General Counsel (Washington)

The general counsel is the principal legal officer of the Commission and director of the Office of General Counsel. The general counsel reports to the staff director and is responsible for representing the Commission and serving as the principal advisor to the Commissioners and staff on all legal matters.

MANDATORY QUALIFICATIONS

• Education & Bar Membership: Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from an accredited law school and be a member in good standing of the Bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a federal court of general jurisdiction.
• Legal Practice Experience: At least four of the applicant's years of experience must be as a practicing attorney subsequent to graduation from law school. Additionally, the applicant must have experience that provided a working knowledge of federal criminal law and federal sentencing, including the federal sentencing guidelines and relevant caselaw.
• Management Experience: Applicants must have demonstrated leadership abilities and management experience. Progressively responsible experience in public service or in the private sector business which provides a thorough understanding of organizational, procedural and human aspects in management.
• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized work experience (public or private) equivalent to the GS-15 level in the Federal Service to qualify for the SE level of employment. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position described above. This specialized experience includes:
  • Effective leadership and management skills in formal and informal leadership roles. Skill in supervising, motivating, and training staff with diverse functions and varying skill levels; skill in planning, organizing, setting priorities, and completing multiple tasks of varying complexity, and skill in dealing effectively and advocating successfully with individuals at all levels both within and outside the agency.
  • Excellent legal analysis, presentation, writing, and editing skills with the ability to express, orally and in writing, complex legal issues in clear and succinct language so that the concepts are understood by both lawyers and non-lawyers.
  • Experience managing all administrative and/or technical aspects of a legal program or interdisciplinary policy team.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Ten years of experience working as an attorney subsequent to graduation from law school.
• At least three years of experience working as an attorney for an agency or other unit of the federal government, with service in a federal court or other entity in the federal Judiciary preferred.
• Working knowledge of substantive legal areas necessary to conduct agency operations, such as personnel and employment law, contract law, ethics, and administrative practices and procedures.