Attorney Recruitment
Commercial Law
Provides legal guidance and review of agency procurements. Represents the Bureau in protests and claims in Government contract matters. Advises staff on various commerical matters including copyright, tax and fiscal law.

Real Estate and Environmental Law
Provides legal assistance and litigation support on a variety of issues, including land transactions and environmental laws.

Employment Law and Ethics
Processes administrative complaints of discrimination and provides advice and training on Government ethics. Provides legal advice to Bureau management on labor/management and personnel issues and represents management in various administrative and judicial forums.

Legal Administration
Processes Freedom of Information and Privacy Act requests and assists in litigation of these cases, oversees all attorney personnel issues, designs and provides speciality training for paralegals and attorneys nationwide.

Legislative and Correctional Issues
Provides legal assistance on correctional issues, such as inmate rights and conditions of confinement, drafts and reviews legislation that may affect the Bureau and coordinates the Bureau's rulemaking process.

Litigation
Provides support on litigation filed in the District of Columbia and on cases having national impact on Bureau programs and policies; oversees inmate grievance programs and claims filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

The Bureau's Office of General Counsel (OGC) has one of the most varied practices within the Department of Justice (DOJ). This Office operates much like a legal advisor to a small city. Bureau attorneys represent the agency in a number of legal and policy areas.

OGC is located at the Bureau's Central Office. Additionally, six regional legal offices provide litigation support for inmate litigation arising out of the facilities located within their respective regions, as well as legal advice to regional office and prison administrators. Consolidated Legal Centers (CLCs) service a number of institutions in a geographic area. CLCs address and provide legal advice on a broad range of issues, and are involved in many different types of litigation.


Hiring Attorneys

The Bureau hires experienced attorneys with one or more years of experience, entry-level attorneys through the Attorney General's Honors Program, and law students through the Summer Law Intern Program.

Experienced attorneys are hired on a regular basis to fill specialized positions within the various practice areas of OGC. Interested attorneys can submit a resume with a cover letter describing their interest and highlighting relevant experience. Applicants for these positions must have had their J.D. degree for at least one year (or have their LL.M. or other graduate degree in addition to a J.D.) and be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of a state, territory, or the District of Columbia.

Vacant attorney positions are announced on the Attorney Vacancy web page on DOJ's website.

The Attorney General's Honors Program is the only vehicle through which DOJ hires graduating law students. The Bureau's program is a two-year fellowship in Central Office. This fellowship provides Honors Attorneys the opportunity to experience the wide range of legal practice in the Central Office, and each Honors Attorney will have the opportunity to practice in three or four different areas.

Students in their final year of law school who will graduate in the fall or winter prior to the year in which they will be employed, or in the spring or summer of the year in which they will be employed, are eligible. Judicial Law Clerks are also recruited under the Honors Program. However, the clerkship must be the first significant legal employment following law school graduation, and it must begin no later than nine months post-J.D. The amount of time served in the clerkship cannot exceed two years. Only persons who will conclude their clerkships on or after October 1 in the fall of the year in which they apply are eligible for consideration.

DOJ uses an online application process. Candidates may complete and submit an application electronically through the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management's website at www.usdoj.gov/oarm.

For current job openings or further information, contact the Bureau's Attorney Recruitment Coordinator at (202) 514-6105 or via e-mail at legal@bop.gov.