Closing Date: 15th July, 2026
Description:
Summary:For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit www.justice.gov/usao/
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Duties:
If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for investigating and prosecuting an assortment of cases with a particular focus on those cases involving illegal immigration, drug trafficking, human trafficking, firearms trafficking, human smuggling, and transnational organized crime, including Mexican drug cartels. This position requires strong analytical skills and, often, a JD degree or current enrollment in law school. Typical work assignments will include:
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
Qualifications:
Specialized/Legal Experience: Specialized/legal experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge skills, abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Below are the qualification requirements (degree and/or experience) required prior to being appointed to a law clerk position.
Required Qualifications: Applicants must have completed their law degree from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) within the previous year. Law school graduates who received their JD prior to June 1, 2025 are not eligible. Applicants must have a class rank required within top 1/3 of law school class or grade point average of 3.0 or higher out of possible 4.0. Bar membership is not required.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:Hiring preferences include strong academics, legal writing, analytical skills, and knowledge of Federal regulations and case law.
Law Clerk appointments may be made for periods not to exceed 14 months pending admission to the bar. No person may be given more than one law clerk appointment; however, an appointment made for less than 14 months may be extended for not to exceed 14 months in total duration. A law clerk appointment will terminate on its not to exceed date or the law clerk may resign prior to the not to exceed date or expiration date of appointment.
Law clerks may convert to an entry-level attorney position after demonstration of satisfactory employment as a law clerk and admittance to a bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth.
Education:
Additional Information:
Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.
The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.
Veterans' Preference - If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the required veterans' preference documentation as specified in the, "Required Documents" section of this vacancy announcement.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Political Appointees (Current or Former): 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 or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from 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:
- Legal Research & Writing: Perform extensive research using Westlaw/Lexis, and draft legal documents including motions, orders, and memoranda.
- Case Preparation: Assist attorneys with trial preparation, hearings, and witness interviews.
- Case Management: Review complaints, petitions, and pleadings, and monitor changes in federal law and court precedent.
- Administrative Support: Manage case files, handle exhibit preparation, and maintain legal libraries.
- Communication: Act as a liaison between chambers/offices and attorneys.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
- You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
- If selected, you may be required to complete a two-year trial period.
Qualifications:
Specialized/Legal Experience: Specialized/legal experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge skills, abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Below are the qualification requirements (degree and/or experience) required prior to being appointed to a law clerk position.
Required Qualifications: Applicants must have completed their law degree from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) within the previous year. Law school graduates who received their JD prior to June 1, 2025 are not eligible. Applicants must have a class rank required within top 1/3 of law school class or grade point average of 3.0 or higher out of possible 4.0. Bar membership is not required.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:Hiring preferences include strong academics, legal writing, analytical skills, and knowledge of Federal regulations and case law.
Law Clerk appointments may be made for periods not to exceed 14 months pending admission to the bar. No person may be given more than one law clerk appointment; however, an appointment made for less than 14 months may be extended for not to exceed 14 months in total duration. A law clerk appointment will terminate on its not to exceed date or the law clerk may resign prior to the not to exceed date or expiration date of appointment.
Law clerks may convert to an entry-level attorney position after demonstration of satisfactory employment as a law clerk and admittance to a bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth.
Education:
- 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 this criteria, see www.ed.gov.
- Or
- Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above 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 timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.
Additional Information:
Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.
The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.
Veterans' Preference - If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the required veterans' preference documentation as specified in the, "Required Documents" section of this vacancy announcement.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Political Appointees (Current or Former): 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 or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from 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 designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits. (https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/benefits?_gl=1*1wi0z9e*_ga*NjQ0MjQ5MzQ5LjE3MjU1OTI5OTA.*_ga_CLZB1LJ1VZ*czE3ODM3NDI3ODQkbzIkZzEkdDE3ODM3NDM3NTgkajU2JGwwJGgw)
Review our benefits (https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/)
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational 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. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.
You will be rated on the following Competencies (see OPM Website (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/competencies/mosaic-studies-competencies.pdf) for definitions):
Attention to Detail, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Te
Review our benefits (https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/)
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational 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. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.
You will be rated on the following Competencies (see OPM Website (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/competencies/mosaic-studies-competencies.pdf) for definitions):
Attention to Detail, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Te