General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney)

National Labor Relations Board • Washington, DC

5d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is part of the National Labor Relations Board Honors Program, specifically the General Counsel-Headquarters program area. It is designed to provide experience across the full range of the agency’s legal practices. The position is classified as General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), GS-0905-12, and is in the Excepted Service and a Bargaining Unit. It is not a virtual or remote position, and relocation expenses are not authorized.

Work may include drafting district court and appellate briefs; preparing memoranda recommending whether to issue complaints in complex cases; assisting with investigations, trial preparation, and trials involving civil and criminal contempt proceedings related to court judgments and litigation to enforce judgments; drafting motions and other pleadings; participating in settlement and mediation sessions; and conducting in-depth legal research into Court and Board decisions, prior General Counsel determinations, and relevant federal and state administrative agency adjudications.

Applicants must meet the stated education, bar membership, eligibility, and specialized-experience requirements. The selected candidate may be subject to a background investigation and a two-year trial period. The position requires signing an Honors Program Participant Agreement. The agency offers federal employment benefits and describes competitive starting salaries, potential performance-based increases, flexible hours, and work-life balance programs.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Applicants must be members in good standing of the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico; active bar verification must include a bar number and good-standing status.
• Applicants must have completed a full course of study at an ABA-accredited law school and hold a first professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B.), or be in process of obtaining an advanced law degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Applicants must meet at least one basic eligibility criterion: a law-school GPA of 3.0 or higher (or equivalent), top 25% class standing, or attendance at a school that does not use numerical GPA/rank; prior internship or employment at the NLRB or another labor agency; or other specialized labor law or labor relations experience.
• Applicants must meet one of the stated career-path qualifications: currently serving in at least one year of post-law-school experience as a judicial clerk or honors attorney; be a legal fellow who started within six months of graduating with a J.D. or LL.B.; or be in the last year of an ABA-accredited advanced law degree that began within six months of graduating with a J.D. or LL.B.
• Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, including legal or policy analysis or interpretation, legal research and recommendations grounded in legal principles, and oral communication of legal issues and factual scenarios in a legal environment.
• Specialized experience must be supported and articulated in the resume; education may not substitute for specialized experience at this grade level.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered for Selective Service.
• Transcripts are required for consideration.
• Applicants must sign an Honors Program Participant Agreement.
• Applicants must submit a complete online application by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Foreign education used to meet qualifications must be evaluated as equivalent to education from accredited U.S. programs or receive full credit at a U.S.-accredited college or university.

Nice To Haves

• A strong academic law school record.
• Current service in a judicial clerkship, law fellowship, or honors attorney position, or enrollment in the final year of an advanced law degree such as an LL.M. or J.S.D.
• Experience in labor or industrial relations and the National Labor Relations Act, as amended.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft district court and appellate briefs.
• Draft memoranda recommending whether to issue complaints in complex cases.
• Assist attorneys with investigations, trial preparation, and trials involving civil and criminal contempt proceedings related to court judgments and litigation in aid of enforcing judgments.
• Draft motions and other pleadings.
• Participate in settlement and mediation sessions.
• Conduct in-depth legal research on Court and Board decisions, prior General Counsel determinations, and relevant federal and state administrative agency adjudications.

Benefits

• Flexible hours and work-life balance programs, including alternative work schedules, telework, an Employee Assistance Program, and a Child Care Subsidy Program.
• Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Life Insurance.
• Long-Term Care Insurance.
• Thrift Savings Plan.
• Transit Benefit Program.
• Competitive starting salaries and the potential for performance-based increases.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level