Closing Date: 18th September, 2026

Description:

Job Description:
The Energy and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking litigators with experience in environmental and bankruptcy law for its Environmental Enforcement Section in Washington, D.C. The Section's bankruptcy cases have involved debtors engaged in a wide variety of industrial activities such as mining, chemical, coal, and oil and gas companies. The Section has brought actions under the statutes it enforces against debtors and also must protect the Government's interests in protecting health and safety in bankruptcy court. Objections are filed to debtors' proposed plans of reorganization and sales of assets that fail to adequately ensure compliance and protect public health and safety as required by law. Bankruptcy litigation may involve legal issues such as the police and regulatory exception to the automatic stay, feasibility of proposed plans of reorganization, the permissible scope of bankruptcy discharge and free and clear bankruptcy sales, abandonment, fraudulent conveyance, the priority of environmental liabilities in bankruptcy, obtaining compliance when a debtor's assets are collateralized, and estimation of environmental claims.

The breadth of the Section's practice is extensive and challenging. It includes cases of national scope, such as bankruptcy cases involving debtors with operations throughout the country and cases against multiple members of an identified industry. Characterized as complex litigation, the Section's cases typically involve significant factual and expert discovery and substantial motions practice in the pre-trial stage or pre-hearing briefing in bankruptcy cases. The Section's bankruptcy cases may involve presentation of argument and evidence at bankruptcy confirmation proceedings or other contested matters such as proposed asset sales or abandonments. The position will allow the selected individuals to utilize their superior legal research, writing and oral advocacy skills in all aspects of case development, negotiation, motions practice, and trial. The attorneys selected will be responsible for assuming a diverse case load brought under any of the statutes the Section enforces and will include both bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy cases depending on the ebb and flow of bankruptcy cases and Section needs.

Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and be a U.S. citizen or national. Applicants must have the years of post J.D. (or equivalent) legal experience for the specific grade level requirements listed below:

At least 1.5 years of post J.D. experience that includes both environment and bankruptcy litigation and/or related judicial experience to qualify for the GS-13 grade level.
At least 2.5 years of post J.D. experience that includes both environment and bankruptcy litigation and/or related judicial experience to qualify for the GS-14 grade level.
At least 4 years of post J.D. experience that includes both environment and bankruptcy litigation and/or related judicial experience to qualify for the GS-15 grade level.
Applicants also must have strong, demonstrated qualifications in the following areas: skill and experience working collaboratively and productively with others; excellent written and oral communication skills; the ability to analyze a variety of legal issues; initiative; professional judgment; organizational skills; and the ability to manage multiple demands simultaneously and to excel in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications:
The Section will consider any of the following qualifications, which are desirable, but not required:

Federal or state court litigation and trial experience, including experience with electronic discovery and document management;
Experience with multi-party negotiations and mediations;
Knowledge of the laws enforced by the Environmental Enforcement Section;
Experience supervising the work of, and delegating responsibility to, professional staff; and
Skill and experience working cooperatively and productively with a range of people, including co-counsel and professional staff, the staff of other federal agencies, fact and expert witnesses, opposing counsel, and judicial officials.
While the following are also desirable, no candidate will be excluded from consideration in the absence of these experiences: Judicial clerkships (especially in federal court), law review, moot court, and clinical experience.

Applicants should have a strong interest in federal litigation and/or trial work and a strong academic background. The ideal candidates will have between two and seven years' post-JD experience (including judicial clerkships, if any) and will be able to demonstrate an interest in public service.

Application Process:
How to Apply:
You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY Online button. Follow the prompts to answer a few questions and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

Applicants must submit a current resume, cover letter with brief statement of interest, writing sample, law school transcript, and DD-214 (if applicable).

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd .

This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers

How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their 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 his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

Required Documents:
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes the following:

Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained
Copy of J.D. degree transcripts
Cover letter with brief statement of interest (not to exceed one page)
Writing Sample (not to exceed 15 pages) List your name at the top, right corner. Include a case summary or brief introductory statement to orient and provide context for the reviewers. An excerpt from a longer piece is acceptable. The sample should provide evidence of your legal analysis and writing skills. It should represent your own work, without extensive editing by anyone else. If the work was authored by more than one person, please highlight the portions that you authored. Ensure that you take appropriate precautions to protect the privacy of individuals who may be identified in your writing sample (e.g., redact all personally identifiable information prior to submission).
DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable
Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part time hours worked, and description of duties. If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, 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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstan