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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must successfully pass a background investigation and drug screen for federal employment.
- If you are a male born after 12/31/59, you must certify registration with the Selective Service.
- You must have relevant experience (see How You Will Be Evaluated and Qualifications tabs).
- You must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
- You may be required to serve a two-year trial period, if the requirement has not been met.
- You must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a U.S. state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Qualifications
Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time on 01/16/2025. Please note that qualification claims will be subject to verification.
Applicants should possess an ability to efficiently produce quality legal analyses of complex and novel issues, exercise sound legal judgment, be detail oriented, prioritize competing assignments, and work effectively independently, as part of a team, and across work units. Applicants should have a strong interest in supporting and providing stellar client services to diverse program offices including law enforcement officers, policymakers, attorneys, and agency senior leadership, and must be able to tailor communications to a particular audience. Applicants should be able to demonstrate an ability to take initiative and work in a reliable, decisive, and professional manner. Applicants should possess the following characteristics and competencies: integrity, sound professional judgment, organizational skills, decisiveness, initiative, stellar client services, the ability to function independently and cooperatively, and superior written and oral advocacy skills.
To qualify for the GS-11: You must be a graduate from an accredited law school and be an active member in good standing.
To qualify for the GS-12: You must be a graduate from an accredited law school, be an active member in good standing and have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
To qualify for the GS-13: You must be a graduate from an accredited law school, be an active member in good standing and have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
To qualify for the GS-14: You must be a graduate from an accredited law school, be an active member in good standing and have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.
Examples Of Specialized Experience Include
- Skills in litigating cases before courts and must demonstrate proficiency in objecting to the admission of excludable evidence during trial;
- Trial advocacy skills, including proficiency in the development of case strategies, direct examination and cross-examination of witnesses, and oral argument;
- Experience involving contact with government witnesses, immigration judges, and opposing counsel in trying cases before an immigration court;
- Reviewing memoranda of understanding, applications for search and/or arrest warrants, personal assistance agreements, requests for certification and recertification of undercover operations, affidavits in support of wire-taps, and related matters of investigatory concern to ICE officers and agents;
- Outstanding written, oral advocacy and judgment skills; proficient organizational, communication and interpersonal relationship skills and the ability to function independently and as part of a team.
Bar Membership: You must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a U.S. state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.
The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 C.F.R.
- 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 C.F.R.
- 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs.
Education
Applicants must be a graduate of an American Bar Association accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Please see
Required Documents for more information.
A student loan repayment incentive may be available, in which case a service agreement will be required.
Additional information
This is an open continuous announcement. Qualified applicants will only be referred to the hiring official for further consideration on an "as needed" basis.
General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages. The salary range listed is the base salary rate only.
Promotion Potential: This position has promotion potential to the GS-14. When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval.
BUS: This is a bargaining position. The exclusive representative for this bargaining unit position is the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), with representation provided by AFGE, Local 511.
E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about
E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.
Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the Excepted Service; however, OPLA considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring.
Financial Disclosure: If you are hired, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days after appointment.
Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment, you must complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.
Background Investigation: DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo a background investigation and successfully obtain and maintain a security clearance at the
Secret level as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and tax obligations, and a review of certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
Drug Test: Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace. All applicants tentatively selected for employment are subject to pre-employment drug testing and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative result.
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