Attorney Advisor (Compliance Staff)

The United States Department of Justice; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 102,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Department of Justice is seeking experienced attorneys to join the Office of Information Policy in Washington, DC. Attorneys will support FOIA compliance, policy development, and litigation-related matters, with several teams including Administrative Appeals, IR Staff, IR FOIA Litigation, and FOIA Compliance Staff.

Responsibilities include interpreting FOIA laws, drafting annual reports, reviewing agency FOIA submissions, and providing legal guidance on FOIA implementation.

Qualifications

• J.D. degree and active bar admission in any U.S. jurisdiction.
• Preferred knowledge of FOIA and administrative law.
• GS-13 level requires 1+ year of pertinent FOIA experience; GS-14 requires 2+ years.

Responsibilities

• Interpret and apply FOIA laws, orders, regulations, precedents, and agency practices.
• Draft and review FOIA reports and annual summaries for leadership.
• Review agencies’ FOIA determinations and assist in compliance actions.
• Provide legal research and advisory support on FOIA-related inquiries.
• Develop and maintain FOIA-related guidance and policies.
• Assist in managing DOJ FOIA websites and communications.

Education

J.D. degree or equivalent

Job description

Location: 441 G Street, N.W.
6th Floor
Washington, DC 20530-0001 - United States

Application Deadline

Thursday, September 3, 2026

About the Office

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seekingexperienced attorneys to work in the Office of Information Policy (OIP), located in Washington, DC. OIP manages the Department’s responsibilities related to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which includes coordinating and implementing policy development and compliance government-wide for the FOIA, processing FOIA requests for the senior leadership offices within the Department, adjudicating all administrative appeals from denials by any Department component under the FOIA, and assisting in the defense of certain FOIA matters in litigation. OIP attorneys may be assigned/reassigned to any one of several distinct but inter-related teams based on mission-critical office needs. Those teams include: the Administrative Appeals Staff, which adjudicates administrative appeals from Department components’ FOIA determinations; the Initial Request (IR) Staff, which processes FOIA requests on behalf of the Department’s leadership offices; the IR FOIA Litigation Staff; which handles FOIA requests subject to litigation; or the FOIA Compliance Staff, which supports the Office’s responsibilities to oversee and encourage government-wide compliance with the FOIA.

Job Description

OIP is hiring Attorney-Advisors GS-0905 - 12/13/14 to work on its FOIA Compliance Staff. The attorney will perform legal, policy, and technical work to support the Office’s responsibilities to oversee and encourage government-wide compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The responsibilities will include interpreting and applying laws, executive orders, regulations, precedents, and agency practices relating to the FOIA. Specific responsibilities may include:

• Supporting OIP’s work on FOIA and open government efforts, including policy guidance, projects related to FOIA.gov, the Chief FOIA Officers Council, and other initiatives.
• Working directly with agencies to ensure compliance with the FOIA’s statutory reporting obligations.
• Assisting in the completion of DOJ’s specific FOIA reporting obligations, which include drafting an Annual FOIA Report, Chief FOIA Officers Report, and Litigation and Compliance Report.
• Reviewing and synthesizing agencies’ final Annual and Chief FOIA Officer Reports to draft annual summaries and assessments of agencies’ FOIA administration.
• Reviewing compliance inquiries submitted by the public concerning agencies’ FOIA implementation and working directly with the agencies and requesters to resolve issues and provide appropriate guidance.
• Assisting in managing the Office’s websites and social media, including developing and posting web content.
• Providing instructional training and guidance to various federal agencies regarding compliance with the FOIA.
• Conducting legal research and providing legal advice involving inquiries and assignments related to the FOIA.
• Developing a mastery of assigned area(s) of expertise and updating corresponding section(s) of the United States Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act.
• Maintaining awareness of developments in FOIA and Privacy Act law, regulation, and policy.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent), be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).

Preferred qualifications: It is preferred that applicants have knowledge of and a demonstrated interest in the Freedom of Information Act and have administrative law. Candidates must have at least one-year pertinent FOIA experience to qualify at the GS-13 level; at least two years' pertinent experience to qualify at the GS-14 level. Promotion potential to a GS-15.

Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, tax and credit checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Applicants willbe required to qualify for a Top Secret security clearance.

Number of Positions

One

Travel

Very limited travel may be associated with this position.

Relocation Expenses

Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

GS-12 - GS-14 ($102,415 - $187,093) with promotion potential to a GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200)

This and othervacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer 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.