General Attorney - Recruitment / Relocation Incentive Authorized

Summary

Organizational Location : These positions are with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Chief Counsel, located in Washington, DC, Houston, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, Nashville, TN, Del Rio, TX., San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, and Tucson, AZ.

Summary

Organizational Location : These positions are with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Chief Counsel, located in Washington, DC, Houston, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, Nashville, TN, Del Rio, TX., San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, and Tucson, AZ.

Overview

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Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

12 / 05 / 2025 to 12 / 29 / 2025

Salary $88,621 to - $161,889 per year Pay scale & grade GS 12 - 14

Locations

10 vacancies in the following locations :

Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

San Diego, CA

San Francisco, CA

Show morefewer locations (9)

Washington, DC

Indianapolis, IN

Albuquerque, NM

Nashville, TN

Austin, TX

Dallas, TX

Del Rio, TX

Houston, TX

San Antonio, TX

Remote job No Telework eligible No Travel Required Occasional travel - You will be required to travel as needed for any mandatory training, and to provide legal support to or on behalf of CBP clients or to deliver training, in various field operating locations. Relocation expenses reimbursed Yes-You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy. Appointment type Permanent Work schedule Full-time Service Excepted

Promotion potential

14

Job family (Series)

• 0905 Attorney

Supervisory status No Security clearance Not Required Drug test No Financial disclosure No Bargaining unit status No

Announcement number OCC-26 / 11-DE-12842699-LLE Control number 851350800

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

The public

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Duties

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This position is that of a Title Attorney within the Office of Chief Counsel (OCC) Washington, DC, Houston, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, Nashville, TN, Del Rio, TX., San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, and Tucson, AZ. OCC is one of the Government's largest and oldest legal offices. OCC attorneys work on cutting-edge legal issues and provide critical advice across the CBP portfolio, including trade enforcement, search and seizure, immigration, and government ethics. They also represent the agency in labor and employment matters and provide litigation support to the Department of Justice.

This position starts at a salary of $88,621.00 (GS-11, Step 1) to $161,889.00 (GS-14, Step 10) with promotion potential to $ 161,889 (GS-14, Step 10).

In this position, you will become a key member of the legal team of the Office of Chief Counsel. Typical work assignments include :

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Qualifications

Specialized Education : Applicant must be a graduate from a full course of study in a School of Law accredited by the American Bar Association and 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.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process by 12 / 29 / 2025.

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.

Background Investigation : U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a federal law enforcement agency that requires all applicants to undergo a thorough background investigation prior to employment in order to promote the agency's core values of vigilance, service to country, and integrity. During the screening and / or background investigation process, you will be asked questions regarding any felony criminal convictions or current felony charges, the use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, methamphetamines, ecstasy), and the use of non-prescribed controlled substances including any experimentation, possession, sale, receipt, manufacture, cultivation, production, transfer, shipping, trafficking, or distribution of controlled substances. For additional information, review the following links : Background investigation and the e-QIP process.

Residency : There is a residency requirement for all applicants not currently employed by CBP. Individuals are required to have physically resided in the United States or its protectorates (as declared under international law) for at least three of the last five years. If you do not meet the residency requirement and you have been physically located in a foreign location for more than two of the last five years, you may request an exception to determine if you are eligible for a residency waiver by meeting one or more of the following conditions :

Education

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Additional information

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive Newly appointed eligible General Attorneys may be offered a recruitment incentive up to $50,000.

Current CBP General Attorneys may be eligible to receive a relocation incentive up to 25% of base pay. A service agreement is required for all incentives.

Career Progression : As a General Attorney, the full performance level is GS-14. General Attorneys are eligible for promotion to the next GS level after serving a minimum of one year at their current GS level, and at a minimum, have a "Meets Expectations" performance rating. Once a General Attorney reaches the full performance level of GS-14 and meets time in grade and performance standards, they may compete for a GS-15 position, such as senior attorney or a supervisory attorney position.

Trial / Probationary Period : You may be required to serve a trial / probationary period of 2 years.

Travel : You will be required to travel as needed for any mandatory training, and to provide legal support to or on behalf of CBP clients or to deliver training, in various field operating locations.

This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process (Excepted Service) and is not in the competitive civil service.

Veterans Preference : There is no formal rating system for applying veteran's preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however the Office of Chief Counsel considers veteran's preference eligibility as a positive factor in the hiring process.

Positions with known promotion potential do not guarantee promotion, nor is the promise of promotion implied.

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 CFR § 213.3102(u), and / or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 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. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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Learn more about OCC's mission, core values and careers at https : / / careers.cbp.gov / s / career-paths / occ / occ-attorney

Review our benefits

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will be rated based on their education, experience, demonstrated legal research and writing abilities, and performance during the interview process, which may include personal interview(s) and a writing exercise.

Benefits

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Learn more about OCC's mission, core values and careers at https : / / careers.cbp.gov / s / career-paths / occ / occ-attorney

Review our benefits

Required documents

Required Documents

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You must include the following information (in addition to specific information requested elsewhere in the vacancy announcement) to receive consideration for this position :

Cover letter : Your application package must include a cover letter expressing your interest in this position and desired duty location. Please do not exceed two pages. Application packages received without a cover letter will not be given consideration.

Resume : A resume describing your job-related qualifications is required and will be used for the purpose of reviewing your qualifications and determining grade setting. A resume in English is required. It must contain your full legal name, announcement number, veteran's preference, phone number, email, the last four digits of your Social Security Number, relevant work history including a detailed description of your duties, the dates you performed those duties (MM / DD / YY), your hours worked per week, job title, as well as series, grade, and salary (if applicable). For additional required items, see the link.

Transcripts : From an ABA approved law school or equivalent are required. Education must be from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Education obtained from a foreign university or college is not creditable unless it has been evaluated by an organization that specializes in interpretation of education credentials. If submitting documentation of an evaluation, transcripts are still required. Note : Official / unofficial transcripts will be considered when applying for the position. However, if selected for the position, an official law school transcript will be required at the time of selection. For a listing of some accrediting agencies, please see http : / / www.naces.org / members.htm. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications for more information.

Writing Sample : A writing sample is required as part of the application package and may not exceed five pages.

It is your responsibility to verify that information submitted (i.e., resume, veterans documentation, and SF-50's) is received and accurate and must be in English. Applications and supporting documentation will only be accepted by e-mail at the address listed under the "