Summary Join a dynamic team of attorneys providing fast-paced legal advice and guidance to clients at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor's (OPLA) Commercial and Administrative Law Division (CALD), and leverage your legal experience to protect the homeland in this ever-evolving area of law. Applicants may apply for positions in one or more locations and should indicate their order of preference in their cover letter. Responsibilities The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) is the largest legal program within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), employing over 3,000 attorneys nationwide to provide a full range of legal services to all ICE programs and offices. OPLA's Enforcement, General Law, and Litigation (EG&L) divisions play a critical role in advancing ICE's homeland security and public safety mission. Through close client engagement, EG&L divisions provide expert legal advice and guidance to ICE personnel responsible for enforcing the nation's immigration, customs, and criminal laws and policies. Counsel in EG&L defend the operational authorities and decisions of ICE officers and agents in federal courts and support the advocacy of ICE attorneys before immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Special emphasis is placed on cases involving criminal aliens, human rights violators, and individuals who threaten national security. Additionally, EG&L divisions advise and provide legal and prudential counsel to a wide range of operational and policy clients within ICE on matters related to contracts, fiscal and information law, as well as ethics and regulatory issues. The Commercial and Administrative Law Division (CALD) portfolio generally encompasses two primary practice areas: procurement and administrative law, based in Washington, D.C., and revenue recovery, based in Williston, Vermont. CALD attorneys directly support the mission of the ICE Office of Acquisition Management, the ICE Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and OPLA oversight of major procurements and fiscal obligations. They are responsible for advising and assisting ICE officials-including the Head of Contracting Activity-in carrying out ICE responsibilities related to acquisition programs and operations. In addition to procurement and fiscal matters, CALD attorneys provide legal counsel and representation in a variety of practice areas, including general administrative law, environmental law, and intellectual property law. CALD also advises the ICE Health Service Corps on issues such as the portability of professional licenses for contract medical service providers, expenditure of appropriations for health care services, Collaborative Practice Agreements with Advanced Practice Providers, and matters involving contract service providers. Procurement and Administrative Law Attorneys: Advise and assist ICE officials in carrying out ICE responsibilities related to acquisition programs and inquiries involving fiscal and appropriations law. Provide oral and written legal advice on all stages of the acquisition process, including acquisition planning, solicitation, award, and contract administration. Litigate bid protests before the Government Accountability Office and claims before the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals. Assist Department of Justice counsel in all aspects of bid protest and claims litigation before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Provide legal counsel and representation in a variety of practice areas, including federal procurement law, fiscal law, appropriations law, suspension and debarment, general administrative law, and intellectual property law. Revenue Recovery Attorneys: Revenue recovery attorneys provide comprehensive legal advice on all matters related to collections on delinquent immigration bond and civil enforcement debts, real estate acquisition and leasing, environmental law, and damages to government-owned vehicles. In this capacity, they: Review breaches of immigration bonds and prepare records of proceedings for demand letters to delinquent bond companies. Represent ICE in hearings before Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) on employee debts. Provide advice and legal reviews on National Environmental Policy Act analyses, historic preservation requirements, and compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Draft purchase and sale agreements and review title and deeds for real estate purchases. Assist Department of Justice attorneys by drafting pleadings, assembling administrative records, and preparing declarations for immigration bond, environmental, and real estate litigation. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time on 05/20/2026. Please note that qualification claims will be subject to verification. Applicants should be able to efficiently produce quality legal analyses of complex and novel issues, exercise sound legal judgment, and prioritize competing assignments. They should be able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team, as well as across work units. Applicants should be detail-oriented and demonstrate a strong interest in supporting and providing exceptional client services to program offices, including law enforcement officers, policymakers, attorneys, and agency senior leadership. The ability to tailor communications to specific audiences is essential. Additionally, applicants should be able to take initiative and work in a reliable, decisive, and professional manner. Applicants should possess the following characteristics and competencies: integrity, sound professional judgment, strong organizational skills, decisiveness, initiative, exceptional client service skills, the ability to function both independently and cooperatively, and superior written and oral advocacy skills. Bar Membership: You must 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. Current or Former Political Appointees: 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. 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 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 C.F.R. § 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. Education Applicants must be graduates of an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) or LLM degree. ???????A student loan repayment incentive may be available, in which case a service agreement will be required. Additional Information Promotion Potential: This position has promotion potential to the GS-15. When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. Bargaining Unit Status: This is a non-bargaining unit position. E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the Excepted Service; however, OPLA considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Financial Disclosure: If you are hired, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days after appointment. Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment, you must complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Background Investigation: DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo a background investigation and successfully obtain and maintain a security clearance at the Secret level as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and tax obligations, and a review of certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. Drug Test: Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan, ICE is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace. All applicants tentatively selected for employment are subject to pre-employment drug testing, and a final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative result. Incentive payments may be available. If an incentive is offered, a service agreement will be required. OPLA will ensure that applicants with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations when appropriate. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the OPLA representative listed in this announcement.
