Legal Careers
Attorney Advisor
Washington, DC 20530 - United States
This position is organizationally titled Counsel to the Executive Officer. You will provide advice, assistance and guidance on legal issues arising in the areas of administration, management, and policy development and report directly to the Executive Officer.
The Civil Division, with more than 1,000 Attorneys and 14 litigating components, represent 200 federal agencies, the U.S. Congress, and the public treasury in litigation arising from a diverse range of matters from federal contracts to alleged government misconduct. It is staffed by more than 1,400 employees in addition to hundreds of contractors.
Civil Division attorneys represent the United States in court and handle over 50,000 cases every year. The subject areas of Civil Division litigation include challenges to a wide variety of federal government programs, torts, immigration, consumer protection, fraud, commercial monetary claims, contract disputes, bankruptcy, intellectual property, and foreign operations. The Civil Division also manages compensation programs related to vaccines, radiation exposure, and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
Advises the Executive Officer and senior management officials on a wide range of legal or legal-related topics, including appropriations, budget and financial management, federal employment and labor law, information and record management, security, contracts and procurement, travel, and delegations of authority, as well as other programmatic, operational, administrative, and general legal issues that may arise.
At the direction of the Executive Officer, provides support and guidance to the Civil Division's review of legislative materials (including draft legislation, agency reports, statements of administration policy, questions for the record, and congressional testimonies of Executive Branch officials), regulatory materials (including notices of proposed rule-making and final rules) and other policy documents (including Executive Orders and signing statements).
Oversees and/or represents the Division in all administrative litigation concerning the Division, including before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, Government Accountability Office, or other administrative or adjudicative tribunals, as well as serves as the agency counsel and liaison for the U.S, Attorney's Office handling any suits filed in federal court involving the Division.
Manages discovery and drafts litigation documents, pleadings, briefing papers and/or legal opinions, as required.
Advises on all audits, reviews or investigations of Division programs or employees, including those by the Office of Special Counsel, Office of Inspector General, Government Accountability Office, or Office of Professional Responsibility.
Coordinates with various Department components, including but not limited to the Department's Office of Legislative Affairs, Office of Legal Policy, and Office of Legal Counsel, as well as the Civil Division's Front Office senior staff and Directors of 14 litigating sections.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance with eligibility for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access depending on organizational assignment / duty location.
Applicants must be a graduate from a full course of study in a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association and be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), have at least four years of post J.D. experience to qualify at the GS-15 level. You must also be a U.S. citizen.
Applicants should have excellent writing, negotiation, and interpersonal skills; and exhibit good judgment.
To apply for this position, you must submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample (not more than 10 pages in length). If you are claiming veterans preference, you must also submit your DD-214, and/or other documentation that you may have.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials by email to: civil.vacancies@usdoj.gov. In the SUBJECT LINE of the email, please enter "Attorney Advisor Position".
No telephone calls, please.
$148,484.00 - $176,300.00
Department Policies
The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.