Attorney-Adviser (Real Property)

Summary

About the Position: As an Attorney-Adviser, you are responsible for researching, analyzing and providing legal advice during various stages of the real estate acquisition process.

Duties

• Review proposed government acquisition of land, interests in land and acquisition packages covering direct purchase, leases, easements, or donation of real property.
• Research, analyze and provide legal advice during various stages of the real estate acquisition process.
• Conduct public records research and reviews conveyance and mortgage records in order to ascertain title ownership data and to identify encumbrances and liens on property.
• Determine whether there are any encumbrances or title deficiencies and, if so, develops and recommends curative actions to be taken.
• Identify and draft legal instruments, such as releases, disclaimers, and subordination documents or reviews documents prepared by paralegals.
• Serve as a qualified Closing Agent, responsible for the preparation, review and clearance of all necessary documents for acquisitions and/or relocations.
• Prepare and coordinate the Condemnation Assembly, to include drafting the Opinion of Title for Condemnation.
• Review Contracts, Affidavits, Permits, Rights of Entry, Releases, Mortgages, Assignments, and other legal instruments prepared by paralegals, attorneys, and/or real estate professionals.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Education Requirement: 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.). In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: Two or more years of professional legal experience. Examples of this experience are: 1) providing legal advice during various stages of the real estate acquisition process.; 2) reviewing legal documents to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies. 3) drafting documents associated with real estate acquisitions; 4) Preparing attorney title opinions consistent with statutory and constitutional requirements; 5) Reviewing all legal instruments and/or documents with potential legal ramifications. (Experience must be documented in your resume.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position: must possess either an advance law degree such as an LLM (masters of law) or graduated with a distinguished record from an ABA-Accredited Law School in the top 25% of the class which may be substitute for one year of the required professional legal experience after being admitted to the bar. Examples of this experience are: 1) providing legal advice during various stages of the real estate acquisition process.; 2) reviewing legal documents to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies. 3) drafting documents associated with real estate acquisitions; 4) Preparing attorney title opinions consistent with statutory and constitutional requirements; 5) Reviewing all legal instruments and/or documents with potential legal ramifications. (Experience must be documented in your resume.) Bar Membership: An applicant must currently be an active member in good standing of the Bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (must provide a copy) Fitness to Practice Law: An applicant must currently be fit to practice law. If your fitness to practice law, or your conduct has ever been challenged you must submit a sworn statement giving the facts and circumstances, together with any explanations you consider appropriate. The sworn statement should be notarized and dated within 3 months of the date of your application. (If you are currently employed as an attorney with The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this requirement does not apply to you). Time in Grade Requirements: If currently employed as an attorney by the Federal Government you must have completed 1 year at the next lower level within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement, or previously served at the same or higher grade as the position being filled.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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 an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/30/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12960483). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.