Civil Division Attorney - Location Negotiable

Summary The Civil Division is the largest litigating component of the Department of Justice, representing the interests of the United States in some of the nation's most significant civil litigation matters. Our teams handle cases involving constitutional law, national security, immigration, government programs, civil fraud, and other matters of critical public importance. 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. The minimum years of post-law degree experience commensurate with the grade level of eligibility is shown below. Possessing the minimum post law degree legal experience does not guarantee the applicant will be selected at that grade level. GS-11: Up to one (1) year of legal experience. GS-12: At least one (1) year of post-J.D. legal experience. GS-13: At least one and one-half (1.5) years of post-J.D. legal experience. GS-14: At least two and one-half (2.5) years of post-J.D. legal experience. GS-15: At least four (4) years of post-J.D. legal experience. Preferred qualifications: The Civil Division seeks attorneys with strong academic credentials, excellent legal research and writing skills, sound judgment, and demonstrated civil litigation experience. Judicial clerkship experience is highly desirable. 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. How You Will Be Evaluated You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications and requirements described in this announcement. Candidates will be evaluated on a rolling basis, with the first cutoff date occurring on Wednesday, September 23. Additional cutoff dates will occur approximately every three weeks thereafter, on or about the following dates: October 14; November 4; and November 25, when the announcement is scheduled to close. This announcement may close at any time once selections have been made. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to ensure full consideration. Applications may be reviewed by a selection panel. Appointment Type Appointments to the RECA program will initially be for a period of two years and may be extended in increments of up to two years, generally to align with the end of a fiscal year, provided that funding remains available and the Division determines that an extension is in its best interest. Please note: The Selecting Official may select additional candidates for any office if additional vacancies become available. Application materials may be shared with all Sections in the Division for consideration and potential selection. Required Documents You must submit the following documents: Cover Letter Resume showing relevant experience (not to exceed 2 pages) Writing Sample (not more than 10 pages in length, and written in the past 3 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 11/04/2026 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.