General Attorney

Summary

Organizational Location : This announcement will be used to fill multiple vacancies at Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) Field Locations.

This is a not-to-exceed term position and may be extended based on the needs of the agency.

The salary range listed is the General Schedule (GS) base rate. Click here to access the GS locality pay tables.

Recruitment incentives may be available to eligible candidates, in which case a service agreement will be required.

Duties

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OPLA is the largest legal program in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), employing over 1,500 attorneys nationwide. In addition to Headquarters in Washington, D.C., there are 25 OPLA Field Locations in more than 60 cities throughout the United States. Pursuant to statute, OPLA serves as the exclusive representative of DHS in removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review litigating cases involving criminal aliens, terrorists, human rights violators, and other priority aliens. OPLA also provides a full range of legal services to all ICE programs and offices.

OPLA attorneys provide legal advice and prudential counsel to ICE personnel on their law enforcement authorities, legal liability under the Federal Tort Claims Act and Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Fed. Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971), the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act, ethics, and a range of administrative law issues, such as contract, fiscal and employment law. OPLA attorneys represent the agency before the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Contract Board of Appeals. OPLA attorneys support the Department of Justice in the prosecution of ICE cases and in the defense of civil cases against ICE.

The selected attorney will immediately be given significant responsibilities and will be expected to craft legally supportable policies to address the needs of agency operational components. The attorney will be expected to routinely provide timely legal opinions to ICE officers and agents, management, and leadership within OPLA, ICE, and DHS's Office of the General Counsel Headquarters. The selected attorney will be required to assess litigation risk and provide litigation support to the Department of Justice.

As a General Attorney, you will perform the following duties at the full performance level :

• Represent the United States Government in removal proceedings before immigration judges, frequently involving applicants for asylum or for other forms of relief under immigration laws;
• Provide expert legal counsel in the interpretation of highly complex immigration and customs laws including comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of statutory, regulatory and case authorities;
• Prepare cases for litigation by conducting legal research; prepare pleadings, motions, briefs, stipulations, affidavits, and other legal documents;
• Prepare witnesses for litigation; conduct direct examination and cross examination; present oral arguments advancing ICE's legal position; negotiate the disposition of cases with opposing counsel; and advise the Chief Counsel and / or Deputy Chief Counsel on cases potentially warranting deferred action or other exercise of prosecutorial discretion;
• Construct litigation reports for United States Attorney's Offices on civil matters pending in the federal courts involving ICE, and serve as liaison between Department of Justice's Office of Immigration Litigation and the local Enforcement and Removal Field Office on immigration matters pending in the Circuit Courts of Appeals;
• Provide legal advice and support to the other ICE components and litigation support to United States Attorney's Offices in immigration and / or customs matters. The position also involves appellate advocacy before the Board of Immigration Appeals, including the preparation of briefs and other pleadings.

OPLA is committed and will ensure that applicants with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations when appropriate. If reasonable accommodation is required for any part of the application process, please contact the OPLA representative listed on this announcement.

You have the opportunity to identify one location preference . Note that multiple duty locations fall within the area of responsibility (AOR) of each office. Your location preferences are NOT guaranteed. The duty locations offered will be based on the needs of the agency. If you decline the duty locations offered during the official job offer, you will be removed from further consideration.

Retired applicants must be retired on or before the opening date of this announcement.

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies within OPLA.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Qualifications

Dual Compensation Off-Set Waiver for General Attorneys Approved for Rehires :

This announcement is being used to recruit CSRS and FERS annuitants on a limited basis with a waiver of salary offset (if a dual compensation waiver is requested) under certain specified circumstances not to exceed 07 / 31 / 2028 excluding annuitants with early voluntary and buyout retirements.

Annuitants who are reemployed with a salary offset (dual compensation) waiver are eligible for :

Annuitants who are reemployed with a salary offset (dual compensation) waiver are NOT eligible for :

Reemployed annuitants may only receive one appointment per job series.

Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by 11 : 59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time on 08 / 22 / 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-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 :

Bar Membership : You must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a 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.

Education

All applicants must be a graduate of an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Please see Required Documents for more information.

Additional information

This is a not-to-exceed term position and may be extended based on the needs of the agency.

This position is at the full performance level.

Bargaining Unit Status : 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.

One or more positions may be filled using this vacancy announcement.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.