Legal Careers
Attorney Advisor (eDiscovery Counsel) - Part-time- Detail
The FOIA and Privacy, eDiscovery, and Litigation Support Office is seeking a Department of Justice Attorney that will serve as an Attorney- Advisor, GS-0905-15; organizationally titled as Division eDiscovery Counsel through September 30, 2025 with the option to extend. Detailees must obtain their Office's approval and will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Civil Division.
The Civil Division is the largest litigating component in the Department of Justice, with over 1,500 employees (including over 1,200 attorneys) plus approximately 700 contractors. Each office within the Division handles cases worth millions, sometimes billions, of dollars, as well as cases that involve legal issues of great national importance, including matters of national security, separation of powers, and immigration.
OMP provides a full range of management and administrative services in support of the mission of the Division. This includes budget, finance, procurement, human resources, information resources management, automated litigation support, facilities, personnel and physical security, information technology, FOIA, Privacy, eDiscovery and other organizational management functions.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy, eDiscovery, and Litigation Support Office, maintains all aspects of eDiscovery, including the legal, technical, and operational considerations that apply to managing electronic evidence throughout criminal and civil litigation and investigations. Advises, coordinates, and trains both office and Division staff on the legal and technical requirements of applicable eDiscovery and investigatory practices.
As an Attorney Advisor, GS-0905-15, your typical work assignments may include the following:
- Providing eDiscovery support services to other Department components.
- Analyzing and evaluating the eDiscovery litigation support requirements of the Division's branches, offices, and staffs.
- Overseeing the Division's litigation hold processes and maintain a record of the Division's litigation holds in a tracking system. - Advising the Division's legal staff on best approaches to eDiscovery issues that arise.
- Developing eDiscovery guidance based upon interpretations of rules, regulations, and case law regarding electronic discovery and information management.
- Handling of eDiscovery issues in preparation for pending complex, multi-jurisdictional civil cases and criminal cases with several defendants, voluminous discovery, and novel legal issues.
- Engaging in litigation in federal courts, state courts, and administrative tribunals, as appropriate.
- Advising on the best practices of the complete discovery lifecycle, including the review and analysis of evidence.
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have at least one year post J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. A minimum of four years of post J.D. experience is required to qualify at the GS-15 level. Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of, and experience in, the legal, technical, and policy aspects of FOIA, Privacy Act, and privacy compliance. You must also be a U.S. citizen.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation through USA Jobs link below:
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/835137400
Additional selections may be made from this announcement, within 120 days, if further openings occur in this office.
Application Deadline: April 24, 2025
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Under a detail assignment, there is no change to the selectee's base pay. The positions will be filled at the employee's current grade level.
Department Policies
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. To learn more, please visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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.
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.