Land Law Examiner (Lands & Realty)
What you'd do
Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State office, Vale District office, in the Baker Field Office. We expect to fill one vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.
Major duties
Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Prepares routine correspondence, including decisions, to process cases. Drafts progressively complex adjudication decisions. Collects data on a variety of assigned cases related to lands, realty, oil and gas, mining or minerals cases. Independently gathers and researches information and data necessary to complete and adjudicate a legal document. Determines the accuracy and proper execution of applications or claims and the qualifications of applicants for legal rights as requested. Utilizes data, systems and applications to collect, enter, manipulate, update and maintain data according to prescribed Bureau and program standards.
What you need to qualify
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. At the GS-07 Level: Specialized Experience: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05) in the Federal service as a land law examiner or a directly related position. Examples of specialized experience include: familiarity with real property laws, legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, or legal documents; other experience that involved explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, regulations, policies; review or issue land leases or permits for land use. -OR- Education: Completed one (1) full year (18 semester hours) of graduate level education leading to a master's degree or equivalent that included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws. Examples include course work in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. -OR- Superior Academic Achievement: I have a Bachelor's degree that meets the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) (See OPM's General Policies, Application of Qualification Standards Section 4.f.) S.A.A. must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled AND have at least 12 semester hours of coursework related to the administration of land laws. Examples include coursework in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. More information on SAA can be found below. -OR- Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. At the GS-09 Level: Specialized Experience: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) in the Federal service as a land law examiner or a directly related position. Examples of specialized experience include: adjudication or examination of applications or claims for the disposal, use of, or title to land; issuance of leases, licenses, or permits for land use; resolving conflicts arising from public land use; interpreting land records; work as a land appraiser; general practice of law including legal transactions involving acquisition, lease, or disposal of land. -OR- Education: Completed two (2) full years (36 semester hours) of graduate level education leading to a master's degree or equivalent such as LLB or J.D that included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws. Examples include course work in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. -OR- Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 07/29/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a directly related field AND meet one of the following: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper 3rd of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grad-Point Average (GPA): earn a GPA of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on 4 years of education, or 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 completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to the one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society. Volunteer Experience: 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. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
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