Legal Instruments Examiner

Company: Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Location: Anadarko
Posted on: June 7, 2021

Job Description:

Summary

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southern Plains Region, Office of the Deputy Regional Director-Trust Services, Division of Land Titles and Records in Anadarko, Oklahoma. NOTE: TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE.

Responsibilities

Analyze and examine extremely difficult, complex, or controversial title cases, including areas of titles as they relate to the rights of Indians to hold or own realty property life estates and others.

Plan, organize, conduct research and analyzes legal documents pertaining to each specific case worked.

Examine extensive chain of title, validating and certifying land/parcel title documents and reviewing the last certified and issued Title Status Report.

Prepare abstracts of titles.

Prepare administrative probate modifications to add property/interest to the inventory of an estate or inventoried lands, and/or to correct typographical errors in legal descriptions or incorrect fractions of the owners' interest.

Image title documents and receives title documents for encoding into the electronic records system.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Clerical and Administrative Support Positions, GS-0963). GS-8: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-7 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; examine and correct complex title documents; research and analyze legal documents pertaining to statutes, regulations and judicial decisions; examine complex title documents for the acquisition and disposal of real property rights pertaining to trust, restricted, fee and reserved lands; advise realty specialists in the preparation of various forms of title conveyance and divestment documents, equitable title documents, deeds, leases, grants, property management agreements, stipulations, memoranda of understanding, easements, affidavits, reservation statements, etc.; and prepare probate modifications to add property to the inventory of an estate, add interest to inventoried lands, and/or correct typographical errors; prepare or assist in preparing various forms of title conveyances and divestment documents. GS-7: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-6 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; gather and assemble relevant title documents, identifying potential problems on land/parcel title documents; prepare abstracts of title by carefully examining each legal instrument, determining the correct legal description of the property, identifying current owners of the property and their fractioned title and monetary interests, identifying and curing title defects; image title documents; scan and code the title document into the electronic records system; and receive the scanned title documents and encode into the records system. GS-6: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-5 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; research various title documents; pull the historical file to extract document information needed; encode encumbrance data from recorded title documents into land title automated systems for land title ownership; examine complex title documents for the acquisition and disposal of real property rights pertaining to trust, restricted, fee and reserved lands. GS-5: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-4 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; maintain files pertaining to land title information by entering all pertinent data on the document requests; research for various title documents; encode encumbrance data from recorded title documents into land title automated systems for land title ownership; OR 4 years of successfully completed education above the high school level in any field at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.) All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date. Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.

Education

If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION

Additional Information

All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2021 Salary Tables here and select the duty station from the Anadarko, Oklahoma to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. The full performance level of this position is GS-8. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed. TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. You will be required to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle in the performance of duties, therefore, a valid driver's license is required. Incumbent must have a safe driving record within the three-year period immediately preceding submittal of GSA Form 3607 and be able to meet the safe driving requirements of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp . Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/. Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.

Keywords: Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lawton , Legal Instruments Examiner, Other , Anadarko, Oklahoma