General Attorney

Summary

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Chief Counsel, located in Minneapolis, MN and Washington, D.C.

Duties

This position is with the Office of Associate Chief Counsel, Ethics, Labor, and Employment in Washington, DC and Minneapolis, MN. The Office of Chief Counsel is one of the Government's largest and oldest legal offices. OCC attorneys work on cutting-edge legal issues and provide critical advice across the CBP portfolio, including trade enforcement, search and seizure, immigration, and government ethics. They also represent the agency in labor and employment matters and provide litigation support to the Department of Justice. This position starts at a salary of $81,415.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $178,265.00 (GS-14, Step 10). In this position, you will become a key member of the legal team of the Office of Chief Counsel. Typical work assignments include: Providing ethics guidance and representing CBP in administrative hearings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, Federal Labor Relations Authority, administrative law judges, and arbitrators involving matters such as employee discipline, discrimination complaints, collective bargaining agreements, and broker license revocation; Supporting the Department of Justice as agency counsel in civil and criminal actions (i.e., FOIA, tort/Bivens, asset forfeiture, immigration, penalty collection) brought in federal court by preparing litigation reports, affidavits, and other pleadings, and participating in eDiscovery, motion drafting, witness interviews, and mediation/settlement discussions; and Developing and delivering legal training to CBP managers and employees relating to the activities and functions of CBP (i.e., disclosure of information, search and seizure, and investigations) and legal issues involving CBP employees (i.e., ethics, reasonable accommodations, whistleblower protections, Hatch Act). Providing legal guidance to, and legal representation of, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in matters relating to the activities and functions of CBP at the ports of entry (i.e., in the passenger, cargo, airmail, and seaport environments) and between the ports of entry; Performing legal research and applying laws, regulations, decisions, and guidance across the CBP portfolio including customs and admissibility (i.e., forced labor enforcement, collection of customs duties, taxes, and fees), border search (i.e., search of electronic devices), immigration laws (i.e., admissibility at the ports of entry), and national security and intelligence;

Qualifications

Applicants must be graduates of a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association, or a law school with state, regional, or other accreditation that permits the graduate to sit for a state bar examination. Applicants appointed as General Attorneys must be active members in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Recent law school graduates who are not yet admitted to the bar may be appointed as Law Clerks at the GS-11 level if they meet the specialized education requirements described below. Recent law school graduates appointed as Law Clerks must be admitted to the bar within 14 months of appointment and then may be converted to a General Attorney upon admission. Specialized Education: Recent law school graduates, and attorneys with less than one year of experience as a licensed attorney, must possess a professional law degree, Juris Doctor or equivalent degree, and demonstrate superior law student work or activities to qualify at the GS-11 level. Superior law student work or activities may be demonstrated by meeting the following additional qualifications: Rank in the top one-third of the graduating class; Work or achievement of significance on one of the applicant's law school's official law reviews or journals; Winning a moot court competition, membership on a moot court team that represents the applicant's law school in inter-law school competition, or service on the applicant's law school moot court board; Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program, as distinguished from one-time, intermittent, or casual participation; Significant summer law clerk experience; Participation in an Office of Chief Counsel or DHS externship program; Other evidence of clearly superior legal accomplishment or achievement. Attorneys with less than one year of experience as a licensed attorney must meet the recent law school graduate qualifications above to qualify at the GS-11 level. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs, such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, and other organizations, including professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 11/27/2026. 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. Background Investigation: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and/or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information, review the following links: Background investigation and the e-QIP process. Residency: There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions: Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government

Education

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.