Attorney Advisor (Compliance Staff)

U.S. Department of Justice -
Washington, DC

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Job Details

Permanent
$102,415 - $197,200 a year
6 days ago

Qualifications

Full Job Description

Hiring Organization

Office of Information Policy (OIP)

Attorney Appointment Type

Attorney Permanent

Job ID

ATC-2026-1

Location:

441 G Street, N.W.
6th Floor
Washington, DC 20530-0001 - United States

Application Deadline:

Thursday, September 3, 2026

About the Office

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking experienced attorneys to work in the Office of Information Policy (OIP), located in Washington, DC. OIP manages the Department’s responsibilities related to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which includes coordinating and implementing policy development and compliance government-wide for the FOIA, processing FOIA requests for the senior leadership offices within the Department, adjudicating all administrative appeals from denials by any Department component under the FOIA, and assisting in the defense of certain FOIA matters in litigation. OIP attorneys may be assigned/reassigned to any one of several distinct but inter-related teams based on mission-critical office needs. Those teams include: the Administrative Appeals Staff, which adjudicates administrative appeals from Department components’ FOIA determinations; the Initial Request (IR) Staff, which processes FOIA requests on behalf of the Department’s leadership offices; the IR FOIA Litigation Staff; which handles FOIA requests subject to litigation; or the FOIA Compliance Staff, which supports the Office’s responsibilities to oversee and encourage government-wide compliance with the FOIA.

Job Description

OIP is hiring Attorney-Advisors GS-0905 - 12/13/14 to work on its FOIA Compliance Staff. The attorney will perform legal, policy, and technical work to support the Office’s responsibilities to oversee and encourage government-wide compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The responsibilities will include interpreting and applying laws, executive orders, regulations, precedents, and agency practices relating to the FOIA. Specific responsibilities may include:

Supporting OIP’s work on FOIA and open government efforts, including policy guidance, projects related to FOIA.gov, the Chief FOIA Officers Council, and other initiatives.
Working directly with agencies to ensure compliance with the FOIA’s statutory reporting obligations.
Assisting in the completion of DOJ’s specific FOIA reporting obligations, which include drafting an Annual FOIA Report, Chief FOIA Officers Report, and Litigation and Compliance Report.
Reviewing and synthesizing agencies’ final Annual and Chief FOIA Officer Reports to draft annual summaries and assessments of agencies’ FOIA administration.
Reviewing compliance inquiries submitted by the public concerning agencies’ FOIA implementation and working directly with the agencies and requesters to resolve issues and provide appropriate guidance.
Assisting in managing the Office’s websites and social media, including developing and posting web content.
Providing instructional training and guidance to various federal agencies regarding compliance with the FOIA.
Conducting legal research and providing legal advice involving inquiries and assignments related to the FOIA.
Developing a mastery of assigned area(s) of expertise and updating corresponding section(s) of the United States Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act.
Maintaining awareness of developments in FOIA and Privacy Act law, regulation, and policy.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent), be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).

Preferred qualifications: It is preferred that applicants have knowledge of and a demonstrated interest in the Freedom of Information Act and have administrative law. Candidates must have at least one-year pertinent FOIA experience to qualify at the GS-13 level; at least two years' pertinent experience to qualify at the GS-14 level. Promotion potential to a GS-15.

Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, tax and credit checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Applicants will be required to qualify for a Top Secret security clearance.

Application Process

Applicants are required to submit a cover letter (highlighting relevant experience and justifying interest in the position), resume (not to exceed two pages), and a writing sample containing a brief or comparable analytic legal exposition that is your work. Resumes should include a detailed description of employment history, to include dates of employment (month/year). Materials should be submitted as one combined PDF file.

Applicants are encouraged to email application to: Laurie Day at [email protected].

No telephone calls please. Please reference ACT-2026-1 in your cover letter and put your name in the subject of the email. Applications must be received no later than 11:59 PM (ET) September 3, 2026.

Otherwise, please send to:

ATTN: Laurie Day

Office of Information Policy

441 G Street, NW

6th Floor

Washington, D.C. 20530

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Salary

GS-12 - GS-14 ($102,415 - $187,093) with promotion potential to a GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200)

See: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2025/DCB.pdf

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