Introduction
At first glance, seeking and applying for federal jobs can seem incredibly overwhelming, and you may not know where to begin your search. Below you will find clear, easy-to-read information about where to find federal government jobs and how to apply successfully for those jobs. Use the Content Outline to click through information topic by topic.
Would You Rather Have This Information in a PDF? The 2010-11 NALP Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide is a free, downloadable summary of the key topics in online content below.
Content Outline
Why Work for the United States Government?
Federal employment offers:
- significant responsibility early in one’s career;
- intellectually challenging work; and
- an opportunity to serve the public.
In addition, the federal government offers the highest attorney salaries in the public sector and wonderful work/life benefits, including reasonable and flexible work hours. Aside from work on criminal matters – profiled on PSLawNet’s Prosecutor/Public Defender Careers page – government lawyers work on everything from constitutional issues to coal mine safety regulation. Also, they work in all three branches of government, although most are employed in the executive branch.
- Guess Who’s Hiring? – Economic recession notwithstanding, an expected large-scale retirement by Baby Boomers in the next decade is likely to leave many federal positions open for new attorneys to fill.
- From Constitutional Law to Coal Mine Regulation – Attorneys work in all three branches of government and in numerous capacities, including litigating civil and criminal cases, counseling lawmakers, drafting statutes and regulations, enforcing regulatory compliance, issuing administrative legal opinions, and much more. Remember, also, that "attorney" is not the only job title to look for. Other legal specialties include "contract specialists," administrative law judges, and more.
- Immediate Responsibility – Attorneys working for the federal government develop key leadership skills quickly as a result of managing their own caseloads and other significant immediate responsibilities.
- Where in the World? – 85% of federal jobs are located outside of the Washington, DC area, and almost 50,000 federal employees work outside the U.S.
- Lighten the Debt Load – Many federal agencies have their own loan repayment assistance programs. Learn more about federal student loan repayment programs, and note that the College Cost Reduction & Access Act can benefit attorneys working in the federal government.
- High-end Public Interest Pay – Federal jobs tend to pay better than jobs with nonprofit organizations. Starting salaries for entry-level federal attorneys are generally in the $50,000's or higher. From there, federal attorneys can move up the salary scale quickly. See Compensation and LRAP for more information.
For more about the benefits of working for the federal government, two attorneys share their personal experience – an attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and an attorney for the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, General Legal Services.
Learn more about opportunities with the federal government at Making the Difference, a federal careers website operated jointly by the Office of Personnel Management and the Partnership for Public Service.
Types of Practice for Lawyers in the Federal Government
All three branches of the federal government employ attorneys: the executive (the President and his or her administration), the legislative (the Senate and the House of Representatives), and the judicial. In addition, the federal government includes many independent agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Reserve System and the Smithsonian. Among the three branches and independent agencies, the executive branch and independent agencies employ the greatest number of attorneys. In early 2010, there were over 110,000 employees with full-time, permanent legal positions with executive and independent agencies.[1] In contrast, the number of attorney jobs in the legislature is smaller, as is the number of jobs with the judiciary. For more information about working on the Hill, see Yale Law School’s Guide, Working on Capitol Hill, 2010-11 version.
When most law students think of being a lawyer, they think of litigation – filing and trying lawsuits in court. But lawyers in the federal government are just as likely to draft and interpret regulations, advise and counsel other federal employees, and write policy.
- Litigation – If you know you want to litigate, consider the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ is the central agency for the enforcement of federal laws and consequently is the main litigating branch of the U.S. government. The DOJ is composed of headquarters in D.C. and 93 U.S. Attorneys Offices throughout the country. DOJ hires recent law graduates every year through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. Most Honors Program positions are in D.C., though a few are in other major cities throughout the country. Honors Attorneys work in component areas that range from Civil Rights to the Executive Office for Immigration Review. (NOTE: Some attorneys at DOJ do not litigate but instead provide advice and counsel; for example, attorneys in the Office of Legal Counsel and the Federal Bureau of Prisons rarely litigate and focus instead on providing analysis and advice.) In addition to DOJ, attorneys at many other federal agencies are also involved in litigation. Offices with independent litigating authority include the Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor and the Securities Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement. Finally, the majority of agencies have “coordinate jurisdiction” with the DOJ, meaning that DOJ attorneys initiate all lawsuits and handle any depositions and oral arguments, while the agency attorneys draft the legal papers and provide the subject-matter expertise.
- Regulatory – Regulatory lawyers are at the forefront of forming and enforcing new rules. Agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and many others are considered regulatory agencies, because they are empowered to create and implement rules and regulations.
- Advisory – If you think you would enjoy working with clients to help them comply with the law, you should investigate “attorney advisor” or “counselor” positions. For example, lawyers at the Food and Drug Administration are divided into “counselors” and “litigators.” The counselors work on congressional inquiries, Freedom Of Information Act requests, rulemaking and citizen petitions.
- Public Policy – While many individuals employed as federal attorneys focus on policy work, those who are pursuing policy-based positions should look beyond just “attorney” positions. Almost all federal agencies engage in policy work on some level. Agencies that are engaged in a lot of policy work include the Department of State, Department of Commerce, and Congressional Research Service. An excellent entrée to federal policy-making is the Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF). The PMF Program is a two-year fellowship that places hundreds of graduate students (including J.D. 3Ls and LL.M.s) in public policy and management positions with executive agencies. Possible placements include the Department of Defense, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Department of State, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Where Are the Federal Government Jobs?
There are currently 110,159 employees working in the legal field in the federal government. Examples of these types of jobs include attorneys, law clerks, paralegal specialists and contact representatives. There are currently 33,829 general attorneys employed by the federal government in the United States, U.S. territories, foreign countries and unspecified locations; this figure includes cabinet level agencies and large, medium and small independent agencies.
Within the executive branch, the agencies with the most attorneys are:
|
|
Attorneys |
|
Department of Justice |
10,541 |
|
Department of Defense |
3,252 |
Department of Treasury |
2,367 |
|
Department of Homeland Security |
1,897 |
|
Department of Veterans Affairs |
925 |
According to the Partnership for Public Service's Where the Jobs Are: Mission-Critical Opportunities for America research report, the federal government will need to fill 23,596 positions in the legal field between FY 2010 and 2012. Of these openings, 5,784 are specifically for attorneys.
|
|
Projected Attorney Hiring, 2010-12 |
|
Department of Justice |
2,700 |
|
Department of Defense |
3,252 |
Department of Treasury |
2,367 |
|
Department of Homeland Security |
1,897 |
|
Department of Veterans Affairs |
925 |
These figures reflect only those law school graduates who are working specifically as attorneys. There are many jobs that are filled by attorneys but not classified as attorney positions. One of the biggest challenges for a graduating law student or attorney is to discover where, in the intricate bureaucracy of the United States government, he or she will be able to make the best contribution. From environmental work with the Department of Agriculture to labor law for the Department of Transportation, there are a wide variety of opportunities available for both attorneys and individuals with legal backgrounds at federal agencies across government. From the Federal Communications Commission to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and every office in-between, the federal government is looking for attorneys and legal professionals, and it is important that you do your homework to determine which agencies best fit your interests and skill set before applying for positions. To learn more about various agencies, their missions and available positions, visit individual agency Web sites, USA.gov, USAJOBS.gov and makingthedifference.org. This webpage - http://www.makingthedifference.org/federalcareers/law.shtml - provides hard data on legal opportunities in the federal government and examples of the varying jobs that individuals with legal training perform.
Jobs for Students, Recent Graduates, and Experienced Attorneys
Just about every legal office in the federal government hosts summer interns and most host interns during the academic year as well. Two of the most popular summer programs, for instance, are the:
- Department of Justice Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP), and
- Department of Homeland Security's Office of General Counsel Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP)
A terrific resource for finding internship opportunities is the annually-updated Government Honors & Internship Guide published by the University of Arizona's College of Law which highlights summer and entry-level opportunities at a number of agencies. Speak to your career services counselor to see if your school has access to the Guide. If you do not have access to the Guide, do not hesitate to research federal agencies independently (you can use PSLawNet) and contact them directly about internships.
Note that many federal offices hire paid interns as well as volunteers. For 1Ls, compensation for paid internships is generally based on the GS-7 scale, or $7500 for ten weeks of work, while 2Ls are paid based on the GS-9 scale, or approximately $9250 for ten weeks of work. Compensation varies by agency.
Recent Law Graduates/Entry-Level Attorneys
There are three main avenues through which recent law school graduates seek federal government employment:
- Direct Hiring – All three branches routinely hire attorneys and staffers with legal training. The main conduit for finding and applying for federal jobs is the USA Jobs website. See Resources to Help you Find a Position with the Federal Government for information on how to search and apply for jobs via USA Jobs. Current 3Ls should know that many agencies require applicants to have passed a bar exam, but some agencies will post opportunities for which graduating students are eligible, and the successful applicant will have a specified time period in which to sit for and be admitted to a bar.
- Honors Programs – Many federal agencies hire new attorneys primarily (and sometimes solely) through an “Honors Program.” The most comprehensive resource for post-graduate Honors Program is the Government Honors & Internship Guide published by the University of Arizona's College of Law. This Guide provides substantive information including program descriptions, requirements, and application procedures. Annual online subscriptions are available to law schools for distribution to their students and graduates. Law students and graduates are advised to contact your career services offices for further information.
Many of the government organizations that offer honors programs are listed below, with a link to each program and application deadline if available.
Government Organization
Honors Program
Application Deadline
Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the General Counsel
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
September 30, 2010
Internal Revenue Service
National Labor Relations Board
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
October 1, 2010
Presidential Management Fellow Program (PMF)
Apply between October 1-15, 2010
Securities and Exchange Commission
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, General Counsel
September 31, 2010
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
October 16, 2009
U.S. Department of Justice
September 7, 2010
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor
October 15, 2010
U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary
September 4, 2009
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of General Counsel
September 24, 2010
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
U.S. Federal Trade Commission
U.S. Postal Service
-
The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program is a competitive program that recruits masters, law, and doctoral-level students to policy and management jobs (not attorney positions) in the federal government. Students must apply in the fall of their final year of school and should contact their career service offices for information on the nomination and application process.
Graduates may wish to consider civil service jobs for which a law degree and/or legal experience may be useful but not a requirement, such as Paralegal Specialist, Hearings and Appeals Specialist, Contract Specialist, Labor Relations Specialist, Policy Analyst, and Estate Tax Examiner. See Attorneys in the Federal Service on USA Jobs.
The main conduit for finding and applying for federal jobs is the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Official Job Site, called USA Jobs. See Resources to Help you Find a Position with the Federal Government for information on how to search and apply for jobs via USA Jobs.
In addition to attorney positions, an experienced attorney may consider applying for a position as an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Many agencies hire attorneys with at least seven years experience for these positions. ALJs conduct formal hearings to resolve disputes between government agencies and someone affected by a decision of that agency. The Office of Personnel Management administers competitive examinations to fill all ALJ positions.
Practicing Law in the Military
A military legal career offers significant immediate responsibility for managing cases and exposure to a wide variety of law. All five military branches have a JAG Corps: United States Air Force JAG Corps, United States Army JAG Corps, United States Coast Guard JAG Corps, United States Marine JAG Corps and United States Navy JAG Corps.
Foreign Government Service Opportunities
The U.S. Department of State is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, focusing on achieving diplomacy around the world. For a great resource to learn more about how and where this work is performed, visit U.S. Department of State - Careers Representing America.
Resources To Help You Find a Position with the Federal Government
- PSLawNet - the good news: you're already here! We collect federal legal job postings from a wide variety of sources and post several new announcements every week in our opportunities database.
- USAJobs.gov – This is the official job site of the United States Government, and the majority of all federal job openings are posted on this website. You can complete a job search by job type, location, salary, agency and other criteria. Job seekers can become members of USA Jobs, at no cost, and then post resumes online, apply to jobs directly through the website, and receive automated email alerts of recent job openings.
- United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions Book – This publication, commonly referred to as the Plum Book, is published every four years, just after the Presidential election. The Plum Book contains data (as of September 1, 2008) of over 7,000 Federal jobs that are political appointee positions. If you find a position that interests you, apply directly through that agency. See Political vs. Career Hires for information on political hires.
- The University of Arizona 2009-10 Government Honors and Internship Handbook –This handbook provides application information and deadlines for federal, state and local honors programs and internships, including deadline tables arranged alphabetically by agency and by class year. The guide is geared to current students seeking summer employment and entry-level positions. Annual online subscriptions are available to law schools for distribution to their students and graduates. Law students and graduates are advised to contact their career services offices for information on accessing this resource.
- Guide to Public Sector Legal Job Applications – This Georgetown University Law Center publication includes tips for constructing resumes and other application materials. Note that most federal resumes requested through USA Jobs require more detail than traditional legal resumes. See How Do I Make my Application a Success? for more information.
- Working on Capitol Hill – Yale Law School's guidebook breaks down the types of employment opportunities available on the Hill and includes personal narratives from Hill employees.
- Senate Employment Bulletin - This is the official recruitment site for the United States Senate. Updated weekly, opportunities range from unpaid internships to legislative counsel to chief of staff positions.
- Guide to Criminal Prosecution Careers – This Yale Law School publication provides information on both summer and permanent hiring processes in U.S. Attorneys’ and local prosecutors' offices. For more information on careers in criminal justice, see PSLawNet’s Prosecution/Public Defense Career Resource Page.
Titles and Terminology for Federal Hiring
Government Employment In a Picture...
There are more than two million people employed as federal civil servants. The federal civil service system includes all federal government employees except positions that are politically appointed and military positions in the uniformed services. The civil service consists of i) competitive service positions; ii) excepted service positions; and iii) Senior Executive Service (SES) Positions. The primary differences among these three services are in appointment procedures and in job protections.
- The Competitive Service – The majority of Federal Government employees are hired through what is known as the “competitive service,” for which the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) posts open positions on USAJobs.gov and applicants compete in a merit system organized by OPM for those jobs.
- The Excepted Service – All attorney positions in the Federal Government are in the excepted service, typically under an appointment called "Schedule A.”[2] Therefore, agencies may hire for attorney positions directly without conducting examinations or working through OPM. To be safe, you should look at individual agency websites, in addition to USA Jobs, when searching for attorney jobs. Nevertheless, many attorney positions are still advertised on USA Jobs. See Making the Difference for more information about excepted service.
- The Senior Executive Service (SES) – Senior Executive Service employees are primarily managers and supervisors, just below the top Presidential appointees. OPM manages SES hiring with a unique set of regulations. See USA Jobs for more information.
In addition to civil servants, federal agencies have political appointees. Under the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, government officials are prohibited from considering candidates’ political affiliations when hiring for civil service positions. In contrast, political appointees are selected by the President or Congress to serve in specified leadership positions. The vast majority of jobs with the federal government are competitive service positions.
At most federal agencies salaries are set by the General Schedule (GS), which goes from Grades 1-15. There are ten steps within each grade and an individual moves through those steps based on the number of years she or he has worked for the government as well as by the quality of her or his performance, and by promotion.
Law school graduates generally start as a GS-9 or GS-11. It is important to note that there are variations in pay based on geography or calculated cost of living differentials. For example, in 2010 an attorney starting as a GS-11 would earn $62,467 in Washington, D.C. while someone in the same position would earn $67,963 in San Francisco, CA.
Additionally, there are excellent opportunities for advancement in government. Top performers will be promoted quickly, and an attorney in New York City starting as a GS-11 could rise to a GS-13 in just two years, and increase her or his salary by nearly $30,000.
To learn more about the General Schedule and view locality pay tables, visit opm.gov.Agencies that belong to the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (including the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Comptroller of the Currency) pay significantly above the GS scale. For example, in 2008, first year attorneys with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in DC earned $85,416.
Federal Loan Repayment Assistant Program (LRAP)
One of the biggest benefits of federal employment for recent law school graduates is student loan repayment assistance. Federal agencies are authorized to provide up to $10,000 in loan repayment assistance per year for federal loans with a total lifetime cap of $60,000 per employee. In exchange for each year that an employee accepts this benefit, she or he must commit to working for the federal government for an additional three years. If an employee accepts this benefit and leaves before this period expires, she or he must repay the full amount.
While not all agencies offer this benefit, many do. In 2008, 35 federal agencies provided more than $51 million in loan repayment assistance to their employees; this represents a 22% increase from 2007. Of the 6,619 federal employees who received this benefit, 655 were attorneys. The Department of Justice has the largest program, providing over $23 million of assistance in 2008 to over 2500 employees.
To learn more about the Student Loan Repayment Program, visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website or contact human resources representatives at the federal agencies you are most interested in.
College Cost Reduction & Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA)
Federal legislation titled the College Cost Reduction & Access Act created a new repayment option for qualifying public service lawyers, called Income Based Repayment (IBR), AND established a loan forgiveness program that will forgive eligible federal educational debt after a 120-month (10-year) period of repayment. The program is designed so that after paying via IBR for period of time, a public service lawyer may be qualified to have the rest of his or her eligible loans forgiven.
- Income-Based Repayment – Through IBR, high debt/low income borrowers can significantly reduce their monthly payments for their federal loans if they can demonstrate “partial financial hardship,” as defined in the CCRAA statutory and regulatory language. It is essentially a calculation based on the amount of your eligible debt and your income. You do not have to be poverty-stricken to qualify for IBR; on the contrary, its provisions are generous.
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness – Borrowers working in a broadly-defined group of public service jobs may have qualified educational loans forgiven after a period of ten years (120 monthly payments) working in public service, provided that during that period they make monthly payments via the IBR Program (or through a combination of IBR and other payments).
For more information on CCRAA, check out these sites:
- CCRAA Resource Page – Equal Justice Works
- CCRAA Resource Page – The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
- Information on the CCRAA’s Income Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs – The Project on Student Debt
Security Clearances and Citizenship Requirements
Most attorneys working for the U.S. government must pass security clearances. Law student interns generally must gain security clearance as well, although the process for summer employment is considerably shorter. If U.S. government employment is your goal and you engage in any illegal or questionable behavior, such as recreational drug use or inappropriate web postings, clean up your act! For example, attorneys with the Department of Justice undergo an investigation that includes a name and fingerprint check; interviews with references, close personal associates, former spouses, former employers, co-workers, neighbors, landlords, and educational institutions; a drug test; and a thorough check of credit, military, tax, and police records. The background investigation covers a period of seven to ten years. This process may take seven months or more to complete. As you move through a security clearance, you must answer all questions completely and accurately. Think carefully about your answers, and don’t hesitate to consult with a career services counselor if you have any questions. Students and alumni have been found ineligible for federal positions based on past activities that, had they been properly disclosed, would not have been a bar to employment. The Partnership for Public Service provides information on security clearances for prospective federal job applicants.
Many attorney jobs with the federal government are open only to U.S. citizens. Still others are technically open to citizens of foreign countries but extend offers to non-U.S. citizens only in extraordinary circumstances. Finally, at those agencies that regularly hire foreign citizens, the problems of conducting a security check overseas (e.g., interviewing employers, friends and family in a different time zone and in a foreign language) can significantly delay the start date of employment. If you are not a U.S. citizen or hold dual citizenship and would like to consider federal employment, please make an appointment to meet with a career services advisor.
How Do I Make my Application a Success?
Navigating the federal hiring process can be cumbersome, but it is improving. The Obama Administration, in conjunction with the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget, has released a set of hiring reforms that will streamline the process and make it more applicant-friendly.
This reform plan, which agencies must implement before November 1, 2010, will cut the hiring time to roughly 80 days from the date that a vacancy is announced to the point that a candidate is hired. It also requires agencies to communicate with applicants at four different points and eliminates knowledge, skills and abilities essays during the first step of the application process.
We have included information about the two primary components of the initial application process, federal résumés and assessment tools, below.
- Federal Résumés: Federal résumés are a critical component of the application process for government jobs and internships. These résumés, which are created on USAJOBS.gov, require more detail than a private sector résumé. Examples of the additional details that you will need for this document include information about your past employment, such as dates and number of hours worked per week, as well as supervisor contact information. One of the best features of USAJOBS.gov is that once you create an account, you can build and save up to five federal résumés, each tailored to a different position description; this is extremely important! Review the duties section found in each job vacancy announcement, identify the keywords in the description and include them in your résumé.
- Assessment Tools: The federal government has traditionally used two assessment tools for applicants – questionnaires and essays. With regards to the former, many agencies will ask applicants to answer a variety of multiple choice questions; these questionnaires can contain upwards of 100 questions. If you are applying for a position on USAJOBS.gov, you can preview the questionnaire in the “How to Apply” section of the job vacancy announcement.
Agencies may also ask applicants to answer knowledge, skills and abilities essays, better known as KSAs. These essays are meant to determine what makes an applicant stand out in a particular area. Examples of these essay questions include “Ability to communicate in writing” or “Knowledge in applying advanced IT principles.” There is no set number of KSAs for a position; therefore, the number will vary by agency and opening.
Typically, a KSA response runs between a half-page and a full-page in length. When writing these essays, it is extremely important that you focus on the description of duties found in the job vacancy announcement. As you would when creating a federal résumé, you must identify the keywords and include them in your essays. Agencies will often use a computer to run keyword searches, so by using the words found in the position description, you will be sure to grab readers’ attention.
Federal agencies are in the process of implementing a number of hiring reforms. One of these changes surrounds KSAs. After November 1, 2010, agencies cannot require applicants to answer these essays during the first step of the application process. It is likely that agencies will implement another type of assessment in place of these essays.
For more information about applying for federal positions, visit makingthedifference.org or opm.gov.
[1] Data available on Fedscope, http://www.fedscope.opm.gov/. “Legal positions” includes attorneys as well as administrative law judges, various administrative and managerial positions, and paralegals.
[2] Positions excepted from the Competitive Service by OPM or by law are placed into three categories, Schedule A, B, or C, and each has its own hiring regulations. See http://www.transitionjobs.us/federal-civil-service-outlining-three-categories for further information.
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