The General Counsel's Office provides legal advice and litigation support to United States Attorneys' offices and EOUSA on a wide variety of administrative law topics and employment law related issues. GCO also represents USAOs and EOUSA in EEO discrimination complaints, appeals to the Merit System Protection Board, and whistleblower claims filed with the Office of Special Counsel.
Duties
The General Counsel's Office (GCO) is a component of EOUSA in the Department of Justice and is responsible for providing a full range of legal advice and services to the 94 United States Attorneys' Offices (USAOs) throughout the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you. GCO attorneys provide advice and legal opinions on the need for recusals, on fiscal law and procurement questions, and on other administrative law issues. As the Deputy Designated Agency Ethics Officials, GCO provides government ethics advice and consultation. GCO also assists United States Attorneys and their managers in taking disciplinary and performance action and represents the agency in administrative litigation stemming from such actions. GCO is a very dynamic and fast paced office. The individual selected can expect a challenging and demanding environment and will be exposed to management concerns and top management officials within EOUSA and throughout the entire Department of Justice. If selected for this position you will serve as an Attorney Advisor (Assistant General Counsel) and will be responsible for: Providing expert advice to the United States Attorneys and their staff in the interpretation, intent, and applicability of Federal laws, regulations, and programs in the assigned area(s) of law, federal personnel law, equal employment opportunity, recusals, government ethics, and fiscal law. Advising on questions of law involved in the operations of the organization. Initiating and maintaining liaison and effective communications with EOUSA management, United States Attorneys and their staff, Department officials and other federal agencies. Representing the agency in administrative litigation before the Merit Systems Protection Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Board of Contract Appeals, and assisting in Federal court proceedings. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Salary
Qualifications
Required Qualifications: J.D. Degree Active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction). United States citizenship is required. Preferred Candidates would possess: Qualifications pertaining to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Merit Systems Protection Board litigating experience. Experience with at least three of the following areas: Standards of Conduct and Government Ethics, Federal Employment Law, Federal Equal Opportunity Employment Law, and/or Federal Administrative Law. At least 3 years post J.D legal or other relevant experience. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes: - Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process). - Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job: Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade), Employer name and contact information, Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year), Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and A list of duties performed and accomplishments. 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. -Required: An unofficial law school transcript. -Required: Proof of active bar membership. - Required, if applicable: To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume. Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs. Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. 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 5 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 by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding 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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 07/14/2026 to receive consideration. 1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.) 3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete. You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact General Counsel's Office at 202-252-5351 or email at samantha.grover@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying. The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is General Counsel's Office who can be reached at 202-252-5351 or samantha.grover@usdoj.gov
