Closing Date: 17th December, 2026

Description:

Summary:
The Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition enforces the nation's antitrust laws to protect the American public from anticompetitive mergers and conduct. For more information, visit Bureau of Competition | Federal Trade Commission.

Duties:
Opportunities vary by division and are based on the agency's current staffing needs. Please refer to the FTC's Bureau of Competition Legal Careers website for a list of divisions that are currently hiring.

Each division investigates and challenges anticompetitive conduct, mergers, and acquisitions in a wide range of industries, including:

Mergers I: pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer health products, defense, aviation, and technology sectors.
Mergers II: semiconductors and other high-tech hardware; industrial chemicals, mining, commercial software, music, and video games.
Mergers III: energy-related industries including crude oil and natural gas, retail gas stations, terminals, and pipelines, as well as online real estate and mortage origination systems, and consumer products.
Mergers IV: health care providers, office supply distribution, food distribution, casino services, supermarkets, specialty retail stores, and consumer goods.
Anticompetitive Practices I: investigates potentially anticompetitive conduct in industries other than health care and pharmaceuticals.
Anticompetitive Practices II: investigates and challenges anticompetitive business practices, including both unilateral and coordinated anticompetitive conduct, in an array of industries. The Division's recent work has included FTC v. Amazon.
Health Care: price-fixing, group boycotts, exclusive dealing, monopolization, and mergers-involving physicians and other health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and other institutional providers.
Technology Enforcement: investigates and litigates claims of anticompetitive conduct in markets in which digital technology is an important dimension of competition, including online platforms, digital advertising, social networking, software, operating systems, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

Successful incumbents across all divisions will:

Conduct all phases of antitrust merger or conduct investigations, including making initial determinations as to whether cases should be investigated further, identifying legal theories and plans for preliminary investigations, obtaining evidence from a variety of sources, and negotiating settlements.
Confer with government agencies, public authorities, attorneys, businesspersons, and other members of the public to obtain information relevant to Commission investigations and to provide them with information on matters of law, Commission procedures, and policy.
Prepare antitrust cases for trial by securing and preparing evidence, conferring with witnesses, participating in pretrial conferences, examining and cross-examining witnesses, and drafting legal documents needed during the various stages of litigation.
Prepare internal documents for review by the Commission and perform special assignments as directed.

Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:

U.S. citizenship requirement must be met by the closing date of this vacancy.
This position is subject to a background investigation.
Males born after December 31, 1959 must register with Selective Service.
Possess a J.D. or LL.B. degree from an accredited law school.
Member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory - US, PR, DC.
If selected for this position, the agency will evaluate your fitness and whether continuation of employment advances the public interest before extending your appointment beyond the two-year trial period.
This position is in the bargaining unit. This position is represented by the National Treasury Employees Union, Local 344.
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
This appointment may be subject to a two-year trial period.

Qualifications:
Minimum Requirements:
Applicants must have attained the first professional law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from an accredited law school and be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory. Applicants must demonstrate excellent writing skills and be able to work effectively with other people, exercise sound judgment, and exhibit a strong interest in the work of the agency.

Additional Requirements:
GS-12 Positions: For appointments to attorney positions: active member of the bar in good standing and 12 months of legal experience after graduation from law school.

To qualify for the GS-12 level: In addition to a law degree and active bar membership, you must have 12 months of legal experience after graduation from law school. At least 12 months of your legal experience after graduation from law school must be comparable to the GS-11 level. Qualifying experience at the GS-11 level includes examples such as working on non-complex litigation matters and performing basic legal research, drafting, and legal analysis.

GS-13 Positions
For appointments to attorney positions: active member of the bar in good standing and 24 months of legal experience after graduation from law school.

To qualify for the GS-13 level: In addition to a law degree and active bar membership, you must have 24 months of legal experience after graduation from law school. At least 12 months of your legal experience after graduation from law school must be comparable to the GS-12 level. Qualifying experience at the GS-12 level includes work on moderately complex, novel, or broadly significant matters. This work entails solid drafting skills, original research, strong legal analyses, and effective oral communications.

GS-14 Positions
For appointments to attorney positions: active member of the bar in good standing and 42 months of legal experience after graduation from law school. At least 18 months of your legal experience after graduation from law school must be comparable to the GS-14 level.

To qualify for the GS-14 level: Qualifying experience at the GS-13 level includes examples such as independently plan, organize and conduct analysis of the matters on which you are working, based on preliminary background and policy information provided by the supervisor. Written work is expected to be technically correct and not require detailed review. At this level, attorneys are journeymen attorneys whose work entails demanding legal research and analysis; drafting and reviewing motions, subpoenas, complaints, orders, rule proposals, and memoranda; and, where appropriate to the office, participating in investigational hearings, negotiating settlements, and trials. Such attorneys contribute to the tactical and policy decisions inherent in various matters and, where appropriate, they should be able to assist in the trial of these matters. Attorneys at this level take charge of basic matters, moderately complex and novel matters, and make substantial contributions to the most complex, novel, or significant matters.

GS-15 Positions
For attorney appointments: active member of the bar in good standing and 60 months of legal experience after graduation from law school. At least 18 months of your legal experience after graduation from law school must be comparable to the GS-14 level.

To qualify for the GS-15 level: Qualifying experience at the GS-15 level includes examples such as being an outstanding writer and highly effective oral advocate. You must also exercise sound judgment, supervise, work well with, and motivate others, and make decided contributions to the work of the office. You must function independently and your work should not require close supervision or substantive review. Your supervisor(s) must have complete confidence in your judgment. At this level, you should be recognized for your competence. These attorneys should be able to represent the agency before any group or in any setting, and to effectively manage the preparation and trial of virtually any major case, all stages in the appeal of such a case, or conduct evaluation and analysis of the most complex cases of major significance for which little if any precedent exists.

Note: Legal and nonlegal experience gained in the Federal Government before completing law school does not satisfy post law school experience.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience

Education:
This position has an education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcripts. Unofficial trans