Law Clerk (Honors)

Federal Housing Finance Agency

Washington, DC

JobSummary

The employee shall serve as a Law Clerk in OGC as a participant in the agency's Legal Honors program. Under the supervision of senior legal staff, the Law Clerk will conduct legal research; draft legal opinions, regulations, regulatory guidance, and other documents; interpret federal statutes and regulations; and provide legal advice on matters related to all aspects of FHFA's operations. *This posting is intended for candidates that haven't been admitted to the BAR*

LowGrade

HighGrade

PromotionPotential

None

SubAgencyName

Office of General Counsel (OGC)

OrganizationCodes

OT/HFHA

Relocation

False

HiringPath

public

MCOTags

AgencyMarketingStatement

Join U.S. Federal Housing and Make a Difference! At U.S. Federal Housing, we are driven by a deep commitment to public service and the belief that everyone deserves access to safe, sustainable, and affordable housing. Our mission is to ensure that the housing government-sponsored enterprises - Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks - operate in a safe and sound manner so they can serve as a reliable source of liquidity and funding for housing finance and community investment across the nation. When you join U.S. Federal Housing, you become part of a team that plays a critical role in building a stronger, more efficient housing finance system. You'll contribute to work that directly impacts millions of Americans - advancing homeownership and supporting communities. U.S. Federal Housing fosters a high-performing workplace where every employee is respected, valued, and empowered to succeed. We proudly uphold our core values, and we recognize the dedication of our workforce through a culture of excellence, collaboration, and service. Bring your talent to U.S. Federal Housing and be part of something bigger - protecting the American dream of home ownership.

TravelCode

ApplyOnlineUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/Apply

DetailStatusUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/ApplicationStatus

MajorDuties

This program is available to current law school students who expect to complete their degree by June 2026, full-time graduate students in their final year of study in a program that began immediately upon completion of law school and who have not yet been admitted to the bar, and December 2025 law school graduates who have not yet been admitted to the bar. Successful completion of the J.D. from an American Bar Association accredited law school will be required to begin the program. Office of General Counsel The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice and representation to every office in FHFA regarding all aspects of FHFA's activities and operations. The Law Clerk (Honors) will work on assignments from each of the branches within OGC: Mission Branch supports FHFA's activities as supervisor and regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks, and the Office of Finance, including with respect to safety and soundness, charter compliance, executive compensation, and their housing and community investment missions; as conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; and as a member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Also supports the agency's legislative activities. Operations Branch provides overall direction, coordination, leadership, and representation on ethics, procurement and contracts, employment, trademark, mortgage fraud, Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act, data, research, and statistics and other administrative law matters. Litigation Branch provides oversight of litigation related to FHFA. Major Duties & Responsibilities General Duties: Analyze issues, conduct research, and prepare memoranda for senior attorneys on a wide variety of legal issues. Develop, draft, and/or review documents such as legal opinions, regulations, policies, guidance, and related documents, legislation, contracts and other agreements, correspondence, pleadings, legal briefs, and other documents of importance to the agency. Review and interpret legislation, regulations, and policy. Work as part of a collaborative team with fellow legal staff, support staff, and subject matter experts on issues related to assigned areas of law or policy, including attending meetings with colleagues across FHFA. Research, analyze, and evaluate legal issues pertaining to FHFA in order to prepare legal documents, reports and memoranda for review, approval, and use by the General Counsel or other senior legal staff. Consult various electronic and hardcopy sources, including statutes, regulations, and case law. Research, assemble, and summarize legislative histories on issues of interest to FHFA staff. Perform legal research by utilizing a wide variety of electronic and hardcopy resources including electronic search engines and resources on the Internet. Contact other regulatory and federal agencies to obtain information relevant to FHFA issues. Cite-check, proofread, and edit legal opinions and other OGC documents. Assist senior attorneys in litigation matters, including conducting research, drafting, and/or reviewing pleadings, and implementing strategies to address emerging challenges. Attend meetings with regulated entities and external parties on matters related to assignments, as appropriate. Perform other duties as assigned.

Education

ARE YOU USING YOUR EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Requirements

Evaluations

This position is in the excepted service. All applicants meeting the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the selecting official for consideration. Veteran's preference does not apply to this series. We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12911347 All of the information you provide will be verified by a review of the work experience and/or education as shown on your application forms, by checking references or through other means, such as the interview process. This verification could occur at any stage of the application process. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempts to conceal information may be grounds for rating you ineligible.

HowToApply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement: A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/13/2026 to receive consideration (if there is a cap on the number of applications, the announcement may close earlier. If this is the case, be sure to apply as soon as possible). To successfully apply to this announcement, please follow these steps: To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. When submitting your documentation, make sure your resume is updated and contains all relevant experience (and dates that the experience was obtained). Ensure that your resume describes experience that is directly related to the Specialized Experience Statements found in the "Qualifications" section of the announcement. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the "Include Personal Information" section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Once you have submitted your application package, write down the announcement number and control number. Please also ensure that you are using a current or relevant email address, so that any communication or updates regarding the announcement can be received. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Ryan Stanger at ryan.stanger@fhfa.gov or 771-233-7320 to obtain an alternative application.

WhatToExpectNext

After all application packages have been received, we will review your materials to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided in his/her resume and the completed Occupational Questionnaire. Applicants will be reviewed based on Merit Promotion or US citizen described above. Applicants referred may be contacted for an interview. We anticipate making a final job offer for this position within 45 days after the deadline for applications. All candidates will be notified of the final disposition. Political appointment: Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the executive branch, you MUST disclose that to the Human Resources Office. ***There may be multiple vacancies available. However, should additional vacancies become available within three months from the opening date of this announcement, eligible applicants for this position may be referred for consideration for the additional position(s). Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for FHFA to share your application with others in FHFA for similar positions*** FHFA may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. This announcement may be used to fill like positions in other organizations within the Federal Housing Finance Agency or at other agencies across the Federal government.

RequiredDocuments

FHFA's application process has been specifically developed to ensure that we only ask you for the information we absolutely need to evaluate your qualifications and eligibility. All applicants are required to submit the following supportive documents: 1. Your Resume: If you have not written a federal resume before, you may want to check out the new USAJOBS Help Center links (USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirements & USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?), as they detail what you should, and should not, include in your resume. Below you will find some of the required information that you should include in your federal resume: Contact Information: Your name and the best way to contact you. Relevant work experience: Job experience should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement. Education, certifications or licensures: If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure you include the required information on the resume. Other important information regarding your resume: As a part of the Executive Order 14170 titled, "Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service", all applicant resumes must be 2 pages or less. The long-form Federal resume style is now prohibited under this Executive Order. To be compliant with this guidance, please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Due to the new 2-page resume limitation, finalists for this position may be asked to provide additional previous employment information for pay setting purposes. 2. Law School Transcripts, Required 3. Other supporting documents: Cover Letter, optional Important Notes: Utilize the preview feature of USA Jobs to view your documents and ensure the formatting remains and all documents are legible. Additional materials will not be accepted after the announcement closes (e.g. updated grades, updated resume, etc.). Your full name must be clearly visible on all documents. Do not submit encrypted documents. Tips: Encrypted documents do not transmit properly through USA Jobs. We recommend, you save the document as a new PDF or Print to PDF to ensure the document comes through properly and is displayed properly using the USA Jobs preview feature. If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualification. Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Benefits

BenefitsUrl

https://www.fhfa.gov/about/careers/benefits

OtherInformation

Appointments for Law Clerks are 14-month temporary positions, pending admission to a Bar in at least one State, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or territory. This is NOT a remote position; you MUST live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location. Once bar admission is obtained, the Law Clerk will be reassigned, in their temporary position, into an EL-11 Counsel position. Upon bar admission and successful completion of the program, the employee may apply for available vacancies in the Office of General Counsel. FHFA is looking to fill multiple of these temporary positions. This position is in the excepted service. Veteran's preference does not apply to this series. An Overview of FHFA's Benefits provides a summary of benefits for the current fiscal year. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx). FHFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability (physical or mental), age (40 years of age or over), genetic information, parental status, marital status, prior protected EEO activity, political affiliation, or other non-merit factors. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: FHFA provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, except when doing so would pose an undue hardship on the Agency. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify FHFA. The Agency's decision on granting a reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. reasonableaccommodations@fhfa.gov Ethics: FHFA employees are subject to government-wide ethical standards of conduct, financial disclosure requirements, and post-employment prohibitions. In addition, certain FHFA employees are prohibited from accepting compensation from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for a two-year period after terminating employment with FHFA. Furthermore, to avoid financial conflicts-of interest or the appearance of conflicts-of-interest, FHFA employees may need to divest or sell certain assets they, their spouse, or minor children own or control, including securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or the Federal Home Loan Banks. Employees who work on Federal Home Loan Bank issues may need to sell or divest financial interests with any of the Federal Home Loan Bank members, which may include stock in bank holding companies, insurance companies, and other financial services firms. Questions regarding these requirements and prohibitions should be directed to the Office of General Counsel at (202) 649-3088. In accordance with the Fair Chance Act, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) may not request, in oral or written form, that an applicant for an appointment to (FHFA) disclose criminal history record information before the appointing authority extends a tentative offer to the applicant. Allegations of FHFA violations of this Act may be submitted to fairchanceactcomplaints@fhfa.gov or to Fair Chance Act Complaints, Office of Human Resources Management, Employee Relations Branch, FHFA 400 7th Street, SW Washington DC 20219 within 30 days from the agency employee's alleged non-compliance with the law.

KeyRequirements

WithinArea

False

CommuteDistance

ServiceType

AnnouncementClosingType

AgencyContactEmail

ryan.stanger@fhfa.gov

AgencyContactPhone

771-233-7320

SecurityClearance

Other