Entry-Level (Honors Program) and Experienced Attorneys - Conditions of Employment

You are eligible to apply for the Attorney General’s Honors Program this year if you are a law student who will graduate between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025; or you are a joint degree law student who will complete all academic requirements for both degrees and graduate from both programs between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025; or you are a  law school graduate who preserved your eligibility by accepting or participating in a full-time judicial clerkship, a full-time qualifying legal fellowship, or a full-time graduate law program, and who meets other eligibility requirements.  For a more detailed explanation, view the Honors Program Eligibility Requirements.

Not necessarily. Entry-level attorneys are required to pass a bar and be an active member of a bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) within 14 months of entry on duty. You must, therefore, attend a law school whose graduates are eligible to sit for a bar exam. If the state in which your law school is located allows only candidates from accredited law schools to sit for the bar exam, your law school must be accredited. If the state in which your law school is located (e.g., California) allows candidates from all law schools in that state to sit for the bar, accreditation is not required. While this is a general policy, some hiring components may specifically require graduation from an ABA accredited law school.

Entry-level attorneys: All Honors Program attorneys are required to pass a bar examination and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) within 14 months of entry on duty.  Incoming hires not yet admitted to a bar may enter on duty under a special appointment authority for "law clerk/trainees" for a period not to exceed 14 months. Only one 14-month Executive branch federal appointment pending bar admission can be approved. This can affect Honors Program attorneys who are hired for two-year clerkships (e.g., for an Immigration or Administrative Law judge) or for other time-limited Honors Program positions who then reapply to the Honors Program and law school graduates who participated in Honors Programs sponsored by other federal agencies. Some U.S. Attorneys' Offices (USAO) that hire Honors Program attorneys may require them to become admitted to the bar of the state in which the respective USAO is located.

Experienced attorneys must be an active member in good standing of a bar of any U.S. jurisdiction. In addition, USAOs frequently have specific residency and bar admission requirements. Some USAOs to require Assistant U.S. Attorneys to be admitted to the bar of the state where the USAO is located.

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 .  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 excepted service 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.

All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years.  The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive.   Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.  This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.

No. If you are eligible for one, you are not eligible for the other.  Justice has, however, unified its Honors Program and SLIP applications into one system to permit limited transfers from the Honors Program applicant pool to the SLIP applicant pool. This affects recent law student graduates who are applying for judicial law clerkships, legal fellowships, or graduate law programs following law school graduation but who have not yet accepted a clerkship or been accepted into a graduate law program prior to the DOJ application deadline . Initially, those applicants will be considered through the Honors Program for an entry-level position following law school graduation.

If, after the September application deadline but before the Department finalizes its SLIP selections, an Honors Program applicant accepts a judicial clerkship, or is admitted to a graduate law program, then the online system will permit that applicant to re-access their application for the limited purpose of adding clerkship data (e.g., name of the court, name of the judge, start and end dates of the clerkship) or graduate law program data (e.g., the law school, type of degree program, start and end dates), and requesting transfer out of the Honors Program applicant pool and into the SLIP applicant pool. The hiring components will be notified of the change electronically.

If you are currently in law school, will graduate between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025, and are applying for a judicial clerkship, legal fellowship, or full-time graduate law program following graduation, then you have two options. If you already have accepted a judicial clerkship, legal fellowship, or have been accepted into a full-time graduate law program, then you may apply for the Summer Law Intern Program for the summer of 2025 (between graduation and the start of your clerkship or graduate law program). If you have not yet accepted a clerkship or been accepted into a full-time graduate law program, then you should apply to the Honors Program. If your clerkship, fellowship, or graduate law program is finalized after the application deadline but before the Department finalizes its selections, you can return to the online system and transfer your Honors Program application to the Summer Law Intern Program. For a more detailed explanation, view the Honors Program Eligibility Requirements.

Gap Years: An increasing number of judges hire students for law clerk positions that start one to three years after graduation. This can result in a gap of time that can affect Honors Program eligibility and the Department’s timing requirements. If you have accepted a clerkship (or other employment) that starts one to three years post-graduation, you may still apply to the Honors Program, but only to time-limited positions that can be fully completed before your clerkship (or other employment) begins. You may not apply to permanent Honors Program positions. Honors Program positions are listed as “permanent” or “time-limited” (with the duration) on the Participating Components webpage. In addition, please note:

• After the Honors Program deadline, if you accept a judicial clerkship (or other employment) that would result in a gap year(s) you may continue to be considered for any time-limited positions to which you applied that will be fully completed before your clerkship/employment begins, and
• You must withdraw from consideration for all permanent positions or any time-limited positions you would be unable to complete prior to the start of your clerkship/employment. 

The Department of Justice uses an online application that you can access electronically.  We strongly recommend that you review the eligibility criteria before applying.  Individuals with disabilities or special needs who need an accommodation may leave a voice mail message at (202) 514-8900 or email AskOARM for assistance.

The application opens on July 31st. This year's deadline for receipt of electronic applications is Tuesday, September 3, 2024 (11:59 p.m., Eastern time; 10:59 p.m. Central; 9:59 p.m. Mountain; 8:59 p.m. Pacific). Due to the volume of applications submitted just prior to the deadline, we encourage you to apply early to avoid late submission associated with potential server problems associated with last minute submission. The time recorded by Avue Digital Services, which hosts the online application, is the official time for all deadline determinations.  The Department does not accept late, hard copy, faxed, or mailed Honors Program applications.

Honors Program applicants who participated in the 2024 Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) who anticipate that they may receive a funnel offer into the Honors Program may want to consider deferring final certification and submission of their Honors Program application until later in the application period, but prior to the application deadline, so that they can list the issuing component as an employment preference.  All SLIPs who accept a funnel offer MUST also apply to the Honors Program for continuity in management and tracking. We cannot accept applications after the deadline. We regret that we cannot make any exceptions.

Individuals with disabilities or special needs who need an accommodation may contact OARM at (202) 514-8900 or contact us via email at AskOARM@usdoj.gov.

For attorney opportunities at DOJ, please review the Department’s Legal Careers website to search the listed vacancies. Potential candidates are encouraged to apply directly to advertised vacancies. To be considered under the Schedule A, 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u) hiring process, interested attorney candidates, i.e., law school graduates who are an active member of the bar of any U.S. jurisdiction, are advised to contact a Disability Point of Contact (DPOC) for information about an office’s hiring process, including the requirements and qualifications for attorney positions. For additional information, see the Disability Hiring webpage.

The Attorney General’s Honors Program (HP) and the Schedule A, 5 C.F.R. §213.3102(u), authority for persons with disabilities are two separate hiring processes with separate eligibility requirements. To be considered for an entry-level position through the HP, you must apply via the online application between July 31 and the annual application deadline. HP applicants who self-identify as having a disability or a targeted disability, and provide consent, may be considered by all components participating in the HP, not just those components the candidate selected on their application. Applicants are normally limited to selecting up to three (3) formally participating components.

Experienced attorneys should follow the instructions listed in the vacancy announcement for each position for which they apply.

Unless otherwise indicated, Honors Program positions are permanent. Some components also offer time-limited positions. Time-limited appointments may, at the component's discretion, be extended or converted to permanent positions without further competition. All attorney hires must meet applicable bar membership requirements and require a favorable suitability and security determination. Please review the list of participating components for more information, Legal Careers | Honors Program Participating Components (justice.gov)

Component participation in the Honors Program varies from year to year.  View a list of participating components for the current Honors Program cycle. The list includes the estimated number of available attorney positions and office locations.

Most of the Honors Program attorney positions are based in Washington D.C. Components that may hire for positions outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area include the Antitrust Division, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the U.S. Trustees’ Offices, the Gaye Tenoso Indian Law Fellowship, and the United States Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs)

All eligible applications are automatically referred to the components candidates select on their application. The application permits candidates to select up to three formally participating components to consider their application. Some components are hiring for more than one location, or ask applicants to specify practice areas, or sections. If you designate one of these components as an employment preference, you have only used one of your three choices, even if you designate multiple locations, practice areas or sections. In addition, some hiring offices participate informally in the Honors Program. Informal participation indicates that the listed component may or may not be able to move forward to hiring, depending on budget and other circumstances, or may be interested in hiring outside the regular recruitment timeline, but wishes to identify a pool interested candidates.  Applicants may opt to be considered by an informal participant by checking a box on the application. This does not count as one of the applicant's three employment preferences.

We estimate that it will take most applicants at least an hour to complete and review their application.  It may take another hour to gather the information necessary to complete the application.  This estimate does not include the time it will likely take to respond to the two essay questions in the application.  Applicants are encouraged to submit thoughtful essays that demonstrate strong writing ability, and a readiness and desire to work for Justice.  Care in drafting the responses to the essay questions will take time. Prior to beginning the application, we recommend that you review the application tips and checklist to ensure that you have the information you will need to complete the application.

Yes. When you log onto the application, you create a user profile accessed by a unique password of your choice.  Please be sure to create only one account and make a note of your password, as you will need it to access the application in the future. If you create multiple accounts, you may receive both accurate and erroneous "status updates," linked to the multiple applications.  Prior to submitting your application, you may enter and exit from the application an unlimited number of times, and update or change your application provided you save your changes on the application program. You may print a blank application, a partially completed application, or your completed application. But once you certify your application and submit it, the program will not permit you to make further substantive changes. 

We strongly recommend that you print a copy of your application and review it carefully prior to submission. The Department does not accept duplicate applications or later corrections to your application, other than updates to your contact information (e.g., address, telephone number, email address). To amend a submitted application, you must withdraw that application and, prior to the application deadline, submit a new one.  We do not accept late applications.  We regret that we cannot make any exceptions.

We do not accept resumes as part of the online Honors Program application. We do require applicants to attach their law school transcript.  The transcript must be legible, may be official or unofficial, but must be generated by the law school or downloaded and attached as a pdf from a law school system.  We do not accept applicant-created "grade reports" or similar documents. Transcripts may not be password protected. Letters of recommendation are not required at the time of application, unless indicated, and are never attached to the application (requesting components provide submission instructions). All applicants are required to provide contact information for three references. Writing samples are not required at the time of application. 

If a component selects you for an Honors Program interview, you should comply with the component interview requirements regarding writing samples and other documents. 

Experienced attorneys should follow the application instructions for the position for which they apply, and submit resumes, letters of recommendation, writing samples or cover letters as directed by each vacancy announcement.

Once your application is submitted electronically, you will receive an e-mail message confirming the Department’s receipt of your application using the e-mail address you designated in your submitted application.

• If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check your status online. If your status does not indicate that your application was submitted, check your online application to confirm you properly submitted it. If you still experience problems, or your online status does not reflect submission, contact Avue Digital Services using the “Live Chat” or “Help” links on the top and right of the application screen for assistance.

 It is extremely important that you maintain the e-mail address you designate in the application throughout the hiring process, as the Department will use that address in future correspondence, including notification of selection or non-selection for interviews.  Also, when you receive your email confirmation, we strongly recommend that you add the sending address to your personal address book. This reduces the chance that future messages issued by the Department are not screened out by a spam or junk mail filter used by your school, internet provider, or security system.

To protect the integrity of the information you submit on your application, the system does not permit substantive changes once an application has been certified and submitted.  Prior to the application deadline, you may withdraw a submitted application, make the changes you desire, and resubmit.  However, after the application closes, this is no longer an option. Only contact information (e.g., e-mail address, telephone number, address) can be updated after the application deadline. There is a limited ability to update the application to add judicial clerkship or graduate law program information for Honors Program applicants who wish to transfer to the Summer Law Intern Program; however, this function is only available for a few weeks post-deadline. 

Individual applicants may check on the status of their Honors Program applications by logging on to their application online at www.avuedigitalservices.com/dojoarm/applicant.html. Individual Honors Program applicants will be able to see the following status updates: notification of receipt of the application; notification of selection for an interview; notification of selection or non-selection as a component finalist; and upon acceptance of an offer.

Following an eligibility review, applications are referred to all Justice components identified by the applicant. Each component selects its interview candidates independently based on its mission and hiring needs. Final interview lists are based on the number of vacancies to be filled, and the amount of funding for interview travel.

Individuals are selected for the Honors Program on the basis of multiple factors, including academic achievement, writing skills and experience (e.g., law review), the ability to reason independently and creatively (e.g., moot court competition), clinical/volunteer and work experiences that relate to the specific work of the Department, and extracurricular activities that indicate a candidate's legal acumen and commitment to public service. Successful applicants are those with well-rounded backgrounds illustrating academic achievement, intellectual and analytical thinking ability, and commitment to the work of Justice.

There are graduates from virtually all of the ABA-accredited law schools working at Justice. Graduates from non-accredited law schools are eligible for employment provided they are admitted to practice before the bar of any State or federal jurisdiction.  View a list of law schools whose graduates were recently hired by Justice through the Honors Program.

The Department’s policy in excepted service career attorney hiring is to select the best qualified applicant for the position in terms of skills, background, knowledge, and relevant experience. Excepted service attorney positions within Justice are wholly exempted from the appointment procedures of 5 C.F.R. Part 302; however, Justice follows the principle of veterans’ preference in its attorney hiring procedures as far as administratively feasible and treats veterans’ preference eligibility as a positive factor at all stages in the hiring process.  If you are a veteran and wish to contact someone in the Department’s Veterans Employment Program Office, call (202) 514-0349.

Applicants who are selected for an interview will see a status change online (on their Avue application) that lists the selecting component(s).  Candidates also will receive an electronic message to the e-mail address listed in their application providing guidance on interview scheduling and requirements.  

• Interview Scheduling: All interviews, except those with certain U.S. Attorneys' Offices, are centrally scheduled, including those for candidates who reside in the local commuting area. Interviews are virtual. The notification e-mail will provide instructions on how to schedule interviews. Upon receiving notice from OARM and checking online to identify the components that selected you for an interview, you must complete and submit an Interview Scheduling Form. Click here for additional details on the interview process.  

The online status for individuals who are not selected for an interview will continue to show that the application was received until such time as all hiring components confirm they have completed their selections.  At that time, the Department will send an email message to applicants who are not selected for interview and change their online status. Please note that this notification pertains only to those components that formally participate in the Honors Program. Some components, generally smaller offices, participate informally in the Honors Program. Due to late determination of vacancies or available funding, these components may offer interviews to individuals who previously were notified that they were not selected for an interview.

You should comply with the requirements specified by the interviewing component. These requirements, which may include electronic submission of specific types of writing samples prior to the interview, will be part of the initial notification issued by the Department. Preview the component interview requirements for more information.

Interviews are virtual and will take place on workdays in late October and early November. The Department does not interview on weekends or federal holidays or after normal business hours. 

There is some flexibility in scheduling the interview time and date; however, the Department may not be able to accommodate a request for a specific date. You will be able to list your preferred interview dates and whether you prefer a morning or afternoon interview on the Interview Scheduling Form you submit to schedule your interview. The Department tries to honor the dates you indicate but the component's availability is a critical consideration in scheduling. There are no interviews on weekends or federal holidays. We recommend you list any absolute scheduling conflicts on the Interview Scheduling Form and, if necessary, contact the scheduler whose name will be provided to you to discuss available options if your final schedule is problematic.

Components independently determine who will conduct interviews and that information is not centrally maintained. Due to a large volume of interviews, and other mission requirements, scheduled interviewers are subject to change. We recommend you request contact information from your interviewer(s) at the time of the interview if you wish to follow up afterward. Post-interview, you may reach out to the component contact. 

Although there is no set time, we anticipate that most components will make first-round offers about two to three weeks after the end of formal interviews. The majority of the offers will be made from late November through December, but the process often extends into January and beyond.

The Department will notify all candidates who interviewed but were not selected to receive an offer by email, but the timing of this notice varies. Candidates may want to add mail@avuedigitalservices.com to their contact lists to ensure our notification messages are not misrouted to “spam” or “junk” folders. Components make decentralized hiring decisions and frequently issue offers sequentially based on their internal ranking of candidates and the number of positions available. The component may issue a certain number of offers, then, depending on acceptances, may issue a second round, and occasionally a third round of offers. OARM issues final notice of non-selection only after a component reports that it has met its hiring requirements. All notifications are issued electronically.

OARM also posts status updates online and communicates to candidates via the Avue Message Board associated with your application. 

If I receive an Honors Program offer, how much time do I have to respond?

DOJ policy is as follows:

• Honors Program/Summer Law Intern Program offers to current law students will remain open for at least 14 days after the date issued.  Current law students receiving an offer on or before December 1 may extend their response deadline up to an additional 7 days by contacting the issuing office via email to reaffirm their interest in the position and specify the date by which they will respond.  Components have the discretion to extend response deadlines.  Components may withdraw any offer that is not accepted or reaffirmed within 14 days from the date of the offer.  Components may deem an offer declined if the candidate fails to respond by the established deadline (original deadline or extended deadline, as appropriate).
• Honors Program offers to law school graduates will remain open for at least 14 days after the date the offer was issued.  Components have the discretion to extend response deadlines. Components may deem an offer declined if the candidate fails to respond by the established deadline (original deadline or extended deadline, as appropriate).

No. It is inappropriate to interview with the Department for an entry-level attorney position after accepting an offer of employment or a judicial clerkship. The Department hires for the upcoming year and does not defer hiring pending completion of a clerkship. Most law school graduates in their first eligibility preserving activity, however, remain eligible for the Honors Program and may reapply the following year. If it is your first clerkship or fellowship, you may request a transfer to be considered for the Summer Law Intern Program by re-entering your application and adding specific clerkship/fellowship information.  It is possible for a law school graduate to preserve eligibility for the Honors Program for up to three years.  Please visit HP Eligibility Requirements for details.  Applicants who are admitted to a bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and who graduated from law school at least one year earlier may apply to the Department as experienced attorneys at a later date.

The Department, like any other employer, relies on the hiring commitments it receives. We hope that candidates who accept an offer of employment will honor that commitment; however, if you find yourself in this situation, we recommend that you immediately notify the hiring component.

As a general rule, Justice will only defer entry on duty for exceptional circumstances, such as military service or unanticipated family or medical issues. All deferrals require prior written approval, in advance, from the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management and must be requested by the individual through the hiring component.  Most Honors Program candidates who accept judicial clerkships remain eligible for the Honors Program the following year and should reapply at that time. For a more detailed explanation of the eligibility requirements for individuals in judicial clerkships, view the Honors Program Eligibility Requirements.

Because Department of Justice cases are often factually complex and involve difficult legal issues, it is critical to our mission that cases are handled with congruence and that historical knowledge and understanding of cases is maintained.  Incoming attorneys, particularly entry-level attorneys, receive significant training to develop the skills and acquire the experience and knowledge required for proficient handling of investigations and litigation.  Thus, some components request incoming attorneys to commit to a period of service.  For the Honors Program, they are identified on the list of “Participating Components” – and the terms and conditions vary by component. 

All Department of Justice attorneys and legal interns will be subject to a suitability review by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management and, for those candidates whose position requires access to classified materials, the Department's Security Staff will also determine their eligibility for a security clearance. It is important to note that determining a candidate's suitability for employment is different from a decision to grant them a security clearance and, at the Department of Justice, the two decisions are separate. However, both decisions are based on a review of the information provided to the Department by the candidate on their completed security forms, and for those candidates who work at the Department of six months or more, a Background Investigation conducted by the FBI . Usually, this only applies to attorneys, not law student interns.

Both entry level and experienced attorney candidates who accept an offer of employment must undergo a "full field" background investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A background investigation takes approximately 3-4 months to complete, depending on the complexity of the information provided. The investigation is detailed and comprehensive and includes a name and fingerprint check, interviews with references, close personal associates, former spouses, former employers, co-workers, neighbors, landlords, and educational institutions, and a thorough check of credit, military, tax, and police records. Depending on the level of clearance required by the employing organization, the background investigation covers a period of seven to ten years of the candidate's history. Most attorneys start work at the Department on an initial temporary appointment pending completion and favorable review and approval of their background investigation. This initial appointment is based upon a satisfactory review of the candidate's security forms.

The most common suitability issues that arise during the background investigation are:

• Illegal drug use,
• failure to fulfill tax obligations (including filing all tax returns even if you expect to receive a refund),
• failure to comply with financial obligations,
• failure to register for the selective service (male applicants only),
• criminal record, and
• misrepresentations or omissions on the security form.

After an applicant has received an offer of employment from the Department, the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management can offer advice regarding potential suitability problems. In a few unfortunate cases, the Department has withdrawn offers of employment when the investigation process revealed information that precluded a security or suitability clearance.

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 to screen for current illegal drug use prior to entry on duty/start of employment.

A troublesome credit history, past experimental use of controlled substances, and other issues, may not necessarily disqualify a candidate, but resolution of the issues will likely require fuller explanations and additional time. The Department can withdraw an offer of employment if the investigation process reveals information that precludes a security and/or suitability clearance.

Justice attorneys and applicants may quickly access employment-related forms on-line at http://www.justice.gov/oarm/employment-forms.html. Some forms relate to DOJ hiring, pre-employment, and suitability while others relate to annual attorney training or certification requirements. Please follow the links below to find the applicable form. Please note that additional forms, including the standard security form, will be provided to the candidate by the hiring component.

Entry-level attorney salaries may vary based on experience. View Attorney salary, promotion and benefits for more detailed information.

Generally, candidates with non-legal advanced degrees or prior federal service do not automatically qualify for a higher salary. If, however, a component determines that the advanced degree directly relates to your legal work, it might promote you more rapidly than it would have otherwise. On rare occasions, if the prior federal service has a direct and substantial relationship to the candidate's future legal duties, the hiring component may request an exception to policy to offer a higher salary.  

Justice offers a wide range of benefits to its employees including paid holidays, generous vacation and leave, health care coverage and retirement benefits.  View Attorney salary, promotion and benefits for more detailed information.

Yes. Justice currently offers an Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program (ASLRP). The Department may repay up to $6,000 per year for qualifying attorneys up to a lifetime total of $60,000. The ASLRP selects new participants in the spring of each year subject to current budgetary limitations. Entering Honors Program attorneys who can meet a 3-year service obligation may request consideration for the program prior to their arrival and, if selected, a payment will be issued on their behalf after entry on duty. For more detailed information, review the ASLRP policy, eligibility information, and procedures for requesting consideration.