Description

The Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the Office of General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce, is seeking an individual with exceptional analytical, organizational, and interpersonal communication skills to join our team of international technical assistance Attorney-Advisors to partner with countries and sovereign Tribes to advance shared prosperity, diversify energy supply chains, and advance energy and data partnerships.

CLDP’s mission is to advance U.S. business interests and national security objectives around the world by building commercial legal systems that support American and local businesses alike. To meet its mission, CLDP provides technical assistance; advisory and consultative services (including commenting on draft legislation and regulations); and sector planning support to improve the legal and regulatory conditions for trade and investment. This Attorney-Advisor position on the Energy and Minerals team would engage in cutting-edge legal and regulatory reform work that would support investment into power generation, storage, transmission infrastructure to meet new demand, including from data centers.

This work would involve advising foreign and Tribal governments around the world on the policies, laws, regulations, contracts, and standards for them to rapidly adopt new competitive power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure; incorporate new generation and storage resources into a grid; and structure financeable power generation and transmission projects in accordance with international best practice. This work would also engage foreign and Tribal governments in protecting the public interests in structuring procurement of new energy sources. 

This Attorney-Advisor would consult with senior foreign and Tribal government officials; assess development needs and barriers to investment; and design, implement and evaluate legal reform technical assistance programs that meet the policymakers and regulators’ economic development needs and are in line with U.S. energy policy goals. To implement the technical assistance programs, the Attorney-Advisor would organize and deliver expert legal advice on the policies, laws, regulations, contracts, and standards for host countries to increase investment into energy infrastructure. This Attorney-Advisor would collaborate across U.S. government agencies in the power and data center spaces, work with outside experts in energy/power law, and support the efforts of the U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Energy.  For more about CLDP’s Energy and Minerals team and what we do, please see our website here.

For this position:

• Prior legal experience in the energy sector, most helpfully power generation and transmission. In this position, Attorney-Advisors will be expected to be able to converse with a variety of stakeholders on the structuring of rules relating to investment into power and energy, including generation, storage, and transmission infrastructure projects.
• Prior experience with the drafting or review of transactional documents in the energy sector, in particular the power sector.  Examples include power purchase agreements, PILOT agreements, ROWs for transmission, utility franchise agreements, host government instruments in the power, energy or other related sectors, as well as project finance documents.
• Prior experience and/or familiarity with working with foreign governments, Tribal governments, and/or development finance institutions is strongly preferred.
• Regular international and domestic travel will be required, averaging around 6-8 trips per year, to global and occasionally domestic destinations.  CLDP Attorney-Advisors in this position carry out many of their programs in the host countries around the world and on the Trust lands of sovereign Tribes, and also bring delegations from foreign countries to the U.S. for study tours.
• Knowledge of another language is not required but is preferred.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and registered for Selective Service if applicable.
• Must be able to verify active bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Must be able to obtain a Secret level security clearance. 

This position is based in Washington D.C. This position may be filled at the GS 13 or 14 grade level depending on experience. Starting Salary Range is $121,785 to $143,913 with promotion potential to GS-14/10 ($187,093). To qualify for GS-13, applicants must possess a J.D., active U.S. state/territory bar membership, and a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience. To qualify for a GS-14, applicants must possess a J.D., active U.S. state/territory bar membership, and a minimum of 6 years of relevant professional experience.

How to apply:

To be considered, please submit a current resume, law school unofficial transcript (if selected an official transcript is required), and cover letter to kweaver@doc.gov. 

About the Organization

Established in 1992, CLDP is a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce that advances U.S. business interests and national security objectives around the world. CLDP helps level the playing field for American business and strengthens U.S. national security by closing legal and regulatory gaps that malign foreign actors exploit in critical sectors such as telecommunications, energy, and minerals. CLDP provides expert, government-to-government commercial legal assistance to over 85 countries around the world. 

The CLDP team consists of highly skilled lawyers, trade experts, and international program specialists with deep knowledge of commercial law, international trade and business, and economic development. With fluency in over 35 languages, CLDP staff work directly with foreign governments to advance U.S. interests abroad while helping host countries achieve their economic development objectives. CLDP partners with various offices within the U.S. Department of Commerce, other federal agencies, the U.S. judiciary, and international organizations to help countries draft laws and regulations, strengthen legal institutions, and train officials to ensure fair and predictable environments for business. CLDP’s Energy and Minerals Team provides legal technical support in partnership with host governments developing their minerals and energy resources.