Student Trainee (Law)- Spring 2024 (RO)

Duties

At the SEC, we are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) and value a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the communities we serve. As such, we welcome applications from qualified individuals of all backgrounds who share our commitment to public service.

JD/LL.M. students will be assigned to work with SEC staff members on projects and assignments that cover a broad range of the Commissions' work. That work depends upon the division or office where the student works.

The SEC Scholars Program will be full-time or part-time during the Spring. Work schedule will be determined and agreed upon based on the selectees academic course load schedule and division/office needs. You will have the opportunity to discuss schedule, hours, etc. upon selection and acceptance into the program. Interns must work a minimum of 16 hours per week.

Our 11 regional offices are comprised of mainly the Division of Enforcement and Division of Examinations. All regional locations are seeking JD/LL.M. students to work with us during the Spring 2024program. You will be asked to rank your top three choices of office. You will be given priority consideration of these offices, but may be contacted by any of them.
SEC.gov | SEC Divisions Homepages

• Atlanta Regional Office
• Boston Regional Office
• Chicago Regional Office
• Denver Regional Office
• Fort Worth Regional Office
• Los Angeles Regional Office
• Miami Regional Office
• New York Regional Office
• Philadelphia Regional Office
• Salt Lake Regional Office
• San Francisco Regional Office

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all the instructions carefully. Failure to follow the instructions may result in you not being considered for this position.
• Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement.
• SECURITY CLEARANCE: Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a pre-employment security investigation. Favorable results on a Background Investigation may be a condition of employment or selection to another position.
• DRUG TESTING: This position may be subjected to drug testing requirements.
• PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS): Moving/Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• This position is not in the collective bargaining unit.
• UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP: Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GPA: You must have and maintain at least a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent.
• PATHWAYS AGREEMENT: You will be required to sign a Pathways Internship Program Participant Agreement.
• ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENT: You must be enrolled at least half-time at an accredited law school pursuing a degree or certificate.
• PROOF OF ENROLLMENT: You must provide proof of enrollment at an accredited law school. For students who have been accepted for enrollment but do not yet have a transcript (e.g. LL.M., transfer students), you must provide your acceptance letter.
• STUDENT STATUS: You must maintain status as a law student while on this appointment.
• WORK SCHEDULES: The SEC Scholars Program will be full-time or part-time. This will be discussed, determined, and agreed upon based on the selectees academic course load schedule and division/office needs.
• The anticipated start date of this position is January 15, 2024. You must meet the definition of a "student" currently and after this date to be eligible for hire.
• This position is eligible to request telework in accordance with the SEC's telework policy.
• If you wish to continue your internship into the next session, you must reapply and start the program again.
• A trial period will apply to your appointment.

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for this internship under the SEC Scholars Program:

• You must be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a JD or LL.M. at an accredited law school on at least a half-time basis (as determined by the educational institution); AND
• You must possess a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of a 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent.

You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the SEC Scholars Program.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

In order to qualify for this position at the grade GS/SK-07 level you must have successfully completed:
(A)One full year of graduate level education (e.g. completed your first year of law school).
OR
(B) Completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degreeandclaim Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) - You must have a grade point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies.

In order to qualify for this position at the grade GS/SK-09 level you must have successfully completed:
(A) A master's degree or equivalent graduate degree
OR
(B) Two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree (e.g. completed your second year of law school).

Education

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. See Required Documents section below.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Benefits include Federal paid holidays and other benefits which may include a flexible work schedule. Selectees for this position are ineligible for health benefits, life insurance, retirement (including the Thrift Savings Plan), and long term care insurance. As a federal employee, selectees are eligible to receive a transit subsidy each month to compensate you for your travel to and from work via certain types of public transportation.

Converting to the Competitive Service: This appointment does not confer eligibility to be noncompetitively converted to a term, career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service.

Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation for disability to participate in the application process at the SEC, submit the form for Reasonable Accommodation for Participation in Job Application Process here. Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Information for SEC Job Applicants: Federal EEO laws protect all applicants from discrimination on the following bases: race, color, sex (not limited to conduct which is sexual in nature, includes pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender status), age (40 and over), religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, retaliation for participating in the EEO process or opposing discrimination. Applicants who believe they have been discriminated against on any EEO basis can seek recourse through the SEC's administrative complaints process. To be timely, an individual must enter the EEO process within 45 days from when they know (or should have known) of the alleged discrimination. Click here for additional information.

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• Benefits

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Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package; please read the following requirements carefully. Your name must be included on all documents, these include:

• Required: Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire (this is built into the online application).
• Required, Resume: Please provide your complete and comprehensive resume that includes a complete history of your work experience, education, and the applicable dates with months and years.
• Required, Cover Letter.
• Required, Writing Sample: Your legal writing sample should be no longer than 10 pages in length. Ensure your writing sample does not contain any non-public information (you may redact as necessary).
• Required, Unofficial transcript: You must provide your most recent unofficial transcript from the Spring 2023 academic term that includes grades to verify GPA eligibility. If this is your first academic term at your current institution (e.g. transfer, LL.M. students), you must provide your most recent unofficial transcript from your previous institution. Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcripts will be required.
• Required, proof of education enrollment in addition to unofficial transcript:
  • If your unofficial transcript displays future enrollment, you may submit the same document for this requirement, otherwise please provide proof of enrollment for at least the Fall 2023 academic term. If selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts verifying your continued enrollment prior to finalizing your internship offer.
  • Additionally, for students that have been accepted for enrollment, but do not yet have an unofficial transcript please provide your acceptance letter provided by the academic institution.
• Required if applicable,Veteran's Preference Documentation: DD-214, Member Copy 4 or other documentation containing dates of service and character of discharge. Disabled veterans and other applicants eligible for 10-point Veteran's Preference please include: documentation to validate your claim - VA letter, SF-15, etc.

Important Notes:

• Utilize the preview feature of USAJobs to view your documents and ensure the formatting remains and all documents are legible.
• Screenshots of documents will not be accepted.
• Your application materials should not contain photographs .
• Additional materials will not be accepted after the announcement closes (e.g. updated grades, updated resume, etc.).
• Your full name must be clearly visible on all documents.
• Do not submit encrypted documents.
• Tips: Encrypted documents do not transmit properly through USAJobs. We recommend, you save the document as a new PDF, or Print to PDF to ensure the document comes through properly and is displayed properly using the USAJobs preview feature.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

$43,888 - $84,549 per year