Join the fast-paced federal litigation practitioners of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) District Court Litigation Division (DCLD) and leverage your legal experience to protect the homeland. This position may offer up to $50,000 in signing and retention bonuses. Applicants should indicate their location(s) preference in their cover letter. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.
Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time on 09/02/2025. Please note that qualification claims will be subject to verification. In light of the nature of DCLD's work, attorney assignments are fast-paced, high-profile, and need to be addressed in real-time. The attorneys selected in response to this announcement will be given significant responsibilities on an immediate basis. Selectees must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities, characteristics, and competencies: adept at prioritizing multiple assignments, exercising sound legal and practical judgment, efficiently producing quality legal analyses of complex and novel legal issues, and working effectively in a fast-paced environment both individually and as part of a team. Applicants should also demonstrate the ability to take initiative and work in a reliable, decisive, and professional manner. 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. The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 C.F.R. § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs.
OPLA is the largest legal program in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), employing nearly 2,000 attorneys nationwide. OPLA provides a full range of legal services to all ICE programs and offices and serves as the exclusive representative of DHS in removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Selected attorneys will primarily serve as DHS's agency counsel by representing agency interests in civil litigation and through the adjudication of administrative tort claims. DCLD attorneys work closely with the DHS Office of the General Counsel Headquarters (OGC HQ), other DHS component legal offices, and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) entities, such as Civil Division, including the Office of Immigration Litigation, Torts Branch, as well as U.S. Attorney's Offices throughout the nation. District Court Litigation Division (DCLD) attorneys: Manage federal civil litigation against ICE and cases that otherwise impact ICE equities; Assist ICE personnel, OGC HQ, and DOJ in all aspects of federal civil litigation, including: the development of legal strategy and arguments, motion practice, discovery, settlement negotiations, trials, and appeals in cases ranging from common-law torts suits, lawsuits under and Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Fed. Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971), and suits seeking injunctive or declaratory relief under the Constitution, including class actions; Adjudicate administrative claims for personal injuries and property damage pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2671-2680; Provide oral and written guidance to ICE leadership and employees, and conduct training, regarding litigation risks; and Represent ICE's interests in litigation-related discussions with other agencies and DHS components. Selected attorneys will immediately be given significant responsibilities and will be expected to craft persuasive, legally supportable positions to address the needs of agency operational components. Selected attorneys will be expected to routinely provide timely legal opinions to ICE officers and agents, division management, and leadership within OPLA, ICE, and the DHS OGC HQ. Selected attorneys will also provide litigation support to DOJ.