develops and presents training to OIG employees in assigned areas. Other duties as assigned.