BUREAU OF ALCOHOL TOBACCO FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES OFFICE OF THE CHIEF COUNSEL WASHINGTON, DC

Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives
Office of the Chief Counsel
Washington, DC
General Attorney (Tax), Deputy Associate Chief Counsel Firearms, Explosives & Arson GS-905-15

About the Office : The Office of the Chief Counsel supports the Bureau by providing legal advice to ATF and its employees concerning the administration and enforcement of the Federal laws relating to firearms, explosives and arson.
Who May Apply: Applications will be accepted from Department of Justice employees only. Travel and relocation expenses are authorized. Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered : The incumbent reports to the Associate Chief Counsel (Firearms, Explosives & Arson). The incumbent serves as the principal assistant and senior expert legal advisor to the Associate Chief Counsel. The incumbent is involved in the most difficult and complex legal issues relating to the agency’s enforcement of the Federal laws relating to firearms, explosives, and arson. The incumbent provides legal advice to field counsel to insure national consistency in legal positions. Drafts and reviews legislation; reviews agency’s rulemaking documents and rulings; prepares legal opinions relating to the firearms and explosives laws; provides legal advice to the agency, Department of Justice, and Department of State when the United States is involved in negotiating treaties and other international agreements in the United Nations and other international bodies; attends firearms and explosives industry conferences to provide legal advice to agency officials. The incumbent assists the Associate Chief Counsel in reviewing legal work prepared by staff attorneys and administering the office. In the absence of the Associate Chief Counsel, the incumbent serves as the Acting Associate Chief Counsel.
Required Qualifications: All candidates for this position must posses s a J.D. degree, and be an active member in good standing of the bar (any state or territory, or the District of Columbia) AND have at least 1 full year of specialized experience as a practicing attorney (equivalent to the next lower level in the Federal service for the grade level applied for). Applicants must be current Department of Justice employees.

Preferred Qualifications : Specialized experience is experience which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. For example:

The ability to analyze, interpret, and apply laws, regulations, contracts, agency orders, court decisions, agency and office opinions and other legal documents.

Superior research, analytical, writing and oral communication skills.

The capacity to function with substantial independence and to act as a team member on projects requiring more than one attorney.

Significant experience and/or knowledge in at least one of the following practice areas is required: Criminal Practice and Procedure, Civil Practice and Procedure, Litigation, Training, and/or direct service to policy-makers in a client organization.

Travel: Occasional travel is required.

Salary Information:GS-15 $110,363.00 - $143,471.00 Per Annum

Promotion Potential: GS-15

Location: Washington, D.C.

Relocation Expenses: Travel and relocation expenses are authorized.

Submission Process and Deadline Date : All basic applications and resume must be submitted on-line. In addition to the on-line application, applicants must submit a cover letter highlighting relevant experience, and a writing sample (provide only 1) via email or fax to 202-648-9643 by 12-4-07 to:

U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
SES/Professional and Support Staffing Branch
Washington , DC 20226
TDD phone number: 202-648-9915

NOTE: UNDER AGENCY ASSIGNED TO (QUESTION #5), PLEASE SELECT DOJ (ATF). IF YOU ARE AN EXCEPTED APPOINTMENT APPLICANT, UNDER CORE QUESTION #8, PLEASE SELECT COMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT.

If you are unable to submit your application electronically (e-mail), special instructions are available from our human resources contact Ann Ross, (202) 648-7330.

Internet sites:www.atf.gov (Use these internet sites to access the on-line application)

Other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at:

http://10.173.2.12/oarm/attvacancies.html and http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/attvacancies.html

Department policies: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, membership or nonmembership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drugfree workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non- U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non U.S. Citizens are extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Dual citizens of the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans’ preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring.