The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal and policy analysis to the Commission, individual Commissioners, and the Commission's divisions and offices concerning federal securities laws, administrative law, and other applicable laws.
Duties
Typical duties include:
Coordinating OGC's advice and assistance to the Commission, divisions and offices, and other senior leaders throughout agency on high priority projects as they arise.
Conducting legal research and providing advice on novel legal questions including the potential impact of various litigation strategies concerning the administration of the federal securities laws and other areas of law, such as administrative law.
Advising the General Counsel and briefing agency senior leadership on developments in the law and providing expert advice on novel legal issues.
Representing the SEC's position in interactions with other governmental agencies and outside counsel.
Providing advice and analysis to the SEC's senior leadership, up to and including the Chair's staff, on litigation strategy, as well as options for potential judicial or legislative remedies and implementation of any court decisions.
Reviewing and, at times, preparing OGC's response to investigations or audits conducted by the OIG and GAO.
Preparing speeches, talking points, or other briefing documents for the General Counsel's public engagements.
Conditions of Employment
CITIZENSHIP: This position is open to US Citizens.
You must possess a J.D. or LL.B Degree
You must be an active member of the bar in good standing
Qualifications
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. 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. Qualifying education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
BASIC REQUIREMENT: All applicants must possess the following
J.D. or LL.B. degree --AND--
Active membership of the bar in good standing in any state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (Note: proof of bar membership will be required before entry on duty.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement.
SK-16: Applicant must have four year(s) of post J.D. work experience as a practicing attorney, three year(s) of which includes:
Identifying legal issues, providing legal analyses, providing legal solutions/recommendations, and preparing legal documents, such as briefs, dispositions, pleadings, and motions which also include at least three years:
1) Interpreting the federal securities laws, rules and regulations, or other federal financial regulatory regimes; and
2) Preparing a variety of written documents, including memoranda, reports, draft opinions, pleadings, and implementation recommendations, that analyze and apply complex legal principles and precedents; and
3) Providing oral guidance analyzing factual and legal issues underlying complex and novel legal questions that often lack clearly applicable precedents.
The SEC is a bipartisan Commission consisting of up to five Commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The President designates one Commissioner to serve as Chairman of the Commission. The SEC’s mission is to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. Accordingly, as outlined in the SEC’s Strategic Plan, the SEC’s goals are to focus on the long-term interests of our Main Street investors; recognize significant developments and trends in our evolving capital markets and adjust our efforts to ensure we are effectively allocating our resources; and elevate the agency’s performance by enhancing our analytical capabilities and human capital development. The SEC oversees the nation’s securities markets and certain market participants, including broker-dealers, investment companies, investment advisers, clearing agencies, transfer agents, credit rating agencies, and securities exchanges, as well as organizations such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The agency’s functional responsibilities are carried o...ut through five divisions and 25 offices, each of which is headquartered in Washington, DC. The SEC also has 11 regional offices located throughout the country.
The SEC is considered a mid-sized federal agency, with 4,350 employees at the start of FY20. The SEC offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. In additional to standard federal benefits (i.e., escalating annual and sick leave, shared premiums for health, dental, vision, and life Insurance), we offer additional benefits related to child and elder care support, student loan repayment, generous retirement matching, transportation subsidy and many more benefits to support employee growth and development in our workforce.
