General Attorney (Attorney Professional Conduct)

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) is seeking an energetic and dedicated attorney to serve as an Associate Legal Advisor working mainly in the area of Attorney Professional Conduct within the Ethics Division. These positions may offer up to $50,000 in signing and retention bonuses. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Duties

OPLA is the largest legal program in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), employing nearly 2,000 attorneys nationwide. In addition to Headquarters in Washington, D.C., there are 24 OPLA Field Locations in more than 60 cities throughout the United States. OPLA provides a full range of legal services to all ICE programs and offices. OPLA's Headquarters General and Administrative Law divisions advance ICE's homeland security and public safety mission by providing legal advice and prudential counsel to ICE personnel on a range of matters, such as employment, ethics, fiscal, contract, and information-disclosure law.

An ICE attorney specializing in attorney professional conduct will work as a member of the ICE Ethics Office team to provide training and guidance on the Executive Branch Standards of Conduct program for government employees and on attorney professional responsibility matters. The responsibilities of the position will consist primarily of: providing counsel to ICE employees at all grade levels to include senior officials, including providing guidance and issuing advisory opinions in response to written and verbal requests for advice; providing advice and guidance to OPLA attorneys and to ICE and DHS leadership on attorney professional conduct issues; developing and disseminating training, general guidance, and reference documents for OPLA attorneys; reviewing public and confidential financial disclosure reports filed by covered management officials and researching the investments and positions held to identify and assess potential conflicts of interest; assisting with the drafting and implementation of agency ethics rules, instructions and policies; and providing group training to ICE program offices on government ethics.

Selected attorneys will immediately be given significant responsibilities and will be expected to craft persuasive, legally supportable positions to address the needs of agency operational components. Selected attorneys will be expected to routinely provide timely legal opinions to ICE officers and agents, division management, and attorneys and leadership within OPLA, ICE, and the DHS Office of the General Counsel Headquarters.

OPLA will ensure that applicants with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations when appropriate. If reasonable accommodation is required for any part of the application process, please contact the OPLA representative listed on this announcement.

Salary

• $75,706 - $162,672/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must successfully pass a background investigation and drug test for federal employment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31, 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• You must have relevant experience (see How You Will Be Evaluated and Qualifications tabs).
• You must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• You may be required to serve a two-year trial period if the requirement has not been met.
• Current OPLA attorneys must have completed two years of service with OPLA by the announcement closeout to be considered for this position.
• You must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a U.S. state, a territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

Applicants must possess extensive experience advising and interpreting the professional conduct rules applicable to attorneys and those with whom they work. Applicants should be able to efficiently produce quality legal analyses of complex and novel issues, exercise sound legal judgment, prioritize competing assignments, and work effectively independently, as part of a team, and across work units. Applicants should be detail-oriented and have a strong interest in supporting and providing stellar client services to program offices, including law enforcement officers, policymakers, attorneys, and agency senior leadership, and must be able to tailor communications to a particular audience. Applicants should be able to take the initiative and work in a reliable, decisive, and professional manner.

Applicants should possess the following characteristics and competencies: integrity, sound professional judgment, organizational skills, decisiveness, initiative, the ability to function independently and cooperatively, and superior written and oral advocacy skills.

Applicants at the GS-12 and -13 levels must have relevant skills and must articulate experience that will help the applicant quickly learn the work of the Ethics Office. Applicants at the GS-14 and 15 levels must possess subject matter expertise including more than 4 years of specialized experience in attorney professional responsibility.

Bar Membership: You must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a U.S. state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Current or Former Political Appointees: 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 five years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u), and Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 C.F.R. § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Education Applicants must be graduates of an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or LLM degree. Please see Required Documents for more information. Other Information E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities. Bargaining Unit Status: This is a non-bargaining position. Promotion Potential: This position has promotion potential to the GS-15 level. When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform duties at a higher level and administrative approval. Further, promotion from the GS-14 level to the GS-15 level is subject to OPLA's internal guidance. Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the Excepted Service; however, OPLA considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Financial Disclosure: If you are hired, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days after appointment. Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment, you must complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Background Investigation: DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants for this position must undergo a background investigation and successfully obtain and maintain a security clearance at the [Top Secret/Secret] level as a condition of placement into this position. This process may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support, and tax obligations, and a review of certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Drug Test: Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace. All applicants tentatively selected for employment are subject to pre-employment drug testing, and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative result. A student loan repayment incentive may be available; if such an incentive is available and is authorized, a service agreement will be required. One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages. Required Documents

You must include all required documentation, as set forth below, with your application package before the closing date. No extensions will be granted. Failure to provide all the required information as listed in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect your overall rating.

Cover Letter: Your cover letter should detail the knowledge, skills, and abilities that qualify you for the position, consistent with this announcement. It will be assessed as part of your application package. Your cover letter must also include your full name; home address; home or work e-mail address(es); phone number(s) where we may contact you; name of law school, year of graduation, and year admitted to the bar.
Applicants may apply for positions in one or more locations and should indicate their order of preference in their cover letter.

Résumé: Your résumé must include the announcement number:Ethics - 12794992 -JP , your complete contact information (physical address, phone number, email address), work experience, education, training, and any professional awards you have received. For each work experience listed, please include job title, duties, employer's name, employer's telephone number, employer's address, and starting and ending dates (MM/YY). Please indicate whether we may contact your current supervisor.

Transcript: All applicants must be a graduate of an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. If you have practiced law for less than five years, you must submit a copy of your law school transcript. Your transcript must include your full name, name of law school, grade-point average or class ranking, and date conferred. A copy of your diploma is not sufficient documentation. If you have practiced law for 5 years or more, your transcript is not required.

Bar Membership/Certificate of Good Standing: Submit a copy of your bar card, certificate of good standing, or other documentary evidence to prove that you are an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, a U.S. a territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

If you are a current or former federal employee: Submit a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action that demonstrates your eligibility for consideration, e.g., length of time you have been in your current grade; your highest grade held. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases and accessions.

If you are a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee: Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information about your most recent political appointment: position title, type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee), agency, and beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Veterans Preference Documentation (if applicable): You must provide acceptable documentation of your preference or appointment eligibility. The member 4 copy of your DD214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," is preferable. If claiming 10-point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference." If applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces that you will be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days from the date on the certification. This must indicate your dates of service, your rank, and confirm that you will be separated under honorable conditions. View more veterans' information.

You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the Occupational Questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12794992 and submit the required documentation outlined under the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section below.

The complete initial Application must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/19/2025 to receive consideration.

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log into your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process. It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Note: To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position.

If you do not provide a valid email address, you may not be notified of the outcome of your application.

Applications and supporting documentation will not be accepted by mail or email. If you need further assistance, please contact the OPLA representative listed on this announcement.