Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters

Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) Hiring Office Attorney Appointment Type Attorney Permanent Job ID

ENRD-26-057-EXC

Location 150 M Street, NE 150 M Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 - United States Application Deadline About the Office The Environmental Defense Section (EDS) is seeking an experienced Trial Attorney to serve as Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters . This role involves both litigating in federal courts of appeals and assisting in managing the petition for review practice. This practice area consists of challenges to rules and other final EPA actions under the major pollution control statutes (e.g., the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Toxic Substance Control Act, etc.) that are filed in the courts of appeals. Job Description Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters will coordinate with other Senior Counsel and the Assistant Section Chief in managing the Section's petition for review practice. Cases within this practice run the gamut from complex, multi-party challenges to high-profile national rules, to more limited challenges to regional, state, and facility-specific actions. Historically, more than fifty percent of the Section's petition for review cases have arisen under the Clean Air Act. While these petitions for review are filed in all federal courts of appeals, the majority are in the D.C. Circuit. Senior Counsel directly oversee and mentor attorneys handling petition for review cases; review briefs and other court filings; prepare attorneys for oral argument; and provide legal, strategic, and other guidance. Senior Counsel also personally handle an active docket of petition for review matters, engaging in all aspects of litigation in courts of appeals and serving as team leaders on some of the Section's most significant petitions. Additionally, Senior Counsel provide advice and consultation to client agencies and DOJ leadership on significant environmental and administrative law issues and work closely with the Office of the Solicitor General on cases involving rehearing en banc and certiorari. Qualifications Applicants must possess a J.D. (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants must have a minimum of five years post-J.D. litigation experience that includes significant federal litigation experience or substantive familiarity with the Administrative Procedure Act and pollution control statutes within the Section's jurisdiction. The ideal candidate will have significant federal appellate litigation experience including the defense of agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act; superior writing and editing skills; a working knowledge of the Clean Air Act, other pollution control statutes, the Administrative Procedure Act, and other administrative law issues; familiarity with the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure; the ability to mentor and manage attorneys to produce high-quality work under tight time frames; the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with EPA and other client agencies, other DOJ components, and opposing counsel; and a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards. Experience leading attorneys in appellate litigation and experience with D.C. Circuit litigation are highly desirable. Application Process How you will be evaluated You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Veterans : There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Required Documents To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes the following: Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained Cover letter with brief statement of interest Writing sample Copy of J.D. degree transcripts DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties. If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s) . To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account ( ), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: . This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, 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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances. The possible salary range for Washington D.C.:

GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200)

The possible salary range for Denver, CO.:

GS-15 ($164,956 - $197,200)

YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. Number of Positions One position will be filled in either Washington DC or Denver. Travel 25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position. Relocation Expenses Relocation expenses will not be authorized. This and othervacancy announcements can be found underAttorney Vacancies andVolunteer Legal Internships . The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information. #J-18808-Ljbffr The United States Department of Justice