Trial Attorney

Hiring Organization

Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD)

Hiring Office

Environmental Crimes Section

Attorney Appointment Type

Attorney Permanent

Job ID

ENRD-26-066-EXC

Location:

150 M Street, NE

Washington, DC 20002 - United States

Application Deadline:

Friday, October 16, 2026

About the Office

The Energy and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking experienced criminal litigators for its Environmental Crimes Section in Washington, D.C.

Job Description

Attorneys in the Environmental Crimes Section prosecute complex criminal cases (including fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, money laundering, etc.) against individuals and corporations that violate laws designed to protect the environment, the United States' critical natural resources, animal welfare, and American workers.

The Section is at the forefront of raising public awareness that environmental crimes are substantial crimes, which left unchecked threaten human health and the environment. The Section works with Assistant U.S. Attorneys in all 94 U.S. judicial districts and multiple federal law enforcement agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to enforce statutes including the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the Lacey Act, the Animal Welfare Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Section attorneys handle all aspects of investigative and litigative work, from advising agencies on long-term undercover investigations to grand jury presentations, discovery, motions practice and trial.

Attorneys from the Section are also engaged in capacity building to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes both domestically and internationally. Consistent with the Section's practice, individuals selected will be responsible for handling a range of matters, including some of the most complex cases the Section handles. This position will allow the individual to use his or her superior legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills in all aspects of investigation, negotiation, motions practice and trial.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and be a U.S. citizen or national.

Applicants must have at least 4 years of post J.D. criminal litigation experience to qualify for the GS-15 grade level. Applicants must have litigated a minimum of three criminal trials. As part of the online assessment questionnaire, you will be asked to provide a brief summary of at least three criminal trials you have litigated to include the jurisdiction, the nature of the offenses, and a summary of the results.

Experience as a Federal, State or Local prosecutor or defender is preferred. The ideal candidate will possess not only the requisite criminal litigation experience, but also an interest in environmental protection and enforcement.

YOUR RESUME MUST provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Application Process

How you will be evaluated

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

Veterans: There is no formal rating system for applying veteran preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veteran preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veteran preference must include that information in their resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions.

Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf\_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes the following:

• Resume (not to exceed two pages) demonstrating relevant experience and month/year the experience was obtained
• Cover letter with brief statement of interest
• Writing sample
• Copy of J.D. degree transcripts
• Responses to the online questionnaire
• DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation, if applicable

Your resume MUST include full employment information such as periods of employment with month/year started and ended, title of position(s), part-time hours worked, and description of duties. If you have Federal employment, you must include the grade of the position(s).

How to Apply

You must apply online through USAJOBS. Click on the APPLY Online button. Follow the prompts to answer a few questions and submit all required documents by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

Applicants must submit a current resume, cover letter with brief statement of interest, writing sample, law school transcript, and DD-214 (if applicable).

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login ), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/

Internet Sites: For more information about the Environment and Natural Resources Division, visit the web site at: http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd .

This and selected other legal position announcements can be found on the Internet at: https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers

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

The possible salary range for Washington, DC:

GS-15 ($169,279 - $197,200)