GSA establishes new legal division for technology services

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The agency is seeking legal talent to help advise tech-focused offices.

The General Services Administration recently expanded its technology offerings to now cover legal services with the creation of a new division within its Office of the General Counsel. 

Dubbed the Technology Law Division, the new office will be tasked with providing "dedicated and specialized legal services to GSA's technology-focused components," according to a Nov. 10 release from the agency.

As part of the stand-up of the new division, GSA is looking to hire both an associate general counsel and an assistant general counsel for technology law to help advise the agency on ensuring that its technology applications, platforms, services and software solutions are developed in compliance with federal law. 

"GSA's commitment to modernizing the government's approach to technology services is a significant priority for Administrator [Robin] Carnahan and her senior leadership team," said GSA's General Counsel Arpit K. Garg, in a statement. 

According to a USAJobs.com listing for both the associate general counsel and assistant general counsel roles, the Technology Law Division will provide legal support for GSA's technology-focused components — such as the Office of GSA IT, Technology Transformation Services and the Technology Modernization Fund Program Management Office — as well as advise on "matters involving compliance with technology-related laws, regulations, standards, directives and policies; intellectual property law; privacy law; fiscal and administrative law; and technology-related policy issues."

The associate general counsel job, which is in the senior executive service, pays $194,020  and requires a top-secret clearance. , while the assistant general counsel will operate at a GS-13 or GS-14 level and must pass a tier 2-level background check to establish suitability for the position.

According to the GSA release, the vacancies for the two roles will close on Dec. 9. The agency did not answer an email from FCW seeking more detail on when the new division became operational or how much staff and budget are dedicated to it.