The incumbent serves as Assistant General Counsel in the Marketing, Regulatory and Food Safety Programs Division (MRFSPD), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Provides legal advice and overall legal support to the Under Secretaries, agency administrators, and other senior officials who are responsible for the programs and activities of the Department.
Manages the development and application of legal policies, and supervises a staff of attorneys who draft, review, and approve, for legal sufficiency regulations, legislation, cooperative agreements, memoranda of understanding, and other agreements.
Prepares legal memoranda and opinions on questions of law; prepares litigation reports, pleadings, statements of fact, declarations, briefs, and other documents in connection with lawsuits filed by or against the United States.
Works with the Department of Justice in the trial of cases in the Federal courts; and prepare and present cases before Administrative Law Judges, the Judicial Officer, and other hearing officers appointed for particular proceedings.
Participates, as counsel for the Department, in conferences and meetings with leading representatives of industry, business, and agriculture, and interested and affected members of the public.
Responsible for developing and recommending procedures for handling the work of the division; overseeing the training and development of the legal and support staff; assigning work and evaluating the performance of the legal and support staff.
Veterans Preference is not applicable in the Senior Executive Service.
Initial appointments are required to serve a 1-year probationary period
Narrative Statements for the ECQs must not exceed 10 pages
Background Investigation required.
Must maintain an active bar license of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is an independent legal agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). OGC provides legal advice and services to the Secretary of Agriculture and to all other officials and agencies of the Department with respect to all USDA programs and activities. All legal services are centralized within OGC and the General Counsel reports directly to the Secretary.
The General Counsel is the chief law officer of USDA and is responsible for providing legal services for all programs, operations, and activities of USDA. Two Deputy General Counsels, five Associate General Counsels, and four Regional Attorneys assist the General Counsel in managing the work of the office. A Senior Counselor also provides assistance in the Immediate Office of the General Counsel.
