There are four main avenues through which 3Ls/4Es seek post-graduate federal government employment:

Direct Hiring – Aside from Honors Programs, the main "formal" conduit for finding and applying for federal jobs is The U.S. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Official Job Site, called USA Jobs.  Individual agency websites also post attorney positions.  See Tips to Make Your USA Jobs Application a Success for suggestions regarding federal resumes. For a general discussion of federal job-searching websites and tips for success, watch this presentation by a representative of the Federal Government's HR office.  Graduating students may wish to consider government jobs for which a law degree and/or legal experience may be useful but not a requirement, such as Analyst jobs, Paralegal Specialist, Hearings and Appeals Specialist, Contract Specialist, Labor Relations Specialist, and Estate Tax Examiner.  See Attorneys in the Federal Service on USA Jobs for information. 

Networking - Federal agencies do not have to post attorney positions on USA Jobs. Internships, externships, and networking with contacts at federal agencies will help you to learn about opportunities not shared with or open to the general public.  Watch this video from The Pathways to Government Series:  Beyond Government Honors Programs: How to Apply and be Hired for Entry-Level Federal Jobs to learn more.

The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program – PMF is a competitive program that recruits masters, law, and doctoral-level students to policy and management jobs (not attorney positions) in the federal government.  Students must apply in the October of their final year of school.  See the OPICS PMF website for details.

Honors Programs – Many federal agencies hire new attorneys primarily (and sometimes solely) through an “Honors Program.”  A number of agencies interview for their Honors Programs at OPICS’ annual Government Interview Program.  The most comprehensive resource for post-graduate Honors Program is The University of Arizona 2010-11 Government Honors and Internship Handbook, which provides application information and deadlines for federal, state and local honors programs, and has deadline tables arranged alphabetically by agency and by class year. Deadlines for post-graduate applications are as early as the first week of September of your 3L year.

Recruiting Programs for Entry-Level Jobs

Government Interview Program (GIP) – Federal, state and local government agencies preselect students to interview them for paid 2L summer and post-graduate jobs.  GIP registration takes place on Symplicity over the summer, and the interviews are conducted at the Washington Court Hotel in September.

Equal Justice Works Career Fair – Held each October in DC, the Equal Justice Works Career Fair is the largest annual gathering of public interest and government employers in the nation.  Approximately 150 employers conduct prescheduled interviews and informal information exchange with law students from across the country.

Public Sector Recruiting Program – The Public Sector Recruiting Program is a daylong job fair at which Georgetown and George Washington law students interview for summer internships and permanent positions with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public interest law firms.  The Program consists of prescheduled interviews, table talk (informal information exchange), and a resume collection option for employers that cannot interview at GW.

State and Local Government Resources

PSLawNet – See the PSLawNet State and Local Government Resources page.  Also, use the "Search Organizations" tool, combined with "Government" and a state/City, to find government agencies and contact information.

The OPICS Guide to Internships & Entry-Level Employment at Attorney General Offices Nationwide

OPICS Prosecution and Public Defender Practice Area pages

State and Local Government on the Net – Provides access to thousands of websites for state agencies and city and county governments. 

Careers in State and Local Government (Harvard's Office of Public Interest Advising)

USAJobs.gov – Provides websites for State, Local, and Tribal government organizations.

ABA Section of State and Local Government Law – An association for lawyers involved in urban, state, and local government law and policy.  Lawyers representing government agencies nationwide utilize the ABA Section of State and Local Government Law to access information on issues that relate to their practice.

 

 

 

 

Revised 10.6.10 (nav)