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. Responsibilities 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 editor--the Court's expert on writing and style--for 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-à-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. Education Additional Information