General Attorney

About the role

The Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP) is committed to ensuring accountability within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). OAWP was statutorily established by the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (Accountability Act), P.L. 115-41, and its functions are codified under 38 U.S.C. § 323. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/13/2026. Basic Requirements: All attorneys in the GS-0905 series must be active members in good standing of the bar of a state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and must hold a current, unrestricted license to practice law. Quality of Experience: Applicants must possess a total of four years of progressively responsible experience, which can include one year of relevant experience gained before admission to the bar. This experience can be from one or a combination of the following types: Practice of law includes private, state, or Federal practice in any field of law. Other legal experience of a responsible nature is experience in any one or a combination of the following performed in a law office, government office, or in the legal department of a business establishment, in the armed forces, or other Federal service: Conducting legal research, analyzing statues, writing legal opinions: Writing authoritative or advisory legal opinions involving interpretation of state or Federal laws, regulations, and orders, or the drafting of such regulations or orders; or Drafting, analyzing, and other legal activities with respect to bills, regulations, Executive Orders, proclamations, or statutory provisions. Special Placement Factor: At minimum, incumbent must have demonstrated experience in one of the following: Conducting investigations; Providing legal advice on investigations; or Preparing and/or reviewing reports of investigation. You may qualify at the GS-14 based on your experience as described below: Qualified applicants must possess four (4) years of progressively responsible experience as described in Quality of Experience above, of which a maximum of one (1) year of the required experience may be acquired prior to admission to the bar, and that demonstrates the professional and administrative abilities required to perform similar work and responsibilities described in Nature of Cases or Legal Problems, Type III and Level of Responsibility D, in the OPM Position Classification Standard for General Attorney Series, GS-0905. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Reasoning Attention to Detail Communications Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Problem Solving Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.