Closing Date: 14th July, 2026
Description:
Summary:This position is located in the Drug Enforcement Administrator (DEA), Office of Chief Counsel. This position serves as the principal legal advisor to DEA's Administrator on all administrative, domestic and international criminal, civil, intelligence, regulatory, and asset forfeiture related law issues raised by DEA's worldwide drug enforcement and intelligence efforts.
Department of Justice (DOJ) agencies post experienced attorney job announcements on the DOJ Careers page.
Duties:
The Intelligence Law Section is dedicated to supporting all facets of DEA's Office of National Security Intelligence and providing legal support to all agency components on intelligence law. The attorneys coordinate interagency transactions (including memoranda of understanding and agreements, and joint duty assignments), assist in developing procedures and reviewing legislation related to intelligence gathering, sharing, use, disclosure in criminal cases and defensive counterintelligence.
Other Duties Include:
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
Qualifications:
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
All applicants must be an active member of a bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction) and possess: 1) a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and have at least 1-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) criminal, civil, administrative legal or other relevant experience; 2) excellent academic credentials; 3) strong oral and written advocacy skills; 4) superior legal research and analytical skills; 5) a demonstrated ability to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment; 6) ability to provide guidance under tight deadlines and high-pressure situations. Five (5) years of legal experience is preferred.
To qualify for GS Level:
Qualifying litigation experience may include civil or criminal litigation with a particular emphasis in criminal narcotics or national security-related litigation preferred. Preferred applicants will also have prior experience in a judicial clerkship and/or criminal or national security litigation position. Applicants must also possess superior research, analytical, and writing abilities.
Education:
A J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see www.ed.gov.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: ww.naces.org/members.php.
Additional Information:
For reasonable accommodation at the Drug Enforcement Administration, please contact the Human Resources office listed in this announcement.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement.
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. 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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Additional Information:
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits:
Other Duties Include:
- Provide critical legal counsel on the collection, analysis, and dissemination of drug-related intelligence worldwide.
- Provide guidance to intelligence personnel on legal aspects of investigations, ensuring compliance with federal laws, regulations, and policies regarding drug trafficking.
- Advise DEA's Intelligence Division on the legality of intelligence-gathering operations and international law enforcement coordination.
- Support DEA's Intelligence Division by ensuring that classified and law enforcement sensitive intelligence information, including tactical and strategic data, is handled according to legal standards.
- Analyze the legal implications of intelligence initiatives, proposed legislation, and agency regulations.
- Assist in developing information that contributes to major drug organization investigations, seizures, and arrests.
- Work with special agents and international partners to facilitate the legal sharing of intelligence to disrupt international criminal organizations.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- U.S. Citizenship is required
- Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret/SCI security clearance.
- Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
- All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Incumbent is subject to random drug testing.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit: http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.
- Selectee may be required to serve a 1-year OR 2-year trial period, as appropriate) during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
- Must be active member of a Bar Association.
- Initial appointment is conditional upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprints, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Qualifications:
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
All applicants must be an active member of a bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction) and possess: 1) a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and have at least 1-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) criminal, civil, administrative legal or other relevant experience; 2) excellent academic credentials; 3) strong oral and written advocacy skills; 4) superior legal research and analytical skills; 5) a demonstrated ability to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment; 6) ability to provide guidance under tight deadlines and high-pressure situations. Five (5) years of legal experience is preferred.
To qualify for GS Level:
- Applicants applying for the GS-13 must have 2 or more years of post J.D. litigation or other legal experience in criminal narcotics laws, intelligence law, intelligence-gathering operations, international law enforcement investigations, and/or a judicial clerkship.
- Applicants applying for the GS-14 must have 3 or more years of post J.D. litigation or other legal experience in criminal narcotics laws, intelligence law, intelligence-gathering operations, international law enforcement investigations, and/or a judicial clerkship. Applicants must also have experience working in a collaborative interagency environment and reviewing or editing agency policies, interagency agreements, and/or proposed legislation.
- Applicants applying for the GS-15 must have 4 or more years of post J.D. litigation or other legal experience in criminal narcotics laws, intelligence law, intelligence-gathering operations, international law enforcement investigations, and/or a judicial clerkship. Applicants must also have experience working in a collaborative interagency environment and reviewing or editing internal agency policies, interagency agreements, or proposed legislation. Applicants must also possess experience working on complex investigative or intelligence initiatives involving sensitive programs, sources and methods and advising senior agency leadership on complex legal or policy matters.
Education:
A J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
For a list of schools that meet these criteria, see www.ed.gov.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials, visit: ww.naces.org/members.php.
Additional Information:
For reasonable accommodation at the Drug Enforcement Administration, please contact the Human Resources office listed in this announcement.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office listed in this announcement.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. If eligible, applicants to this announcement may be referred to similar positions in any Division/Office listed in this announcement.
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. 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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Additional Information:
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits:
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are d
