Trial Attorney (National Courts)

Hiring Organization Civil Division (CIV) Hiring Office National Courts Attorney Appointment Type Attorney Permanent Job ID AT-13093913-27-PRF Location: Washington, DC 20005 - United States Application Deadline: Friday, November 6, 2026 About the Office The National Courts Section is one of the largest, oldest, and most active litigating sections in the Department of Justice.

It is one of five sections of the Civil Division's Commercial Litigation Branch. The Civil Division is regularly voted one of the top places to work in the annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government survey.

Job Description The National Courts Section handles complex trial and appellate litigation involving government contracts, constitutional claims, procurement challenges, government pay and personnel suits, veterans' and other benefits appeals, international trade and tariff matters, and customs fraud enforcement.

It is among the Department of Justice's busiest litigating components, conducting many trials and hundreds of trial and appellate court arguments each year.

Attorneys primarily represent the United States in three forums, the Court of Federal Claims, the Court of International Trade, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, although depending upon subject-matter, attorneys may also appear in district courts and regional circuit courts, as well as the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals. As an office with a national practice, travel should be expected.

The National Courts Section is seeking one or more litigators to represent the United States in all aspects of "first chair" trial and appellate litigation.

At the trial stage, attorneys personally manage their own cases, conduct fact investigations, work with expert witnesses, serve and respond to written discovery, take and defend depositions, write all substantive and procedural briefs, conduct all aspects of trial, and present oral argument in the United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Court of International Trade.

Attorneys also personally handle all aspects of appeals in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, both appeals from the aforementioned trial courts as well as appeals from other fora that may have been handled outside National Courts at the trial stage.

As noted, attorneys also occasionally handle matters within the Section's various areas of expertise in other Federal district and circuit courts, as well as in administrative tribunals. In addition, attorneys first-chair alternative dispute resolution proceedings and settlement negotiations, and recommend settlements of litigation when appropriate. For larger cases, attorneys work collaboratively as members of trial teams.

Whether handling trial cases and appeals as counsel of record or as part of a trial team, all attorneys work closely with counsel from Federal client agencies.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), be a U.S. citizen. The minimum years of post-law degree experience commensurate with the grade level of eligibility is shown below.

Possessing the minimum post law degree legal experience does not guarantee the applicant will be selected at that grade level

• GS-13 - minimum 1.5 years post-JD legal experience
• GS-14 - minimum 2.5 years post-JD legal experience
• GS-15 - minimum 4 years post-JD legal experience

Preferred qualifications: Applicants should have excellent writing, negotiation, and interpersonal skills; exhibit good judgment, and have experience in trial work. Judicial clerkship experience is desirable.

Trial Period Statement

As a condition of employment for accepting this position in accordance with section 11.5 of Executive Order 14284, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Application Process

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/06/2026 to receive consideration.

Click link: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/889314400

You must submit the following documents:

• Cover Letter
• Resume showing relevant experience (not to exceed 2 pages)
• Writing Sample (not more than 10 pages in length, and written in the past 3 years)
• DD-214 and/or veteran documentation, (if applicable)

1. Click "Apply Online" to get started.

2. If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one.

3. You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application.

4. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous.

5. You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS.

You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS.

6. Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options.

7. After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device.

8. If you opt to upload a document directly, click the "Upload" button and select the document on your device, then wait for the upload to finish. Repeat as needed.

Documents must be less than 3 MB each and should be in a compatible file format.

9. Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category.

Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed.

You can have up to 15 document assignments.

10. Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit.

11. If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required.

If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side).

Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.

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

$121,785.00 to $197,200.00 Per Year; Unless you have prior federal experience, you will likely be appointed at step 1 of the applicable pay scale.