General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney)

Salary: $76,463 - $99,404 per year

Pay scale grade: GS 12

Location: Multiple

Positions Available: 26

Position Open: 11/02/2026 to 11/13/2026

Summary

This position is established as part of the National Labor Relations Board Honors program. The Honors program supports positions working in three different program areas: Board, General Counsel-Headquarters, and General Counsel-Field.

This position resides in a Field Office of the National Labor Relations Board.

The Field Offices represent the actual operating arm of the Agency, the means through which both the Board and the General Counsel reach the public.

Duties

As a General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), GS-0905-12, typical work assignments in the Regions may include:

• Analyzing a variety of simple to moderately more complex cases, including charges of unfair labor practices, petitions to determine collective-bargaining representatives or to decertify labor organizations and petitions to rescind union security contract clauses; and
• Presenting evidence and examining witnesses in an administrative hearing alleging violation of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended, and related proceedings involving the Board and its agents in the other federal courts - under direct supervision; and
• Examining cases by reviewing all pertinent records of the charged party and the charging party to determine if new/amended charges; and
• Preparing legal documents, opinions, drafts, or comments when a decision has been reached by a relevant decision maker.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• This is not a virtual (remote) position.
• Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• This position is part of the Bargaining Unit.
• Applicants may be subject to completion of a two-year trial period.
• This is a positive education position. Transcripts are required to be considered for this position.
• You will be required to sign an Honors Program Participant Agreement.
• Active Bar license is required for verification. Bar license must reference Bar number and indicate the status of good standing. A Self-Certification Form is not acceptable verification.
• Salary range listed is base. Locality salary to be determined after selection.
• Only one position per Regional Office is authorized with a total of 26 vacancies to be filled. Applicants may select up to five locations. Selections may or may not be made from the locations listed in this vacancy announcement.
• Selectee may be subject to a background investigation prior to appointment.
• Must submit complete application package online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.

Qualifications

All qualifications and eligibility requirements specified in the announcement must be met by the closing date of the job announcement.

Ideal Candidate Statement
The ideal candidate for the General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), General Counsel-Field position, will have a strong academic law school record, currently are serving in a judicial clerkship or law fellowship, or honors attorney position, or be in the last year of an advanced law degree (e.g., LL.M or J.S.D.) from an ABA accredited law school, and who hold a bar license. In addition, the candidate will have strong oral and written communications skills in addition to experience in labor or industrial relations and the National Labor Relations Act, as amended.

Basic Eligibility Requirements
Education: An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LL.B or JD).

Bar Membership and Certification: Must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Your active bar license must reference bar number and indicate the status of good standing. Agency Internal Self-Certification Forms are not acceptable for verification.

In order to meet the basic eligibility requirements, applicants must also have at least one of the following:

• A GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 or above (or equivalent) or are in the top 25% of their law school class or their school does not use a numerical GPA/rank; OR
• Have previously interned or worked at the NLRB or another labor agency; OR
• Have other specialized labor law or labor relations experience.

In addition to the Basic Eligibility Requirements, applicants must also meet the following:

Minimum Qualifications
To be eligible for the General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), GS-0905-12 position and grade, applicants must meet one of the following qualifications:

• Currently serving in at least a one (1)-year post-law school experience as a judicial clerk, honors attorney; OR
• A legal fellow that was started within six (6) months of graduating with my first professional law degree (J.D. LL.B); OR
• In the last year of an advanced law degree (e.g., LL.M or J.S.D.) from an ABA accredited law school that was started within six (6) months of graduating with my first professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B).

Specialized Experience
Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the GS-12, General Attorney (Labor) (Honors Attorney), and that is typically related to the work of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience includes:

• Experience providing analysis and/or the interpretation of issues that may include legal and/or policy matters; and
• Experience performing legal research and recommendations based on legal principles to substantiate cases; and
• Experience communicating orally to relay and explain legal issues and factual scenarios in a legal environment.

This experience must be fully supported and articulated in your resume to receive consideration. Please do not cut and paste the specialized experience from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used for this grade level.

NOTE: 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 volunteer experience.

Education

Applicants must have successfully completed a full course of study in a law school accredited by the ABA and have their first professional law degree (J.D. or LL.B).

OR

Applicants must be currently in process of obtaining an advanced law degree (e.g., LL.M or J.S.D) from a law school accredited by the ABA.

You must meet all qualification requirements. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in accredited U.S. education programs; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.

Required Documents

Please submit the supporting documents outlined below for your claimed eligibility status.

Resume
In compliance with Executive Order 14170, Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service resumes must not be longer than two pages in length. The resume must address minimum qualifications and other requirements listed in the job announcement. If the two-page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met, candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration.

Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below:

Contact Information: Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.

Relevant Work Experience

• Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
• Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 -08/2022 or present)
• The number of hours you worked per week

Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.

Transcript
An unofficial copy of your transcript and/or letter from an education institute stating that you have met all degree requirements is sufficient with the application; however, if selected, an official college transcript will be required prior to entering on duty. The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable. At the minimum, the transcript and/or letter from the education institute should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses, semester hours, and GPA/class rank - if the law school assigns grades or class rank. If selected; prior to the date of hire, you must submit your most recent official transcripts.)

Proof of Bar Certification
A copy of your Bar License that certifies you are an active member of the Bar in good standing of any state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution. Your active Bar license must reference Bar number and indicate the status of good standing. An Agency's Internal or a Self-Certification Form is not acceptable for verification.

Legal Writing Sample
Legal Writing Sample of applicant's choice (preferably no more than ten pages).

Personal Statement
Describe why you would like to work for the NLRB (preferably no more than one page).

Other documents - if applicable. For more information, please click on the applicable link.

Proof of Enrollment
Applicants must demonstrate proof of enrollment for the Fall 2026, by submitting an official proof of enrollment letter from a qualifying educational institution or a transcript indicating courses to be taken in the Fall 2026. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

Individuals with Disabilities
Veterans
Disabled Veterans
Certain Military Spouses
Family Member Preference (Derived Preference)

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJOBS does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

All materials must be received by 11/13/2026 to be considered for this announcement.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

• Resume; and
• Any other documents needed to verify your qualifications or eligibility (see the Required Documents section).

Please follow the instructions listed below for submitting your complete application package. Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all instructions before you begin.

To begin the process, click the APPLY ONLINE button at the right side of this screen to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire. Please ensure you click the SUBMIT MY ANSWERS button at the end of the process.

If you have never applied through USAJOBS for a position with the Federal Civil Service, you will need to create a USAJOBS account.

To change or update your application, simply reapply through USAJOBS, before the closing date. New or updated resumes are considered "incomplete" applications until the required virus scan is cleared.

To check the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.