Law Clerk (Honors)

The employee shall serve as a Law Clerk in OGC as a participant in the agency's Legal Honors program. Under the supervision of senior legal staff, the Law Clerk will conduct legal research; draft legal opinions, regulations, regulatory guidance, and other documents; interpret federal statutes and regulations; provide legal advice; and represent FHFA related to all aspects of FHFA's operations. This posting is intended for candidates that haven't been admitted to the BAR.

This program is available to current law school students who expect to complete their degree by June 2025, full-time graduate students in their final year of study in a program that began immediately upon completion of law school and who have not yet been admitted to the bar, and December 2024 law school graduates who have not yet been admitted to the bar. Successful completion of the J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school will be required to begin the program.

• Mission Branch: supports FHFA's activities as supervisor and regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance, including with respect to safety and soundness, charter compliance, executive compensation, and their housing and community investment missions; as conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and as a member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Also supports the agency's legislative activities.
• Administrative Law and ADEO Branch: provides overall direction, coordination, leadership, and representation on ethics, procurement and contracts, employment, trademark, mortgage fraud, Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, data, research, and statistics and other administrative law matters.
• Enforcement & Compliance Branch: supports FHFA's administrative actions to enforce compliance by its regulated entities with applicable laws, regulations, Agency decisions, and safe and sound practices.
• Litigation Branch: provides oversight of litigation related to FHFA.

• Analyzes issues, conducts research, and prepares memoranda for senior attorneys on a wide variety of legal issues.
• Develops, drafts, and/or reviews documents such as legal opinions, regulations, policies, guidance, and related documents, legislation, contracts and other agreements, correspondence, pleadings, legal briefs, and other documents of importance to the agency.
• Reviews and interprets legislation, regulations, and policy.
• Works as part of a collaborative team with fellow legal staff, support staff, and subject matter experts on issues related to assigned areas of law or policy, including attending meetings with colleagues across FHFA.
• Researches, analyzes, and evaluates legal issues pertaining to FHFA in order to prepare legal documents, reports and memoranda for review, approval, and use by the General Counsel or other senior legal staff.
• Consults various electronic and hardcopy sources, including statutes, regulations, and case law.
• Researches, assembles, and summarizes legislative histories on issues of interest to FHFA staff.
• Performs legal research by utilizing a wide variety of electronic and hardcopy resources including electronic search engines and resources on the Internet. Contacts other regulatory and federal agencies to obtain information relevant to FHFA issues.
• Cite-checks, proofreads, and edits legal opinions and other OGC documents.
• Assists senior attorneys in litigation matters, including conducting research, drafting, and/or reviewing pleadings, and implementing strategies to address emerging challenges.
• Attends meetings with regulated entities and external parties on matters related to assignments, as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• $90,241 - $121,823/year

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Appointments for Law Clerks are 14-month temporary positions, pending admission to a Bar in at least one State, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or territory.
• This is not a remote/virtual position, however, pursuant to the Agency's Telework Policy, some telework may be considered and approved.
• Once bar admission is obtained, the Law Clerk will be reassigned, in their temporary position, into an EL-11 Counsel position.
• Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
• Upon bar admission and successful completion of the program, the employee may apply for available vacancies in the Office of General Counsel.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• FHFA participates in e-Verify. All new hires must complete the I-9 Employment Verification form either on or before their first day of employment.
• If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
• This position may require the completion of a financial disclosure report.
• This position is eligible for inclusion in the bargaining unit. The union that represents employees in this position is the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Chapter 343.

This program is available to current law school students who expect to complete their degree by June 2025, full-time graduate students in their final year of study in a program that began immediately upon completion of law school and who have not yet been admitted to the bar, and December 2024 law school graduates who have not yet been admitted to the bar. Successful completion of the J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school will be required to begin the program.

Applicants should possess at least two of the following criteria:

• A record of high academic achievement during law school (e.g., graduated with academic honors, ranked within the top 25% of class, Dean's list, Order of the Coif, or similar academic achievement);
• Legal research and writing experience separate from academic requirements (e.g., serving on a law journal, serving as a research assistant, participation in a writing competition, or similar experience);
• Moot court or mock trial experience;
• Experience with public interest law (e.g., legal internship or externship with a non-profit organization, legal clinic work, or similar experience);
• Legal internship, externship, or clerkship in local, state, or federal government.

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.

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/04/2024 to receive consideration.

• To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply.
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package.