Assistant General Counsel

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

Washington, DC

JobSummary

The Assistant General Counsel position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of the General Counsel (OGC). OGC provides legal advice and services to the Director and AO staff, judges, senior court officials, and the Judicial Conference and its committees. OGC renders legal opinions and provides advice on a wide range of issues in federal judicial administration.

LowGrade

HighGrade

PromotionPotential

SubAgencyName

Office of the General Counsel (OGC)

OrganizationCodes

JL/JL04

Relocation

False

HiringPath

fed-competitive
fed-excepted
public

MCOTags

TotalOpenings

AgencyMarketingStatement

The Administrative Office (AO) of the United States Courts supports, through excellence and innovation, the constitutional and statutory mission of the federal judiciary to provide equal justice under the law as an independent and equal branch of government. The AO, an agency of the judicial branch of the federal government, is committed to serving and supporting the federal court system of the United States. The AO provides a broad range of legislative, legal, financial, technology, management, administrative and program support services to the Federal courts. AO positions are classified and paid under a broad-banded system with the exception of positions in the AO Executive Service. Salary is commensurate with experience. Most AO employees are eligible for full federal and judiciary benefits. The AO is committed to attracting the best and brightest applicants in our support of the third branch of government. We take pride in serving the judicial branch and supporting its mission to provide equal justice under law.

TravelCode

ApplyOnlineUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/Apply

DetailStatusUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/ApplicationStatus

MajorDuties

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is seeking an experienced Assistant General Counsel to provide analysis and legal advice primarily on federal procurement law issues with an emphasis on information technology, as well as other OGC practice areas, including appropriations law, Economy Act and non-Economy Act agreements, and memoranda of understanding and agreement. The incumbent must have excellent legal research and analytical skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly. The incumbent must effectively identify and resolve problems; plan, organize, and work under demanding circumstances and time constraints; and the ability to communicate effectively with judiciary officials and personnel members of the executive and legislative branches, and outside entities. The duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Performing legal research and providing advice on federal procurement law with a focus on federal procurement policies and regulations, information technology procurements and policies (e.g., software services and subscriptions, network telecommunications, end-user licensing agreements, and other commercial agreements). Drafting and analyzing proposed legislation, judiciary policy, and regulations on procurement and information technology and similar material. Responding to inquiries from judges, court executives, procurement personnel, and other judiciary officials. Evaluating contracts to ensure compliance with funding, legal, and program requirements. Representing the judiciary in defense of bid protests filed with the Government Accountability Office and coordinating with the Department of Justice in defending contract disputes and other litigation in federal court. Assisting in the provision of counsel (e.g., expert and consultant contracts) and staff support to Judicial Conference committees. Performing legal research and providing advice in the subject areas handled by the OGC.

Education

Applicants must possess a law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/.

Requirements

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Evaluations

We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement. You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

HowToApply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 04/15/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12916352

WhatToExpectNext

After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and referral to the hiring official if determined qualified. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.

RequiredDocuments

For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required: Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications. Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status. Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

Benefits

BenefitsUrl

http://www.uscourts.gov/ao-benefits

OtherInformation

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

KeyRequirements

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False

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