Special Counsel

The Office of Legal Counsel provides legal advice to the President and all executive branch agencies. The Office drafts legal opinions of the Attorney General and provides its own written opinions and other advice in response to requests from the Counsel to the President, the various agencies of the Executive Branch, and other components of the Department of Justice. The Office is also responsible for reviewing and commenting on the constitutionality of pending legislation.
DOJ requires for Applicants to attorney positions must possess a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, have at least 5 years of relevant post-J.D. experience, and be an active member of the bar in good standing a state, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. IMPORTANT: Applicants are responsible for citing J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes.


This Senior Executive Service (SES) position is located in the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) headquartered in Washington D.C. As Special Counsel, the incumbent provides legal advice and staff assistance to the Assistant Attorney General and has responsibility for handling a number of matters of ongoing concern to the Office, as well as special projects, subject to the general direction of the Assistant Attorney General.

Specifically, the incumbent will:

1. Prepare formal written legal opinions for the signature of the Assistant Attorney General and as requested by the Assistant Attorney General, and under his direction, provide informal legal advice to other components of the Department and to other executive agencies.
2. Assist the Assistant Attorney General in supervising the Office's counseling function in specific areas as assigned and advise the Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Assistant Attorneys General on legal issues within assigned areas of responsibility.
3. Review executive orders, presidential proclamations, and Attorney General orders for form and legality, including ensuring documents do not pose constitutional, statutory, or other legal problems.
4. Participate in the supervision and management of the Office's practice involving executive orders, presidential proclamations, and Attorney General orders and communicate with the White House Counsel's Office, the Office of Management and Budget, senior leadership of the Department, and other officials with respect to these matters.
5. Advise on legal issues regarding appointments and removals, acting officers, delegations, and related matters.
6. Provide supervisory assistance to Attorney-Advisers and review their written work, as assigned by the Assistant Attorney General.
7. Represent the Office at conferences and meetings within and outside the Department, as assigned.

The application process used to recruit for this position is RESUME-ONLY. Applicants must show clear evidence of their demonstrated leadership ability by addressing the the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) embedded within their resume. The resume-based application should not to exceed 2 pages (1-sheet double-sided or 2 sheets one-sided)

**Note: Applicants who have completed the SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) and have had their ECQs certified by OPM must provide a copy of their certificate as part of their application. Candidates must still satisfy the MTQs of the position.

We recommend that your resume emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of the programs managed, and your program accomplishments, including the results of your actions. You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required of the position and on the extent your application demonstrates that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the Special Counsel. Please be sure to give concrete examples of your experience and demonstrate the complexity of the knowledge you possess.

ECQ1 - COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDING. Demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and commitment to serve the American people.

ECQ2 - DRIVING EFFICIENCY. Demonstrated ability to strategically and sufficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

ECQ3 - MERIT AND COMPETENCE. Demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ4 - LEADING PEOPLE. Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals; To drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture.

ECQ5 - ACHIEVING RESULTS. Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to state goals from superiors.

For this position, the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) have been established and should be addressed within the resume application.

MTQ 1: Demonstrated experience and expertise in interpreting constitutional provisions and Federal statutes, rendering authoritative opinions on a wide variety of complex legal issues, and ensuring legal documents do not pose constitutional, statutory, or other legal problems.

MTQ 2: Demonstrated experience advising and interacting with a wide range of lawyers and policymakers to help them achieve and implement policy initiatives in a manner that comports with all applicable legal requirements.

MTQ 3: Demonstrated experience in providing leadership and guidance to other organizational leadership and other attorneys, including to ensure final work products are accurate, precise, and legal.