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Posted June 06, 2026

General Attorney

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
Bethesda, MD Full Time
Compensation: $102,415 to $187,093 Annually
Reference: CONSUMERPRODUCTSAFETYCOMMISSION871919400

Join the team! This position is located in the Headquarters Office of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Division of General Law (GCGL), in the office of General Counsel. GCGL is responsible for providing legal advice and recommendations regarding many areas of law including labor & employment law, ethics (Standards of Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch), fiscal law, procurement, intellectual property and numerous other areas.

Basic Requirement: All applicants must possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree and be an active member of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. All applicants are required to provide proof of current, active bar membership/good standing.

GS-12: In addition to the basic requirement and qualifying specialized experience, applicants must have either: (1) two years of experience as a practicing attorney); OR (2) one year of experience as a practicing attorney and a second professional law degree (LL.M).

GS-13: In addition to basic requirement and qualifying specialized experience, applicants must have three years of experience as a practicing attorney.

GS-14: In addition to basic requirement and qualifying specialized experience, applicants must have four years of experience as a practicing attorney.

ALL applicants must also submit proof of successful completion of education requirements. This proof may consist of a law school transcript or other documentation which provides clear and specific proof of education, such as a diploma. A copy of an SF-50 only is not adequate proof of meeting the education requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of this announcement.

All education claimed by applicants will be verified.

While required to work effectively in all areas as listed above, it is desirable for the incumbent of this position to have substantive experience with labor and employment law, including litigation before the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Experience in government ethics law is also highly desirable.

The primary responsibilities of this position include:

  • Prepares legal opinions, interpretations, and recommendations with respect to statutes, regulations, and executive orders.
  • Provides legal advice and recommendations to the Commission and other organizational components of the Commission on ethics, fiscal law, privacy, intellectual property, and other general law areas.
  • Reviews documents prepared by operating staff for legal sufficiency, e.g. contracts, procurement solicitations, interagency agreements, and directives, etc.
  • Drafts and prepares certain Commission regulations and policies (e.g., government ethics).
  • Represents the Commission before administrative law judges and administrative boards.
  • Participates in discussions, meetings, and conferences with Commission staff and officials in proposing policy and implementation of regulations and statutes.
  • Coordinates and consults with the Department of Justice, Office of Government Ethics, the Comptroller General, the office of Management and Budget, the General Services Administration, and other federal agencies.

In addition to the mandatory education requirement, all applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

Qualifying specialized experience must demonstrate the following:

GS-12: Assisting with research, analysis and persuasive writing (which may include opinions, briefs, pleadings, or motions) relating to difficult legal questions involving two or more of the following legal areas of expertise: ethics, procurement, fiscal law, intellectual property, privacy, or negotiating settlement agreements.

GS-13: Completing research, analysis and persuasive writing (which may include opinions, briefs, pleadings, or motions) relating to difficult legal questions involving the following legal areas of expertise: 1) labor and employment law (including human resources matters); and 2) ethics, procurement, fiscal law, intellectual property, privacy, and negotiating settlement agreements.

GS-14: Independently completing research, analysis and persuasive writing (which may include opinions, briefs, pleadings, or motions) relating to difficult legal questions involving 1) labor and employment law (including human resources matters and representing clients before the EEOC and MSPB); and 2) ethics, procurement, fiscal law, intellectual property, and negotiating settlement agreements.

Evidence of the above specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or based on job titles alone. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Applicants must meet the qualifications for this position by the closing date of this announcement.

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