Job at a glance
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is one of the best places to work in the Department of Justice (DOJ) and is one of the premier inspector general offices in federal government. The mission of the OIG is to detect and deter fraud, waste, abuse and misconduct in DOJ. The DOJ-OIG Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice on complex issues relevant to general OIG operations and specific OIG audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews.
Major duties: Serve as an OIG OGC attorney primarily assigned to support the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Unit as a client. The attorney will work on matters of national scope that involve the balancing of public access with effective law enforcement. The selected candidate will be required to coordinate with DOJ litigators and U.S. Attorneys' offices across the country. The attorney will ensure that OIG equities are protected in a host of high- profile and complex matters, including those in litigation.
Provides legal advice to, and consults and coordinates with, personnel in DOJ and other federal agencies on issues at the intersection of law enforcement and civil litigation with an emphasis on FOIA and other information disclosure-related matters, including in complicated multi-agency FOIA and Privacy Act (PA) cases. To that end, drafts, edits, and reviews legal documents, including briefs and declarations, relating to FOIA and PA cases in litigation and keeps others within the OIG, as well as Department leadership, apprised of the status of litigation.
Provides guidance in the development and establishment of FOIA/PA policies and procedures to ensure that significant FOIA/PA issues are identified and addressed. Provides legal advice and guidance in connection with classification reviews, especially those that may impact release of information pursuant to FOIA requests. Provides legal advice and guidance regarding records and information retention and related issues as needed.
Provides support to the OIG FOIA Unit and the OIG General Counsel as needed to advance the OIG mission. Assists with other OGC responsibilities as assigned. Education: All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov.
A J.D., or equivalent, degree. Applicants who possess an equivalent degree rather than a J.D. may be subject to additional review by the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management.