Legal Careers
Attorney Adviser
The Civil Rights Division (Division) of the Department of Justice, created by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, religion, familial status, national origin, and citizenship status.
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.
The closing date for this announcement has been extended.
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As an Attorney Adviser, your duties may include: providing legal counsel and policy guidance to a variety of individuals, such as federal officials within the Department and other federal agencies; coordinating with other federal agencies to ensure consistent implementation of the law; reviewing, drafting, developing, and publishing regulations; conducting training and participating in presentations; participating in strategy and coordination efforts; conducting legal and factual research, writing, and analysis; outreach efforts; and providing technical assistance in response to inquiries from public and private stakeholders.
Applicants must select each Section for which they would like to receive consideration. An applicant will not receive consideration for any Section(s) they do not select. To learn more about the work of each Section, please click the applicable link below.
Disability Rights: Works to advance the nation's goals of equal opportunity, integration, full participation, inclusion, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities through our central role in enforcement, regulation, coordination, and technical assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Federal Coordination and Compliance: Works to achieve equal opportunity by implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and related authorities that prohibit discrimination by recipients of federal funds on the basis of race, national origin (including language access), sex, and other bases. Has a central role in enforcement, regulation, inter-agency coordination and oversight, and technical assistance.
Policy and Strategy: Supports and coordinates the Division's broad policy work, including developing and analyzing legislative, regulatory, and policy proposals relating to the Division's enforcement authorities; leads and coordinates cross-divisional and high-priority civil rights strategic initiatives within the Department and with other federal agencies; and conducts targeted outreach and public engagement with stakeholders on legal and policy matters.
Required Qualifications:
You must possess a J.D., or equivalent degree, from an American Bar Association accredited law school, be an active member of the bar in good standing (any jurisdiction) and possess the minimum years of post-professional law degree experience commensurate to the grade level of eligibility, as shown below. Applicants also must have strong, demonstrated qualifications in the following areas: academic achievement; substantive knowledge and expertise in the laws, rules and regulations applicable to the work of the Section(s) to which the candidate is applying or substantially similar knowledge and experience; strong written and oral communication skills; the ability to analyze complex issues; skill and experience working collaboratively and productively with others; organizational skills; professional judgment; initiative; and the ability to excel in a fast-paced, demanding environment. In addition, applicants must have outstanding professional references.
Possessing the minimum post law degree legal experience does not guarantee the applicant will be selected at that grade level.
- GS-13 - minimum 1.5 years post-JD legal experience
- GS-14 - minimum 2.5 years post-JD legal experience
- GS-15 - minimum 4 years post-JD legal experience
Preferred Qualifications:
Given the nature and volume of this work, the Division generally seeks candidates with significant knowledge of relevant civil rights laws and regulations, particularly involving the laws enforced by the Section(s) to which the candidate is applying. The following qualifications are preferred but not required: The following qualifications are preferred but not required: Experience and skill working cooperatively and productively with a range of people, such as complainants, witnesses, respondents, disadvantaged or disenfranchised groups, opposing counsel, bank officials, judicial or administrative officials, advocacy groups, law enforcement personnel, and the staff of other federal or state governmental agencies. Judicial clerkships, law review, moot court, clinical experience, and skills and experience working cooperatively and productively with a range of people, such as charging parties, witnesses, respondents, disadvantaged or disenfranchised groups, opposing counsel, judicial or administrative officials, advocacy groups, law enforcement personnel, and the staff of other federal or state governmental agencies, are also preferred.
In addition, the preferred qualifications may vary depending on the section as follows:
Disability Rights Section
Knowledge of relevant civil rights laws and implementing regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, and the ADA Standards for Accessible Design; experience drafting and developing federal regulations for notice-and-comment rulemaking; knowledge of, and experience applying the Administrative Procedures Act in the context of the federal rulemaking process; and experience analyzing and interpreting regulations that implement nondiscrimination obligations on the basis of disability and preparing technical assistance materials, policy documents, and training programs about these obligations.
Federal Coordination and Compliance Section
Knowledge of relevant civil rights laws and regulations, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; experience in environmental justice and/or the application of disparate impact analyses; experience conducting investigations; and experience drafting reports and guidance.
Policy and Strategy Section
Knowledge of federal legislative, regulatory, and policy-making processes, including experience working in or with Congress or the Executive Branch; experience drafting or analyzing legislative, regulatory, and policy proposals; and knowledge or experience working in two or more areas of the federal civil rights laws enforced by the Division.
The complete Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
1. Cover Letter
2. Résumé
3. A complete Occupational Questionnaire
4. Writing sample of no more than ten pages (a brief or comparable analytic legal exposition that is your work product)
5. Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable
6. Sch A documentation, if applicable
To apply for this position, see page at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/703291400
GS-13-15 Tuesday, January 31, 2023 to Tuesday, February 21, 2023
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: 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.
Reasonable Accommodations: 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.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: 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.
Suitability and Citizenship: 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.
Veterans: 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).
USAO Residency Requirement: 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.
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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.