Trial Attorney - Office of Immigration Litigation

Offices, Boards and Divisions

Washington, DC

JobSummary

The Office of Immigration Litigation seeks attorneys eager to work at the forefront of the Department's most significant immigration cases, handling high-impact litigation in federal circuit courts of appeals and many immigration matters in district courts nationwide. Well-qualified candidates may be eligible for a signing bonus of $10,000 or more. All recipients are required to fulfill a service obligation; the length of this obligation will vary based on the bonus amount and other factors.

LowGrade

HighGrade

PromotionPotential

SubAgencyName

Civil Division, Office of Immigration Litigation Branch

OrganizationCodes

DJ/DJ01

Relocation

False

HiringPath

public

MCOTags

TotalOpenings

Many

AgencyMarketingStatement

The Civil Division's Office of Immigration Litigation is responsible for all civil litigation arising under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (INA), as amended (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), and related statutes and regulations. The Office's work involves issues of pressing national importance. Immigration litigation is primarily defensive in nature, with the volume and character of the cases reflecting the varied personal, political, and economic circumstances that bring persons to the United States. OIL's central mission is federal court defense of agency action in immigration removal proceedings in aid of the Department of Homeland Security's immigration enforcement efforts, and federal court defense of individual and class action challenges to immigration laws and programs. The office's current work generally can be categorized across five broad topics - programmatic immigration challenges, review petition challenges to final removal orders, habeas challenges to civil immigration detention in aid of removal, mandamus litigation compelling agency action, and affirmative denaturalization litigation. OIL likewise handles important immigration matters arising under the INA's Terrorism Related Inadmissibility Grounds in support of national security.

TravelCode

ApplyOnlineUrl

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

DetailStatusUrl

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

MajorDuties

The office is led by a Director, three Deputy Directors, and one Associate Director, along with a dynamic group of attorney managers, all who collectively reflect an abiding dedication to public service. Trial Attorney responsibilities primarily involve: coordinating with the agency clients; crafting litigation strategy; conducting necessary pre-trial work; drafting all complaints, motions, answers, and briefs; participating in hearings, oral arguments, and court-ordered discussions; engaging in settlement talks to advance the government's interests; making determinations about whether to seek panel, en bane, or Supreme Court/cert. review of adverse decisions and substantially participating in further review briefing and argument; and handling attorney's fees litigation. OIL's Trial Attorneys likewise contribute significantly as expert consultants on immigration-related inquiries from Congress and the Department. OIL's district court litigation often involves high-profile matters, frequently entails short-fuse/emergency, fast-paced temporary restraining order litigation, and ordinarily requires analyzing substantially complex immigration, administrative, statutory interpretation, and constitutional law issues and principles. In contrast, OIL's appellate court litigation entails responding to motions for stays of removal, filing motions for summary affirmance or dismissal, drafting complex appellate briefs, and appearing for oral arguments throughout the nation. Some examples of the Office's current and anticipated litigation include: defense of challenges to the expansion of streamlined expedited removal procedures implicating border security; increased defense of review petitions in the federal courts of appeals stemming from a substantial backlog of immigration court cases and expansion of interior enforcement efforts and that raise novel, difficult issues about criminal and other removal grounds, asylum and protection law, and the availability of relief under the immigration statute; defense of the Administration's immigration initiatives reflected in recent Executive Orders such as efforts designed to secure the border, in partnership with other Division components; defense of habeas petitions challenging immigration custody and immigration detainers, particularly under the recently-enacted Laken Riley Act; litigation involving the administration of temporary employment authorization, foreign worker and investor programs; investigation and litigation of civil actions to revoke naturalization; and defense of mandamus litigation involving alleged delay of agency action and that has increased dramatically over the last several years. Given the Administration's prioritization and focus on immigration enforcement (reflected in part by several immigration-related Executive Orders signed by the President since January 20), OIL's workload is expected to increase dramatically across most of these categories. The organization works closely with United States Attorney's Offices on immigration related matters, and OIL provides support and counsel to all federal agencies involved in the admission, regulation, and removal of noncitizens under our immigration and nationality statutes, as well as related areas of border enforcement and national security. This is not a remote location position. You will be required to work in person five days a week.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov. OR Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Requirements

Evaluations

Applicant resumes will be reviewed regularly and issued to hiring officials on a rolling basis. If you are interested in applying, it is recommended that you do so early. Multiple positions will be filled from this announcement. We will accept applications through July 10, 2026. Candidate lists will be generated every two weeks and eligible applications received by the cutoff date will be sent to the selecting official. The cutoff dates will be every 2 weeks following May 22. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications. Your application will be evaluated by a reviewing panel. Please Note: The Selecting Official may select additional candidates if more positions become available within 120 days after the closing date of the vacancy. If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12946252.

HowToApply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/10/2026 to receive consideration. 1. Click "Apply Online" to get started. 2. If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one. 3. You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application. 4. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous. 5. You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS. You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS. 6. Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options. 7. After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device. 8. If you opt to upload a document directly, click the "Upload" button and select the document on your device, then wait for the upload to finish. Repeat as needed. Documents must be less than 3 MB each and should be in a compatible file format. 9. Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category. Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed. You can have up to 15 document assignments. 10. Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit. 11. If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required. Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue. NEED HELP? If you need help with USAJOBs or the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help or Application Manager Online Help websites which includes information on managing your account, creating an application, uploading documents, etc.

WhatToExpectNext

You will receive e-mail notifications as your application status is updated by DOJ. However, you can also see your application status any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account and looking on the "Applications" page. Click the position title to expand the display for each application in the list. We strive to extend a final offer of employment within 90 days from the close of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement within 90 days.

RequiredDocuments

You must submit the following documents: Cover Letter Resume showing relevant experience (not to exceed 2 pages) Writing Sample (not more than 15 pages in length, and written in the past 3 years) DD-214 and/or veteran documentation, (if applicable) Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history: Official position title, Employer name and contact information, Start and end dates (including month and year), Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

Benefits

BenefitsUrl

https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/Guide-Me/New-Prospective-Employees/

OtherInformation

Incentives: Signing Bonuses Candidates may be eligible for a signing bonus of up to $42,000, paid as a lump sum upon successful completion of the pre-employment process and onboarding on or before September 6, 2026. Approval of signing bonuses is subject to eligibility and organizational approval. Service Commitment Requirement: GS-0905-11 and GS-0905-12: Four (4) years of service GS-0905-13 and GS-0905-14: Three (3) years of service Candidates who do not fulfill the required service commitment will be required to repay the prorated amount based on the portion of service uncompleted as determined by the Division. DOJ EEO Statement/Policy: http://www.justice.gov/jmd/eeos/08-eeo-policy.pdf Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes to resume@benderconsult.com, and reference "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line. Additional information is found at: www.benderconsult.com. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

KeyRequirements

WithinArea

False

CommuteDistance

ServiceType

AnnouncementClosingType

AgencyContactEmail

brandon.l.cox@usdoj.gov

SecurityClearance

Top Secret

DrugTestRequired

True