General Attorney

Customs and Border Protection • Chicago, IL

1d

About The Position

The General Attorney is a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), Office of Associate Chief Counsel, Great Lakes Region. The region’s offices are in Buffalo, New York; Detroit, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois. OCC attorneys advise CBP across a broad portfolio of legal matters and represent the agency in administrative proceedings, while providing litigation support to the Department of Justice.

The position provides legal guidance and representation concerning CBP activities at and between ports of entry, including passenger, cargo, airmail, and seaport operations. The attorney researches and applies laws, regulations, decisions, and guidance across customs and admissibility, border searches, immigration, national security, and intelligence. The work also includes ethics advice, representation in administrative proceedings, support for civil and criminal federal litigation, and delivery of legal training to CBP personnel.

The advertised salary range is $74,678 (GS-11, Step 1) to $163,514 (GS-14, Step 10), with a full performance level of GS-14. Promotion eligibility is subject to time-in-grade and performance requirements and does not guarantee promotion. Travel is required as needed for training and legal support at field operating locations. A two-year trial or probationary period may be required.

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 the graduate 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 qualifying at GS-11 must possess a Juris Doctor or equivalent professional law degree and demonstrate superior law student work or activities through at least one of the listed qualifying achievements.
• Recent law school graduates appointed as Law Clerks must be admitted to the bar within 14 months of appointment to be eligible for conversion to General Attorney.
• Meet the applicable U.S. residency requirement: physically reside in the United States or its protectorates for at least three of the last five years, unless eligible for an exception or waiver.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Pass any required background investigation and comply with CBP drug-testing procedures.
• Meet all qualification requirements, including education requirements where applicable, by January 6, 2027.

Nice To Haves

• Veterans’ preference eligibility is considered a positive factor in the hiring process.
• 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; qualifying moot court participation or achievement; continuous full-time participation in a legal aid program; significant summer law clerk experience; participation in an OCC or DHS externship; or other evidence of clearly superior legal accomplishment or achievement.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal guidance to and represent CBP in matters involving its activities at and between ports of entry, including passenger, cargo, airmail, and seaport environments.
• Research legal issues and apply laws, regulations, decisions, and guidance across the CBP portfolio, including customs and admissibility, forced labor enforcement, customs duties and fees, border searches of electronic devices, immigration, 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 as agency counsel in civil and criminal federal court actions, including by preparing litigation reports, affidavits, and pleadings and 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 involving CBP employees.

What This Job Offers

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