Trial Attorney

Trial Attorney

Department: Department of Energy

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $143913 - $197200 Per Year

Job Summary: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is ranked within the top 5 mid-size agencies through the Partnership for Public Service's Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings! This Trial Attorney position is located in the Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL). For more information visit: Office of Administrative Litigation (OAL)

Major Duties:

• As a Trial Attorney, some of your typical work assignments may include: Managing case assignments, whether lead or co-counsel, to achieve timely, high-quality work products by appropriately developing OAL legal positions and strategies to achieve objectives in settlement and litigation. Timely responding to problems and challenges as they arise in the course of discovery, settlement or litigation. Responding appropriately to positions adversaries take and orders administrative law judges issue in various technical, procedural, and legal contexts. Significant legal research and analysis of energy cases, often involving accounting, economic, engineering, or financial principles. Cases require preparation and/or evaluation of expert testimony. Writing legal documents that appropriately reflect relevant Commission policy, facts, and law. Legal documents contain appropriate citation; are clear, concise, and well-organized; and appropriately advance OAL's position. At hearing, appropriately and effectively cross-examines witnesses and argues discovery, procedural, evidentiary and other motions. Appropriately and effectively deposes witnesses. In settlement discussions, including multi-party negotiations, appropriately and effectively advances OAL positions. Appropriately and effectively presents legal positions in case team and other internal meetings. Whether lead or co-counsel, collaborates with other team members to create high quality, timely products.

Qualifications: You must meet the following basic requirements, by the closing date of this announcement: (1) hold a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from an accredited college or university and (2) be a current, active bar member in good standing. In addition, to the minimum requirements above, you must meet the following qualifications for each grade level by the closing date of this announcement: At the GS-14: A minimum of three years of professional legal experience post bar admission. The GS-14 salary range is $143,913 through $187,093 per annum At the GS-15: A minimum of five years of professional legal experience post bar admission The GS-15 salary range is $169,279 through $197,200 per annum. 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; religious; 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 any volunteer experience. Please do not cut and paste the position description, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

How to Apply: The FERC Careers site provides detailed instructions on how to apply to FERC vacancies. For more information visit: https://www.ferc.gov/about/careers/job-searchapply. Here are a few additional tips: When applying to a FERC vacancy announcement, please remember you must complete and submit your entire application (including your resume, vacancy questionnaire, and any applicable supporting documentation) no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the vacancy closing date. Please note, it may take you longer to apply to some vacancy announcements than others. Starting your application late on the evening the vacancy closes is not recommended because you might not have enough time to ensure your application is successfully submitted and received. When the specialized experience statement in the vacancy announcement requires experience presenting information to a large audience, your resume should include speeches or presentations you've given. Make sure you verify that your resume clearly indicates possession of the competencies and specialized experience listed under the “Qualifications and Evaluations” and “How You Will Be Evaluated” sections of this announcement. Remember to submit all required and supporting documentation listed under the “Required Documents” section of this announcement. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: FERC provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please contact DisabilityManager@FERC.gov no later than 11:59 pm ET on the vacancy closing date. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For more information on telework, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is telework? For more information on remote work, click the following link: USAJOBS Help Center | What is a remote job?

Application Deadline: 2026-05-08