Legal Careers
General Attorney
The General Counsel of the FBI is ultimately responsible for all of the legal affairs of the FBI. He supervises the Office of General Counsel, which has 300 employees and handles the entire range of legal matters involving the FBI, including national security, criminal, science and technology, cyber, privacy and civil liberties, fiscal and contract law, civil litigation, and eDiscovery. The General Counsel is also the program manager for the Chief Division Counsel (CDC) Program. The CDCs provide comprehensive legal advice and services for all of the FBI’s field offices across the country. The General Counsel interacts regularly with all of the elements of the FBI, the Justice Department, the U.S. Intelligence Community, a range of other government agencies, foreign partners, the private sector, and civil society groups. The Special Assistant will assist the General Counsel in executing all of his legal responsibilities.
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.
Major Duties:
Assist the General Counsel in prioritizing and responding promptly to requests for legal and policy advice. Review and synthesize legal memoranda and other legal documents on relevant topics transmitted to the General Counsel. Advise stakeholders verbally and in writing on legal and policy issues relating to a wide range of subject matters on behalf of the General Counsel. Brief FBI executive management on legal and policy conclusions derived from comprehensive legal and other research. Act as a liaison for the General Counsel with various partners within the FBI and across the government.
Must be able to obtain a Top Secret-SCI clearance.
Education
Applicant must possess a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (or have an LLM degree or other graduate law degree in addition to a J.D.) and be an active member of the bar (any US jurisdiction).
Positive Education Requirement: This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic education requirement by submitting both proof of JD degree and proof of active status with a bar within US jurisdiction by the closing date of the job opening. Please see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement for additional information.
Please be advised candidates that are selected for this position, must be approved by the Department of Justice.
Please make sure your specialized experience/requirement(s) can be identified in your resume. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under the FBI’s Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job.
Names of candidates in the Most Competitive category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. All applicants will be rated on the following Competencies:
· Governance and Legal Jurisprudence
· Analytic Thinking
· Communication
· Interpersonal Ability
BASIC REQUIREMENT: All applicants must possess a law degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and be an active member of the bar (any US jurisdiction).
GS-15: Applicants applying for GS-15 must also have 4.5 or more years of post J.D. legal experience.
Selectees will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450, prior to entering on duty and annually thereafter.
How to Apply
High self-assessment in the vacancy questions that is not supported by information in your resume, and/or supporting documents may eliminate you from Most Competitive status or result in a lowered score.
The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. If applying online is a hardship please contact the HR Specialist listed in the vacancy announcement prior to the closing date for assistance.
Step 1 - Establish an applicant account on the FBIJobs website by clicking Apply Now and then Register Now or login using your existing applicant account.
Step 2 - Paste your text resume in the space provided, upload a new resume or use a resume you have applied with previously.
Step 3 – Complete your applicant profile if establishing your account for the first time.
Step 4 - Complete the assessment questionnaire.
Step 5 – Complete the application sections requested and submit your application.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package by the closing date which includes:
Your resume (required) and cover letter (Mandatory)
A complete assessment questionnaire (required)
Writing Sample, not to exceed 10 pages (Mandatory)
Other supporting documents:
· Proof of current and active Bar Membership
· Photocopy of Law School Transcripts
Please Note: FBI employees currently assigned to a General Attorney position do not need to provide LAW School Transcripts or Proof of Bar Association Membership.
NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE GRANTED FOR REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
How to Attach Documents:
To attach documentation for submission, please follow the instructions below. Once documents are successfully attached, they will automatically get sent to HR.
Step 1: Login to your FBI Jobs account, and click the "My Career Tools" hyperlink at the top of the page
Step 2: Click the "Add Attachment" hyperlink located under the "Cover Letters and Attachments" section
Step 3: Select the appropriate Attachment Type (or "Other" if one is not available)
Step 4: Populate the Attachment Purpose field
Step 5: Click the Add Attachment hyperlink
Step 6: Upload the desired attachment
Step 7: Click "Save & Add More" (if you are attaching more than one) or "Save & Return" if you have finished attaching documents
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.
$128,082.00 - $160,300.00
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.