Summary
Background security investigation is required for all new hires. Appointment is subject to successful completion of fingerprinting and background security investigation with favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
This appointment is made without regard to Title 5 governing appointments in the Competitive service. All appointments are Excepted service.
This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency
Estimate Start date is July 29th, 2024.
Duties
Scope of Work: The editor's thorough and timely completion of work directly contributes to the Court's efficiency and productivity. The Judges and judicial law clerks rely on the editorthe Court's expert on writing and stylefor professional and thorough review. The editor must take initiative and exercise good judgment and perseverance. The editor must take initiative and exercise good judgment and perseverance.
Organizational Relationships: The editor is part of the Court's Public Office and reports directly to the Public Office's Chief Deputy Clerk of Operations. The editor works as a part of a team of editors who edit the decisions of the Court's nine active Judges and three retired Judges who work in recall status. The editor also cooperates with colleagues in the Public Office who issue the Court's final decisions; the editor works with the Clerk of the Court in editing letters and materials issued by the Clerk's Office; and the editor works with the Court librarian to acquire research materials.
Key Requirements:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You must submit application and resume by 11:59 p.m. EST on the closing date.
• You must provide all required documents by the closing date.
• You must receive your pay via direct deposit.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Editing: Review the Court's decisions (the Court's orders, memorandum decisions, and precedential panel decisions, including decisions published electronically on Lexis and Westlaw and those published in the hardbound volumes of West's Veterans Appeals Reporter) to promote clarity, economy, logical progression of ideas, and general intelligibility. This review includes (1) continually striving to help the Court convey its legal analysis in plain English; (2) ensuring correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation; (3) reviewing organization and consistency, and identifying any potential redundancy; (4) diplomatically and respectfully suggesting revisions; (5) removing barriers to clear expression without interfering with the author's tone and intent, while keeping in mind that many pro se appellants read the Court's decisions; (6) ensuring layout comports with the Court's templates and rules for orders, memorandum decisions, and precedential panel decisions; (7) ensuring style (e.g., capitalization, hyphenation) is consistent with the Court's Style Manual, the United States Government Publishing Office Style Manual, and The Chicago Manual of Style; and (8) reviewing the Court's decisions for consistency with the Court's Style Manual and The Bluebook.
Other Editing Duties: Respond promptly to authors' questions about citation, usage, and grammar; brief new law clerks on the Court's Style Manual and writing style; edit transcripts, review and prepare galleys of Court's Judicial Conference and other Court events for publication in West's Veterans Appeals Reporter; edit congressional testimony; help draft and edit Court rules revisions, website and intranet materials, letters from the Court and the Clerk of Court, speeches by Judges and Court personnel, and articles for submission to veteran-related publications and websites; and proofread final documents.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Note: One year of the specialized experience must have been at, or equivalent to, the next lower grade in the federal service.
The selectee will be subject to a 1-year probationary period.
Qualifications
Qualification Requirements: To qualify for the position of Legal Editor, an applicant must possess the following qualifications: A law degree ( preferred ) or significant experience reading and editing caselaw, statutes, and regulations; knowledge of the standards of literate communication, and therefore, a degree in English literature, liberal arts, or journalism; a history of reading broadly; the ability to discern the issues discussed by lawyer-authors; the ability to locate caselaw, statutes, and regulations in electronic databases or in hardbound volumes; familiarity with The Bluebook as a standard of legal citation; familiarly with the United States Government Publishing Office Style Manual and The Chicago Manual of Style; excellent writing skills; writing experience; facility with grammar and usage; ability to recognize and distinguish between legalese and plain English and between vague language and concrete language; facility with and knowledge of standard American usage; strong attention to detail; ability to meet deadlines in a high-volume Court; ability to communicate tactfully with authors (Judges, judicial law clerks, and managers); ability to understand the role of editor vis--vis author; and, in editing, ability to perceive and leave undisturbed the author's intent; awareness of various dictionaries (general, legal, medical) and usage guides; experience working with Word and Microsoft Office Suite; familiarity with desktop publishing and principles of designing documents; and knowledge of the special vocabulary used to describe veterans' medical conditions.

• Benefits
  Review our benefits

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Please read the "Next steps" section for more information.

• Benefits
  Review our benefits
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  Instructions for Applying:
  You may apply by submitting the following required documents:
  
  • A resume from the USA Jobs Resume builder, or other written application containing all information requested in the USA Jobs Resume builder.
  • OF-306 (Declaration for Federal Employment). A copy of the OF-306 is available at https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/ under Employment .
  • If applicable, veterans' preference documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).
  • Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50). All applicants outside of USCAVC must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify status as a current or former federal employee.
  • A writing sample consisting of a single two-page sample, or two samples each consisting of a single page.
  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.
• How to Apply
  Please submit your application packet to: employment@uscourts.cavc.gov
  Please include the vacancy announcement number in the subject line. To be considered, you must submit a complete application packet by 11:59 p.m. EST on the date the announcement closes.
  Agency contact information
  USCAVC Human Resources Office
  Email
  employment@uscourts.cavc.gov
  Address
  US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  625 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
  Suite 900
  Washington, DC 20004
  US
  Next steps
  Once your completed application package is received, we will conduct an evaluation and the selected candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for future consideration and possible interview.
• Fair and Transparent
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents
Instructions for Applying:
You may apply by submitting the following required documents:

• A resume from the USA Jobs Resume builder, or other written application containing all information requested in the USA Jobs Resume builder.
• OF-306 (Declaration for Federal Employment). A copy of the OF-306 is available at https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/ under Employment .
• If applicable, veterans' preference documentation (DD-214 stating disposition of discharge or character of service, VA letter, SF-15, etc.).
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50). All applicants outside of USCAVC must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify status as a current or former federal employee.
• A writing sample consisting of a single two-page sample, or two samples each consisting of a single page.

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.
How to Apply
Please submit your application packet to: employment@uscourts.cavc.gov
Please include the vacancy announcement number in the subject line. To be considered, you must submit a complete application packet by 11:59 p.m. EST on the date the announcement closes.
Agency contact information
USCAVC Human Resources Office
Email
employment@uscourts.cavc.gov
Address
US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
625 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20004
US
Next steps
Once your completed application package is received, we will conduct an evaluation and the selected candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for future consideration and possible interview.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Criminal history inquiries
• Financial suitability
• Selective Service
• New employee probationary period
• Signature and false statements
• Privacy Act
• Social security number request