Land Law Examiner
What you'd do
You will serve as a Land Law Examiner located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico Offices, Farmington District Office, Farmington, NM. Pay will vary based on grade level for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
Major duties
Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Reviews and processes minerals cases that include application for permit to drill, Natural Gas Policy Act determinations, unitization and communization agreements, leasing and lease terminations, development, exploration and production operations, drainage and bonding. Adjudicates the agreements for technical accuracy and legal adequacy. Processes operator designation, resignation and designation of unit cases. Determines whether the applicant is qualified under applicable laws and regulations. Prepares routine correspondence, including decisions to process cases. Independently gathers and researches information and data necessary to complete and adjudicate a legal document. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.
What you need to qualify
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/30/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements. To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For GS-05: You must possess three (3) years of general experience one (1) year of which was equivalent to at least a GS-4. General experience, experience that provided a familiarity with real property laws and legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, and legal documents, or other experience that involved explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, regulations, policies, etc. Such experience may have been gained in positions such as law clerk, claims examiner, contact representative, or other work dealing with laws, rules, regulations, procedures, etc. Knowledge of the examination, contents and processing of some quasi-legal of legal documents, including land and minerals surveying terminology and land record systems. Ability to utilize computer equipment and software applications. -OR- Education: four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of general experience and appropriate education. For GS-07: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience: Knowledge of the principles and procedures of legal document examination and the relation to the public land laws, mineral leasing, and mining laws. Working knowledge of federal and Indian land and mineral laws, regulations policies and procedures. -OR- Education: one (1) full year of graduate level education 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: Successfully completed a bachelor's degree with at least 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 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 one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with 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. For GS-09: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience: Knowledge of the various public land laws, mineral lows, Indian Land laws, legal records, regulations in Title 43 Code of Federal Regulations, program manuals, and handbooks. Knowledge of the effects of various land reservations, segregations, withdrawals, acquisitions, authorizations, and disposals to properly adjudicate applications, claims and other agency actions. -OR- Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. in fields of study such as 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 Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with 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. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-9. 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.
Before you apply
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