Federal Government

Aside from work on criminal matters – profiled on PSLawNet’s Prosecutor/Public Defender Careers page – government lawyers work on everything from constitutional issues to coal mine safety regulation.  And they work in all three branches of government, although most are employed in the executive branch.

Why Consider Federal Employment?

• Guess Who’s Hiring? An expected large-scale retirement by Baby Boomers in the next decade is likely to leave many federal positions open for new attorneys to fill.  One-third of the full-time federal work force is expected to leave their positions in the next five years.
• From Constitutional Law to Coal Mine Regulation – attorneys work in all three branches of government and in numerous capacities, including traditional litigation work, counseling lawmakers, drafting statutes and regulations, issuing administrative legal opinions, and much more.
• Immediate responsibility– attorneys develop key leadership skills quickly working with the federal government as a result of managing their own case loads and other significant immediate responsibilities.
• Where in the World?…85% of federal jobs are located outside of the Washington, DC area, and almost 50,000 federal employees work outside the U.S.
• Lighten the Debt Load – many federal agencies have their own loan repayment assistance programs.  Learn more about federal student loan repayment programs, and note that the recently passed College Cost Reduction & Access Act can benefit attorneys working in the federal government.
• High-end Public Interest Pay – federal jobs tend to pay better than jobs with nonprofit organizations.  Starting salaries for federal attorneys are generally between $52,000 and $71,000.  From there, federal attorneys can move up the salary scale quickly.

Learn more at www.makingthedifference.org, a federal careers website operated jointly by the Office of Personnel Management and the Partnership for Public Service.

Where Are the Federal Government Jobs? - Within the executive branch, the agencies with the most attorneys are:

	Attorneys	Projected FY 2007-09 Hires
Dep’t. of Justice	8503	1624
Dep’t. of Treasury	2142	427
Social Sec’y. Admin.	1657	N/A
Dep’t. of Homeland Sec’y.	1363	505
SEC	1350	258

These figures reflect only those law grads who are working specifically as attorneys.  There are many jobs that are filled by attorneys, but not classified that way.

How Does the Federal Government Hire Recent Law Grads?

There are three main avenues through which recent law school graduates seek federal government employment:

1. Direct Hiring – all three branches routinely hire attorneys and staffers with legal training. The main conduit for finding and applying for federal jobs is The U.S. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Official Job Site.
   
2. Honors Programs – within the executive branch, several agencies administer competitive honors programs to hire recent law grads and groom them for government services.  Some of these honors programs are: The Department of Justice's Attorney General's Honors Program, the Department of Labor's SOL Honors Program, the Department of Homeland Security Office of the General Counsel's Honors Program and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Legal Division's Honors Attorney Program
3. The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program is a competitive program that recruits law grads and those from other disciplines to work in executive branch agencies.

What about practicing law in the military?

A military legal career provides for exposure to a wide variety of law, significant immediate responsibility of managing cases right away, and the opportunity to grow professionally while serving your country.  There are different branches of the military in which you can serve as JAG Corps attorney that are listed below.  Every JAG is a respected attorney, a trusted counselor, and a polished military officer. 

• United States Army JAG Corps is composed of Army officers who are also lawyers and who provide legal services to the Army at all levels of command.  Being apart of the Army JAG Corps offers a unique opportunity to develop one's professional legal skills, with exposure to military and criminal law, both in the U.S. and internationally.  Some of the other benefits of joining the Army JAG Corps include: beginning services as an officer, entering the Army at an advanced pay grade, and receiving a promotion within 6-12 months of being commissioned.  For more information, visit the Army JAG Corps website.
• United States Navy JAG Corps consists of approximately 750 attorneys, commissioned naval officers, based throughout the world, ashore and at sea, who practice law, support the Navy and serve our nation.  Their primary mission is to support the Judge Advocate General (JAG) in providing legal and policy advice to the Secretary of the Navy.  JAG's for the Navy begin litigating cases and counseling clients right away while enjoying the ability to see the results of how their work has a direct impact on people and other nations.  For more information, visit the Navy JAG Corps website.
• United States Air Force JAG Corps provides an ideal opportunity to experience diversified areas of legal practice (criminal, environmental, government contracts, general, labor, medical, international) with a complementary opportunity to finely hone your litigation skills.  Air Force JAG's are responsive to the evolving missions and needs of the world’s most respected air, space, and cyberspace force.  For more information, visit the Air Force JAG Corps website.
• United States Coast Guard JAG Corps is a “full-service” legal support organization with primary focus on 10 general legal practice areas:  Criminal Law/Military Justice, Operations, International Activities, Civil Advocacy, Environmental Law, Procurement Law, Internal Organizational Law, Regulations & Administrative Law, Legislative Support and Legal Assistance.  For more information, visit the Coast Guard JAG Corps website.

What about Security Clearances and Background Checks?

The Partnership for Public Service provides information on security clearances for prospective federal job applicants.

 

State and Local Government

Just like the federal government, state and local government attorneys handle a broad range of legal issues and are housed in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.  Think of any area of our everyday lives that is subject to government regulation – government attorneys are at work to craft policy, draft laws and rules, advise elected and appointed officials, and represent the interests of citizens in court.

Government Career Resources

The following government employmnent resources are also available in our Public Service Career Library:

• NALP’s Federal Legal Employment Opportunities Guide - this annually-updated publication, produced by NALP, the Partnership for Public Service, and the ABA, offers tips for seeking federal attorney positions, definitions of terms used in the employment application process, descriptions of dozens of federal offices that employ attorneys, and much more.
• United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions Book - this publication, commonly referred to as the Plum Book, is published every four years, just after the Presidential election.  This publication contains data (as of September 1, 2008) of over 7,000 Federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal Government that may be subject to noncompetitive appointment.
• 2008-09 Government Honors and Internship Handbook - this University of Arizona handbook provides application information and deadlines for federal and state honors programs and internships, including deadline tables arranged alphabetically by agency and by class year. Annual online subscriptions ($175 for 2008-09) are available to law schools for distribution to their students and graduates.  Law students and graduates are advised to contact their career services offices for information on accessing this resource.
• 2008-09 Guide to Public Sector Legal Job Applications - this Georgetown University Law Center publication includes tips for constructing resumes and other application materials.
• Working on Capitol Hill - Yale Law School's guidebook breaks down the types of employment opportunities available on The Hill and includes personal narratives from Hill employees.
• May 2008 Report on Federal Student Loan Repayment Programs – this report by the Office of Personnel Management outlines executive branch agency use of loan repayment programs in recruitment and retention efforts.
• Guide to Criminal Prosecution Careers - a Yale Law School Publication providing information on both summer and permanent hiring processes in U.S. Attorney's and local prosecutors' offices.  For more information on careers in criminal justice, see our Prosecution/Public Defense Career Resource Page.