Trial Attorney (Federal Programs Branch)

Hiring Organization Civil Division (CIV) Hiring Office Federal Programs Branch Attorney Appointment Type Attorney Permanent Job ID AT-13039539-26-BLC Location: Washington, DC 20005 - United States Application Deadline: Thursday, November 12, 2026 About the Office Federal Programs Branch seeks attorneys to defend the United States, Executive Office of the President, and federal agencies in cases challenging the legality of policies and actions brought in federal district courts.

The Branch's work touches on almost all areas of government.

Job Description Trial attorneys in the Federal Programs Branch are generalists who participate in significant, often high-profile litigation across a broad range of practice areas.

Trial Attorneys are expected to handle all phases of district court litigation, including taking and defending depositions, managing written discovery, conducting legal research and analysis, writing briefs and other documents, attending court conferences, arguing motions, and conducting trials.

As part of their work, Trial Attorneys communicate regularly with client agencies, Department of Justice leadership, opposing counsel, and others. Trial Attorneys work on both individual and team cases in support of the Branch's and Department's mission of defending the interests of the United States.

Qualifications

Interested applicants must possess a J.D., or equivalent, degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.

• To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, applicants must have up to one (1) year of legal experience.
• To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, applicants must have minimum (1) or more years post-J.D. legal experience
• To qualify at the GS-13 grade level, applicants must possess at least one and one-half (1.5) years of post-J.D. legal experience.
• To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, applicants must possess at least two and one-half (2.5) years of post-J.D. legal experience.
• To qualify at the GS-15 grade level, applicants must possess at least four (4) years of post-J.D. legal experience.

Qualifications must be met by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Preferred qualifications

Applicants with proven advocacy and legal writing skills preferred. Experience drafting and arguing motions, handling discovery, taking, and defending depositions, developing expert witness testimony, and trying cases are 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.

Application Process

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 11/12/2026 to receive consideration.

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)

Click link: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/889707000

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.

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.

Salary

$85,447.00 to $197,200.00 Per Year; Unless you have prior federal experience, you will likely be appointed at step 1 of the applicable pay scale.

Travel

Occasional travel

Relocation Expenses

Not Authorized

Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and treating employees with fairness, dignity and compassion.

We must ensure that no applicant for employment or employee of our Department is denied equal opportunity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex – including pregnancy – or because of age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor and that all have the freedom to compete on a fair and level playing field.

To learn more, please view the Department’s full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Reasonable Accommodations

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities

The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.

Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs

Unless otherwise required by law , the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.

Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

Suitability and Citizenship

It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation.

Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/non-citizens ). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S.

Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations.

However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Veterans

There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring.

Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions.

Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s).

Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

USAO Residency Requirement

Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

This and other vacancy 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.

Updated October 29, 2026