Summary The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is organized into six operational units: the Immediate Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Counselor, Office of Audits and Evaluations, Office of Healthcare Inspections, Office of Investigations, and Office of Management and Administration. OIG has offices in more than 60 locations throughout the country. This internship is located in the Office of the Counselor. The Office provides a range of legal services in furtherance of the OIG's mission. Responsibilities The Student Trainee (Legal) is a summer internship position located within the Office of the Counselor to the Inspector General. The primary purpose of this position is to provide a variety of legal assistance to attorneys in the Office of the Counselor including conducting legal research, composing legal memoranda, assembling and organizing materials for administrative trials, and preparing summaries and outlines of hearings. As a Student Trainee (Legal), you will: Conduct legal research in matters arising under the U.S. Constitution, United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, utilizing tools such as Westlaw and the Commission's website and in-house library. Research and analyze issues for attorneys using reference sources such as legislative history, treatises, administrative decisions, Federal district and circuit court decisions, and Supreme Court decisions. Prepare memoranda reflecting Merit Systems Protection Board (M.S.P.B.), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C.), and Federal Court case law precedent discovered during the course of legal research and applies precedent to pertinent facts in cases before judges. Prepare draft memoranda, based upon analysis of the legal research, for review by an Administrative Law Judge. Prepare drafts of decisions, orders, and notices, based upon results of the legal research, in cases before an Administrative Law Judge. Review filings, briefs and settlement proposals. Summarize briefs for hearings. Requirements Conditions of Employment Program Requirement: If selected, you must: Sign a Pathways Internship Program agreement; Provide official documentation of enrollment and registration; Provide verification of academic status (transcript) at the end of each academic semester/quarter; In coordination with supervisor, prepare and implement an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that will include a combination of on-the-job-training, mentoring, formal training courses, and developmental assignments; Maintain satisfactory performance; and Complete 640 hours of work experience in order to be considered for conversion to a Career or Career-Conditional appointment. You may be made permanent upon graduation if you meet all qualifications, eligibility, and educational requirements, are recommended for conversion by your supervisor, and funding is available. Key Requirements: You must have been accepted for enrollment or be enrolled and seeking a law degree in a qualifying educational institution on a full or half-time basis. You must remain in good academic standing during the duration of this program. Must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National. A Public Trust Background Investigation will be required. If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so. If selected, you will be asked to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency. Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/ Electronic Funds Transfer. Qualifications You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Qualifications: You MUST meet the definition of a STUDENT for the duration of your appointment. The definition of a student is: an individual accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which the student is enrolled), including awardees of the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Program under Public Law 93-842. Students need not be in actual physical attendance, so long as all other requirements are met. An individual who needs to complete less than the equivalent of half an academic/vocational or technical course-load immediately prior to graduating is still considered a student for purposes of this Program. To qualify for this internship at a GS-7 grade level, you must have: Completed one (1) full academic year of graduate level education (One full academic year of graduate education is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university to represent one (1) year of full-time study); OR Completed a bachelor's degree and eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership; OR Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies Education If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript or unofficial transcript. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected. A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions. Additional Information This is an Internship position not to exceed one year. Candidates go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
