Attorney-Adviser

The United States Department of Justice; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 101,000 - 196,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking highly qualified attorneys to serve as Attorney-Advisers in Washington, D.C. This role is pivotal in assisting the Attorney General with legal advice to the President and Executive Branch agencies. The Office of Legal Counsel tackles complex legal issues, reviews executive orders, and provides authoritative legal opinions. Ideal candidates will possess a J.D. degree, strong credentials, and exceptional legal research and writing skills. This is a unique opportunity to engage with significant legal matters at the highest levels of government.

Qualifications

• Active member of the bar in any U.S. jurisdiction.
• At least one year of post-J.D. legal experience.

Responsibilities

• Advise on constitutional and statutory matters.
• Resolve legal disputes within the Executive Branch.
• Review proposed legislation for constitutionality.

Skills

Constitutional Law

Legal Research

Legal Writing

Judicial Clerkship

Education

J.D. Degree

Job description

Location: 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530 - United States

Application Deadline:

Thursday, May 15, 2025

About the Office

By delegation from the Attorney General, the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) provides legal advice to the President and all executive branch agencies. The Office provides written opinions and other advice in response to requests from the Attorney General, the Counsel to the President, the General Counsels of the various agencies of the Executive Branch, and other components of the Department of Justice. Such requests typically deal with legal issues of particular complexity and importance or those about which two or more agencies disagree. The Office is also responsible for reviewing and commenting on the constitutionality of pending legislation.

All executive orders and substantive proclamations proposed to be issued by the President are reviewed by OLC for form and legality, as are various other matters that require the President’s formal approval.

The Office reviews all proposed orders of the Attorney General including regulations that require the Attorney General’s approval. It also performs a variety of special assignments referred by the Attorney General or the Deputy Attorney General.

Job Description

The Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking highly qualified attorneys to serve as Attorney-Advisers in Washington, D.C. The Office’s principal function is to assist the Attorney General in fulfilling the role of legal adviser to the President and Executive Branch agencies. For more information, please visit OLC’s internet website, http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/ .

OLC’s responsibilities include the following:

• Advising the Attorney General, the Counsel to the President, the General Counsels of executive departments and agencies, and the various components of the Department of Justice on constitutional and statutory matters;
• Resolving legal disputes within the Executive Branch through the issuance of authoritative legal opinions;
• Reviewing for constitutionality proposed legislation; and
• Reviewing for form and legality all executive orders and substantive proclamations and memoranda proposed to be issued by the President as well as all Attorney General Orders including regulations that require the Attorney General’s approval.

Qualifications

Applicants must have a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have at least one year of post-J.D. legal experience. OLC is highly selective in its hiring because OLC attorneys handle some of the most difficult and important legal issues confronting the Executive Branch. The ideal candidate would have exceptional academic credentials, a judicial clerkship or comparable experience, a strong background in constitutional law, outstanding legal research and writing skills, and the ability to obtain a Top-Secret security clearance.

THIS POSITION IS SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AT THE TIME A HIRING DECISION IS MADE.

Application Process

Applicants must submit (via mail, email or fax): 1) a resume; 2) a cover letter addressing the qualifications listed above; 3) a writing sample; 4) law school transcript; and 5) a copy of your most recent performance rating (if applicable). Please submit via the mailing address, email, or fax number noted below.

Marchelle Moore
Office of Legal Counsel
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 5218
Washington, D.C. 20530
[e-mail]

No telephone calls please.

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 circumstances.

GS-905-12 to 15
$101,401 - $195,200 (Salary includes locality pay)

Number of Positions

up to 3 vacancies

Travel

Relocation Expenses

None

This and othervacancy announcements can be found underAttorney Vacancies andVolunteer Legal Internships . The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.