Summary The Honors Attorney Program position is located in the Legal Division of the FDIC. The Program allows students in their final year of law school, new law school graduates in a post graduate program, and recently graduated judicial clerks to learn and work in support of the FDIC's mission. Additional selections may be made from this vacancy announcement to fill similar vacancies that occur subsequent to this announcement. Responsibilities At the full performance level, major duties include: Providing legal research and analysis. Demonstrating knowledge of corporate, commercial, constitutional, and administrative law, as well as knowledge of statutory construction. Preparing legal documents such as complaints, motions, briefs, and regulations, and legal memoranda/forms. Completing assigned tasks and projects of limited scope and complexity designed to develop skills and proficiency. Preparing legal opinions on a wide variety of subjects. Requirements Conditions of Employment Registration with the Selective Service. U.S. Citizenship is required. Employment Conditions. Completion of Financial Disclosure may be required. Minimum Background Investigation (MBI) required The candidate selected will be offered a time limited appointment not to exceed 14 months which may be extended to a maximum of two years upon acquiring bar membership. Additionally, if you are not admitted to the bar within 14 months of appointment, the appointment terminates. Qualifications Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. 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. Additional qualifications information can be found here. For qualification determinations, your resume must contain the following for each work experience listed: Organization/Agency's Name Title Salary (series and grade, if applicable) Start and end dates (including the month and year) Number of hours you worked per week Relevant experience that supports your response to the specialized experience that is stated in the job announcement If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position. NOTE: Please indicate how you meet the specialized experience under each applicable position. Do not copy and paste the duties or specialized experience from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications. To qualify for the Honors Attorney Program, you must meet the following qualification criteria. Please read below to determine the grade at which you would qualify based on your education and experience: CG-11: 1.) A current law school student in the final year of law school graduating from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school between December 2025 and June 2026, or a full-time graduate student in the final year of study which began immediately following law school; and 2.) Be in at least the upper thirty-three percent (33%) of your law school class and/or have an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least a 3.00 unrounded based on a scale of 4.00. NOTE: If your law school does not calculate class rank, and also does not provide traditional grades or a GPA, you should include a link to the school's grading policy and should provide a narrative explanation of how your law school performance correlates with our requirements. CG-12: 1.) A J.D. degree from an ABA-accredited law school; and 2.) A current judicial law clerk, who's judicial clerk experience began no longer than nine months after law school graduation and has been no longer than three years in length; and 3.) Be in at least the upper thirty-three percent (33%) of your law school class and/or have an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 unrounded based on a scale of 4.00. Note: If your law school does not calculate class rank, and also does not provide traditional grades or a GPA, you should include a link to the school's grading policy and should provide a narrative explanation of how your law school performance correlates with our requirements. Admission to the bar is not a prerequisite to applying and being considered for the Honors Attorney Program, but is expected during the first 14 months of FDIC employment. Recent law school graduates who join the FDIC before bar examination results are available must provide evidence of bar admission as soon as possible after admission. Those not admitted to the bar within 14 months will be separated from the FDIC. Education See requirements stated under QUALIFICATIONS. Additional Information To read about your rights and responsibilities as an applicant for Federal employment, click here. Selected candidates will be assigned to our headquarters offices in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, VA. The Honors Attorney Program appointment is for a period not to exceed 24 months. While a permanent appointment beyond the temporary 24-month appointment cannot be guaranteed, successful completion of the Honors Attorney Program may lead to a permanent appointment in the FDIC's Legal Division. If at the time of successful completion of the Honors Attorney Program and permanent appointment in the FDIC's Legal Division, an Honors Attorney is permanently assigned to a regional office duty station, relocation benefits may be available. If selected, you may be required to serve a trial period. During the trial period, you will be evaluated for 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.
