General Attorney

Summary Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Chief Counsel, located in El Paso, TX. Duties This position is with the Office of Associate Chief Counsel El Paso, TX. The Office of Chief Counsel is one of the Government's largest and oldest legal offices. OCC attorneys work on cutting-edge legal issues and provide critical advice across the CBP portfolio, including trade enforcement, search and seizure, immigration, and government ethics. They also represent the agency in labor and employment matters and provide litigation support to the Department of Justice. This position starts at a salary of $74,678.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $163,514.00 (GS-14, Step 10) with promotion potential to $$163,514.00 (GS-14, Step 10). In this position, you will become a key member of the legal team of The Office of Chief Counsel. Typical work assignments include: Providing legal guidance to, and legal representation of, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in matters relating to the activities and functions of CBP at the ports of entry (i.e., in the passenger, cargo, airmail, and seaport environments) and between the ports of entry; Performing legal research and applying laws, regulations, decisions, and guidance across the CBP portfolio including customs and admissibility (i.e., forced labor enforcement, collection of customs duties, taxes, and fees), border search (i.e., search of electronic devices), immigration laws (i.e., admissibility at the ports of entry), and national security and intelligence; Providing ethics guidance and representing CBP in administrative hearings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, Federal Labor Relations Authority, administrative law judges, and arbitrators involving matters such as employee discipline, discrimination complaints, collective bargaining agreements, and broker license revocation; Supporting the Department of Justice as agency counsel in civil and criminal actions (i.e., FOIA, tort/Bivens, asset forfeiture, immigration, penalty collection) brought in federal court by preparing litigation reports, affidavits, and other pleadings, and participating in eDiscovery, motion drafting, witness interviews, and mediation/settlement discussions; and Developing and delivering legal training to CBP managers and employees relating to the activities and functions of CBP (i.e., disclosure of information, search and seizure, and investigations) and legal issues involving CBP employees (i.e., ethics, reasonable accommodations, whistleblower protections, Hatch Act). Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below) You may be required to pass a background investigation CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link. DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities. Bargaining Unit: This position is not covered under the bargaining unit. Qualifications Applicant must be a graduate from a full course of study in a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association and be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Recent law school graduates or attorneys with a year or less of licensed practice may be appointed at the GS-11 level if they meet the following additional qualifications: rank in the top 1/3 of graduating class; participation on the school's official Law Review; winning a moot court competition; or, membership on a moot court team that represents their law school in inter-law school competition. Recent law school graduates must be admitted to the bar within 14 months of their appointment. #J-18808-Ljbffr