Legal Careers
Deputy General Counsel
Consider joining the Department of Justice, Criminal Division. One of seven litigating divisions in the Department, the Criminal Division investigates and prosecutes complex criminal matters and assists the United States Attorney's Offices in investigations, trials, and appeals. In addition to its direct litigation responsibilities, the Division formulates and implements criminal enforcement policy and provides advice and assistance in sensitive areas of law enforcement; advises the Attorney General, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the White House on matters of criminal law; provides legal advice and assistance to federal prosecutors and investigative agencies; and provides leadership for coordinating international as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement matters.
The Office of Administration (ADM) furthers the Criminal Division's mission by providing operational support of all kinds to the Division's employees in Washington, DC, field locations around the U.S., and in approximately 60 countries around the world. Employees in ADM have the opportunity to explore the wide variety of career paths within administration and to collaborate with colleagues on meaningful projects, knowing that their efforts directly support the important work of the Division.
CRM is seeking a talented and experienced employment law attorney to serve on a six-month detail, with a possibility of renewal, as a Deputy General Counsel in CRM’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC). This detail may be ended earlier or extended, based on management's needs. It may also be made permanent without further competition.
OGC serves as the in-house counsel for CRM leadership in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. OGC attorneys provide advice on a wide spectrum of legal matters, while specializing in employment law and ethics matters.
OGC is housed within CRM’s Office of Administration and routinely partners with leaders from the Executive Office, Human Resources, Security, Procurement, and IT, as well as SES Chiefs and Directors from CRM’s 16 other Sections. You will have the opportunity to work on exciting matters and grow your legal career, while working with a supportive and collaborative team.
This is a reimbursable detail. Reimbursement will remain in place for the duration of the detail. The detailee who participates in this program will engage with high-level managers on challenging legal issues and will return with skills and abilities that significantly benefit the detailee’s home office.
- Interested applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.
- All applicants must be current federal employees to be considered for this position.
Qualified candidates should also possess:
- Expert knowledge of federal personnel and employment law (to include litigation before the MSPB and EEOC).
- Experience advising senior leaders (to include SES and political appointees) on employment-related issues.
- Experience working in a General Counsel’s Office within a federal or state agency.
- Current or prior experience working for the Department of Justice is preferred.
The application package must be received by 11:59pm EST on the closing date of this announcement. This vacancy posting may close early if a candidate is identified.
Please submit your application by emailing your resume and cover letter to Monet Gregory at monet.gregory@usdoj.gov with the subject line “Deputy General Counsel Detail – First Name Last Name.”
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 the detail assignment, there will be no change to the selectee’s base pay.
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. 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.