Attorneys - USDA - DC

The Gilchrist Law Firm PA, has a great job opportunity for six (6) contract attorneys to work for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (OASCR), through the Center for Civil Rights Enforcement (CCRE), processes program complaints of discrimination filed by applicants and participants of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or its sub-agencies; and through the Conflict Complaints Division (CCD), processes Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints of discrimination filed by USDA employees, applicants for Federal employment at USDA, and former employees of USDA.

Duties:

• Assist in the adjudication of program civil rights complaints, including reviewing Reports of Investigation (ROI) for legal sufficiency.
• Prepare final agency decisions (FAD) based on the merits of the complainant's case.
• Support the processing of EEO complaints, including handling informal and formal complaint processing.
• Engage in post-closure compliance and appeal work for EEO complaints.
• Draft various legal documents and correspondence related to civil rights complaints.
• Conduct legal research to ensure accurate and up-to-date information is used in decision-making.
• Perform legal editing to ensure the accuracy and clarity of written documents.

• At least five (5) years of experience working as an attorney (current bar membership not required); or at least five (5) years of experience processing civil rights complaints and a professional law degree (JD or LLB)
• In addition to above, at least three (3) years of experience working in Federal sector civil rights matters and/or processing federal sector EEO complaints pursuant 29 C.F.R. § 1614
• At least one (1) year of experience reviewing ROIs for legal sufficiency, or two (2) years of experience utilizing ROIs to draft FADs
• At least two (2) years of Federal sector work experience.
• Specific knowledge of Federal civil rights law is essential to perform the job duties effectively.
• Strong writing skills are required, as writing will be a significant part of the job.
• Experience in drafting formal and complex legal documents, such as final agency decisions (FAD), ROIs, accept/dismissal letters, appeal documents, counselor's reports, and complaint status memorandums.
• Proficiency in conducting legal research to gather relevant information and precedents.
• Adept at legal editing to ensure the accuracy and quality of written materials.
• Full-time availability to work onsite for 40 hours per week.