Honors Attorney (GS-904-11 Law Clerk/GS-905-12/13 Attorney Advisor)

The Attorney Honors Program is the FCC’s primary vehicle for hiring entry-level attorneys. AHP participants serve in a two-year employment and training program designed to introduce them to the field of communications law and policy. The FCC encourages law students in their final year of study, recent law school graduates, and current judicial clerks with superior academic credentials and an interest in public service and communications law to apply. See www.fcc.gov/attorneyhonorsprogram.

Duties

Salary

• $84,601 - $156,755/year

Conditions of Employment

• GS-12/13 Honors Attorneys: Bar membership required at time of appointment.
• Must submit an official or unofficial law school transcript.
• U.S. citizens, nationals, or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• Suitable for employment as determined by a background investigation.
• Must submit a list of three professional references (with phone and email).
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.
• Resume must be limited to two pages.
• Must submit a cover letter.
• Must submit a writing sample (preferably not more than 15 pages).

General Eligibility Requirements.  You are eligible to apply during the fall application window for the 2026 Attorney Honors Program if you are a:

• Current law student who will graduate in the spring or summer of 2026;
• Graduate law student who will complete your course of study by the summer of 2026;
• Federal, state, or municipal judicial clerk serving during the 2025-26 judicial term; or
• Recent law students who graduated in the spring or summer of 2025.

Qualifications

Interested candidates should be passionate about the ideals of our American republic, committed to upholding the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, and committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government. Hiring decisions will not be based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Before making a selection, the FCC reviews many facets of a candidate's background as outlined below.  Graduating law students, recent law students who graduated in the spring or summer of 2025, and current judicial clerks with strong qualifications are encouraged to apply.

Current federal employees must meet one year of time in grade requirements. SF-50 must be provided to document time in grade.

Transcripts must be submitted to verify education.  If transcripts (official or unofficial) are not submitted, candidates will not be deemed eligible for this position.  If you are unsure if your school is accredited, please use the following link to verify:Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs.

GS-11 QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

Candidates must either (a) be enrolled in an accredited degree-seeking program in pursuit of a J.D., LL.M. or other graduate law degree and be scheduled to complete their course of study by the summer of 2026; or (b) have recently completed their J.D., LL.M. or other graduate law program in the spring or summer of 2025 or have successfully completed their J.D., LL.M. or other graduate law program and be currently serving as a judicial clerk. (See “General Eligibility Requirements” for additional criteria).

Transcripts must be submitted to verify education.  If transcripts (official or unofficial) are not submitted, candidates will not be deemed eligible for this position.  If you are unsure if your school is accredited, please use the following link to verify: Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs.

NOTE: Candidates must have successfully completed their J.D. or LL.M. program by the summer of 2026 in order to be eligible for appointment as an Honors Attorney at the FCC.

GS-12/13 QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

Professional Law Experience: Professional law experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.  You must meet the minimum basic educational requirements for Honors Attorney positions.  Education requirements include:  a professional law degree, J.D., LL.B. or LL.M., or other graduate law program.

Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. 

GS-12

Applicants must have a minimum of one year of professional law experience and specialized experience in or equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, examples of specialized experience include the following:

1. Conducting in-depth legal research
2. Drafting legal documents and/or memoranda
3. Providing input regarding the resolution of legal issues

GS-13

Applicants must possess at least two years of professional law experience and specialized experience and at least one year of the experience must be specialized experience which is at or equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service.  For this position, examples of specialized experience include the following:

1. Experience interpreting laws, statutes, regulations and/or rule making documents
2. Skill analyzing legal issues, identifying potential problems and proposing solutions
3. Experience preparing legal documents to include briefs, legal memoranda, issue papers, and case summaries
4. Ability to communicate legal issues/positions.

Qualifying Experience

Examples of qualifying experience include but are not limited to: academic achievement, writing skills, law review and/or moot court experience, clinic or extracurricular activities.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID 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 SEE INFORMATION OUTLINED UNDER THE SUBHEADING "QUALIFICATIONS". Other Information EEO Policy Statement Reasonable Accommodation Policy Statement Veterans Information Legal and Regulatory Guidance If you are not a U.S. Citizen, you may be eligible for federal employment and may apply for the Honors Attorney Program if you fall into one of the following categories of individuals: Individuals who are lawful permanent residents seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)(B); Individuals who are admitted refugees under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. 1158 and have filed a declaration of intention to become a lawful permanent resident and then a citizen when eligible; or Individuals who owe allegiance to the United States (e.g., nationals of American Samoa, Swains Island.) (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260, Div. E, Title VII, § 704, December 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 1182.) In addition to meeting one of the criteria listed above, you are still subject to the requirements of immigration law. You must provide documentation supporting your eligibility prior to being hired. If you are selected as an FCC Honors Attorney, you must also successfully complete a background investigation. For more information about citizenship requirements for federal employment, please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website at https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/non-citizens. If you have additional questions about the eligibility of non-U.S. citizens for the FCC Attorney Honors Program, please contact Kristin Young in the FCC Office of Human Resources at Kristin.Young@fcc.gov. Other: - Before hiring, an agency will ask you to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. The agency will also ask you to sign and certify the accuracy of all the information in your application. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or you may be fined or jailed. If you are a male over age 18 who was born after December 31, 1959, you must have registered with the Selective Service System (or have an exemption) to be eligible for a Federal job. - Required to serve a trial period. All time served on the temporary Honors Attorney appointment serves as the trial period. - In order for you to be employed at the FCC, there are certain Commission and Federal laws governing the financial interests of you and members of your immediate family. If selected for the position, you must submit a financial disclosure statement upon assuming the position. Required Documents

• Include any supporting documents that don't fit within another category or are listed in the job announcement.
• Include a cover letter to share skills and goals relevant to this application.
• Your DD-214 or Statement of Service shows if you qualify for Veterans' Preference, the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 or the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heros Act. We prefer the member 4 copy of your DD-214.
• If you are a disabled veteran and want to claim preference, you must submit a letter on VA letterhead with your overall combined service-connected disability rating.
• Your SF-50 shows a federal position you've held, grade level and duty location. Your SF-50 can support position changes, conversions or separation for employment eligibility.
• See the job announcement for what you should include in the supplemental application.
• Transcripts may support your qualifications for a federal job and can include high school, college or other schools.
• Some job applications require you to include a writing sample. See the announcement for details.

Each of the following documents should be submitted as a separate PDF file, with your last name as part of the file name.

1. Cover letter 
2. Resume  (MUST BE LIMITED TO TWO PAGES)
3. Transcripts (official or unofficial)
4. Writing sample (preferably not more than 15 pages)
5. List of three professional references (including phone and e-mail address)

Applicants will be deemed ineligible if they do not provide any one of the documents outlined above.

Required Documents Details

Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for this vacancy. Some positions require supplemental document(s). All required supporting documents MUST be received by midnight U.S. Eastern Time of the closing date of the announcement, as specified in this announcement. If you do not submit a required document (e.g. transcripts, etc.) your application will be considered incomplete and you will not receive further consideration. Additionally, you may not receive the special consideration, e.g. Vet's Preference, for which you may be eligible without the appropriate supporting documentation. Once you apply to this vacancy you will be prompted by the system to upload the documents. If you are unable to upload the required documentation, contact the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement prior to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. 

Merit Hiring Plan Resume Requirements

In compliance with Executive Order 14170, Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service resumes must not be longer than two pages in length. The resume must address minimum qualifications and other requirements listed in the job announcement.

Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below:

Contact Information

Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.

Relevant Work Experience

• Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
• Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 –08/2022)
• The number of hours you worked per week

Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement.

Resumes must be formatted as outlined above. If the two page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration.

ADDITIONAL RESUME INFORMATION

For optional resume information which you are welcome to include in your resume, though not required, please refer to the following OPM applicant guidance: Applicant Guidance on the Two-Page Resume Limit

To learn more about how to write a federal, two page resume, please feel free to refer to the following USAJOBS Help Center web page: How to Write a 2 Page Federal Resume

How to Apply

For the 2026 Attorney Honors Program, applicants should apply online using the Commission’s automated recruitment system. You must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date. 

Please ensure that all attachments which are uploaded to your application are titled as follows: "Last Name.First Name" and then the title of the document. For example, if uploading a transcript, the title of the attachment should read as "Smith.John-Transcript".

To apply to this announcement go to the website: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?a=FC00&k=Federal%20Communications%20Commission

Your application, including resume and any other required application documentation must be received no later than midnight U.S. Eastern time of the closing date. For more information on applying federal jobs, please check this webpage https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/process

As outlined in the "Required Documents Details" section of the announcement, resumes must meet be no longer than two pages in length and must meet the resume formatting requirements.

If applying online poses a hardship, you may contact either the HR Specialist listed on the vacancy announcement or you may contact the Monster Government Solutions help desk (prior to the closing date of the vacancy announcement) via e-mail at mgshelp@monster.com or you may reach them directly at 866-656-6831. The Monster Help Desk is available Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 7:00 pm EST. NOTE: To be considered for an announced vacancy in the area of consideration within which the employee is eligible to compete, the employee must apply online using the Commission’s automated recruitment system. Employees must submit all necessary application materials identified in the announcement by the specified closing date.

Benefits The FCC offers a wide range of employee benefits, including: Health Insurance Life Insurance Dental & Vision Insurance Flexible Spending Accounts Long-Term Care Insurance Holidays and Leave Retirement Thrift Savings Plan Transit Benefit Alternative Work Schedule Telecommuting