Attorney Advisor Position
ACUS encourages lawyers who may be interested in serving as an attorney advisor to send a brief letter, accompanied by a resume and law school transcript (official or unofficial), expressing their interest and identifying the approximate date on which they would be available to start. The ideal candidate would have more than one year experience working as an attorney in a setting requiring them to independently manage a portfolio of projects or possess a demonstrated academic background in administrative law and regulatory procedure. Letters should be addressed to Jeremy Graboyes, Research Director, and emailed to info@acus.gov.
ACUS welcomes expressions of interest from lawyers who hold fixed-term positions—such as judicial clerkships and academic fellowships—that may not end in the near future.
About ACUS
ACUS is an executive branch agency whose principal mission is to conduct empirical research and recommend improvements to administrative procedure and related matters to the President, federal agencies, Congress, and the Judicial Conference of the United States. ACUS also assists individual agencies in improving administrative programs, publishes sourcebooks of enormous value both to the government and public, and provides nonpartisan advice to other agencies and Congress. Most of the research for ACUS is conducted by distinguished academics in law and related disciplines.
Job Duties
ACUS attorney advisors conduct legal research and writing, stakeholder outreach, and other activities in furtherance of ACUS's mission of improving federal agency rulemaking, adjudication, administration and management, judicial review of agency action, and other related matters. The duties associated with the position include identifying appropriate subjects for reports and recommendations through extensive research and analysis; working with outside consultants in preparing reports and recommendations; drafting research reports; planning workshops and other similar events; presenting research findings to ACUS's members; speaking at ACUS meetings, professional associations, and law schools about ACUS's work; and assisting with the implementation of ACUS's recommendations.
Qualifications
ACUS seeks to hire attorneys with strong legal research and writing skills who have an interest in administrative law. Though the only formal requirement is that the applicant either possess or be in the process of obtaining a law degree, ACUS is especially interested in hiring attorneys who have acquired professional experience in administrative law and regulatory policymaking, including prior work at a law firm, judicial clerkship, corporation, federal agency, university, think tank, or other organization. ACUS is also especially interested in hiring attorneys who have supervisory experience and who have worked in a setting requiring them to act independently in balancing a variety of projects and carrying out their duties with minimal higher-level oversight. Both hiring decisions and the level of compensation will depend on the amount of relevant experience a candidate brings to the position.
Compensation
The attorney advisor will be compensated as a GS-11, GS-12, GS-13 or GS-14, depending on relevant work experience and current pay. Information on compensation under the 2023 General Schedule (GS) can be found at the website of the Office of Personnel Management (www.opm.gov). Compensation will also include federal health, retirement, and leave benefits.