General Attorney

Customs and Border Protection • New Orleans, LA

2d • $74,678 - $163,514 • Onsite

About The Position

This General Attorney position is with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Assistant Chief Counsel in New Orleans, Louisiana. The attorney joins the Office of Chief Counsel, which advises CBP across a broad portfolio of legal matters and provides litigation support to the Department of Justice. The position has a stated salary range of $74,678 (GS-11, Step 1) to $163,514 (GS-14, Step 10), with GS-14 identified as the full performance level.

The attorney provides legal guidance and representation concerning CBP activities at and between ports of entry, including passenger, cargo, airmail, and seaport operations. The work covers customs and admissibility, border searches, immigration, national security and intelligence, ethics, employee matters, administrative proceedings, and civil and criminal litigation. The attorney may also develop and deliver legal training to CBP managers and employees and travel as needed for training or client support in field operating locations.

Requirements

• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Be a graduate of a full course of study at an American Bar Association-accredited law school, or a law school with accreditation that permits graduates to sit for a state bar examination.
• For appointment as a General Attorney, be an active member in good standing of the bar of a U.S. state or territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• Recent law school graduates and attorneys with less than one year of licensed-attorney experience must have a Juris Doctor or equivalent professional law degree and demonstrate superior law student work or activities to qualify at GS-11.
• Superior law student work or activities may be demonstrated by ranking in the top one-third of the graduating class; significant work or achievement on an official law review or journal; moot court achievement or service; full-time or continuous legal-aid participation; significant summer law clerk experience; participation in an Office of Chief Counsel or DHS externship; or other clearly superior legal accomplishment.
• Recent law school graduates not yet admitted to the bar may be appointed as Law Clerks at GS-11 if they meet the specialized education requirements and must be admitted to the bar within 14 months of appointment to be converted to a General Attorney.
• Meet all qualification requirements, including applicable education requirements, by 12/21/2026.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service.
• Applicants not currently employed by CBP must have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates for at least three of the last five years, unless eligible for a residency waiver.
• Pass a background investigation; applicants may be asked about criminal charges or convictions and illegal or non-prescribed controlled-substance use.
• Comply with CBP and Executive Branch ethics standards, including obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity where required.
• Newly hired employees must complete employment-eligibility verification through E-Verify.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal guidance to and legal representation of CBP concerning its activities and functions at and between ports of entry, including passenger, cargo, airmail, and seaport environments.
• Conduct legal research and apply laws, regulations, decisions, and guidance across CBP matters, including forced-labor enforcement, customs duties, taxes and fees, electronic-device searches, immigration admissibility, national security, and intelligence.
• Provide ethics guidance and represent CBP in administrative hearings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, Federal Labor Relations Authority, administrative law judges, and arbitrators.
• Handle administrative matters such as employee discipline, discrimination complaints, collective bargaining agreements, and broker license revocation.
• Support the Department of Justice in civil and criminal actions in federal court by preparing litigation reports, affidavits, and other pleadings; participating in eDiscovery, motion drafting, witness interviews, and mediation or settlement discussions.
• Develop and deliver legal training to CBP managers and employees on CBP operations and legal issues, including information disclosure, search and seizure, investigations, ethics, reasonable accommodations, whistleblower protections, and the Hatch Act.
• Travel as needed for mandatory training, legal support to CBP clients, or training delivery at field operating locations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree