The Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch is seeking a Trial Attorney to represent the United States in a broad range of affirmative civil litigation. The Branch is structured into two sections: an Enforcement Section that pursues cases under key consumer protection and public safety statutes, and an Affirmative Litigation Section that files lawsuits to ensure nationwide compliance with federal law against state, local, or private actors.
Duties
The Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch seeks entry level Trial Attorneys to handle all phases of district court litigation, including taking and defending depositions, managing written discovery, conducting legal research and analysis, writing briefs and other documents. For meaningful responsibility and impactful public service, the Branch offers a role in the Department's major civil enforcement initiatives. The Attorney will work on cases as part of a larger team of attorneys; assist with investigations, conducting legal research, preparing pleadings for court, and providing legal advice to DOJ components; prepare tentative drafts of letters, memoranda, and legal documents for use by higher-grade Attorneys in the preparation of opinions, briefs and other legal documents; prepare drafts of pleadings, motions in connection with cases in litigation; conduct investigations of limited scope to obtain facts, studies legal precedents, and prepares recommendations for review by higher-grade attorneys; prepare cases for litigation, including writing motions, briefs, and other legal documents, conducting discovery and participating in administrative hearings; assist higher grade Trial Attorneys in the Section investigate unlawful conduct and pursue enforcement actions nationwide; as requested, perform special legal and administrative projects; and perform other duties as assigned.
Salary
Qualifications
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), be a U.S. citizen, and possess up to 1 year post J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. The minimum years of post-law degree experience commensurate with the grade level of eligibility is shown below. GS-11 - up to 1 year of post J.D. experience GS-12 - at least 1 year post-JD legal experience Preferred qualifications: Strongly preferred applicants will have excellent academic credentials and outstanding advocacy and legal writing skills. Experience conducting investigations, drafting and arguing motions, handling discovery, taking and defending depositions, and trying cases are highly desirable. Preferred applicants will be highly motivated and exhibit sound judgment and creativity. Judicial clerkship experience and familiarity with constitutional challenges and the enforcement of federal laws is strongly preferred. Trial Period Statement As a condition of employment for accepting this position in accordance with section 11.5 of Executive Order 14284, you will 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. 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.
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 https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.
Required Documents
You must submit the following documents: Cover Letter Resume showing relevant experience (not to exceed 2 pages) Writing Sample (not more than 15 pages in length, and written in the past 2 years) DD-214 and/or veteran documentation, (if applicable)
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/23/2026 to receive consideration. 1. Click "Apply Online" to get started. 2. If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one. 3. You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application. 4. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous. 5. You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS. You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS. 6. Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options. 7. After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device. 8. If you opt to upload a document directly, click the "Upload" button and select the document on your device, then wait for the upload to finish. Repeat as needed. Documents must be less than 3 MB each and should be in a compatible file format. 9. Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category. Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed. You can have up to 15 document assignments. 10. Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit. 11. If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required. If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side). Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.
