Criminal Justice Information Law Attorney - NICS Program

The FBI's Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is seeking experienced and highly qualified attorneys to join its exciting and challenging legal practice. OGC provides legal advice to the entire FBI, including the Director, FBI Headquarters officials and agents in the 56 domestic field offices, on a wide range of substantive issues. OGC works closely with other elements of the Department of Justice, other members of the Intelligence Community, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and the White House. OGC also assists the FBI in forming partnerships with other federal, state, local and international agencies, as well as private sector entities, in support of FBI operations.

Criminal Justice Information Law Unit (CJILU): Located in Clarksburg, West Virginia. This unit provides legal advice and support to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. It contributes and provides legal support concerning criminal justice information sharing to many programs including, but not limited to, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Next Generation Identification (NGI), National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and the National Threat Operations Center (NTOC). The NICS is a national system established pursuant to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 which provides a means of checking available information to make an immediate determination as to whether a person is disqualified from possessing or receiving a firearm or permit under federal or state law. CJILU is seeking attorneys who have experience and familiarity with an emphasis on the NICS and these other criminal justice information systems, dissemination and access to criminal justice information, the ability to analyze complex issues of state and federal laws, and the desire to learn new technologies that require in depth analysis.

Mission:
The mission of the FBI is to protect the American People and uphold the Constitution of the United States.

GS 13/14

• Provides guidance regarding services by the FBI CJIS Division;
• Conducts legal research and prepares written analysis on relevant topics;
• Consults and provides comprehensive legal guidance to CJIS clients on criminal justice information systems, access and sharing; and
• Advises clients verbally and in writing on legal issues relating to subject matter covered by unit.

In addition to the above duties:

GS -15

• Serves as a legal expert regarding legal issues faced by the FBI CJIS Division;
• Briefs executive management on legal conclusions derived from complex factual analysis and comprehensive legal research;
• Takes the lead on client initiatives and recognizes when other legal equities need to be incorporated; and
• Develops and evaluates legislative, regulatory, and other policy proposals that implicate criminal justice information issues.
  

Key Requirements:

• Must be a U. S. citizen
• Must be able to obtain a Top-Secret/SCI clearance
• Selectee will be required to complete form FD-887, Request for Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI)
• Selectee will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450 annually.
  The Department of Justice will approve candidates that are selected for this position.

Please ensure work experience/requirement(s) are identifiable in the resume. The resume and supporting documentations will determine whether the candidate meets the job qualifications listed in this announcement. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements at the time of application.
Applicants deemed most competitive will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration.

All applicants are rated on the following competencies:

• Analytic Thinking
• Communication
• Governance and Legal Jurisprudence
• Leadership
• Oral/Written Communication
• Research

BASIC REQUIREMENT:

• Possess a law degree from an accredited American Bar Association law school; and
• Proof of active membership and good standing with any U. S. jurisdiction bar association

Positive Education Requirement: This position has a specific education requirement; all applicants must verify completion of this basic requirement by submitting proof of J.D. degree and proof of good standing with a U. S. jurisdiction bar association. Please see the “Required Documents: section of this announcement for additional information.

Education: Applicant must possess a J.D. degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (or have a LLM degree or other graduate law school degree in additional to J.D.) and be an active member of a U.S. jurisdiction bar association.

GS-13: Applicants applying for the GS-13 must have 1.5 or more years post J.D. attorney experience.
GS-14: Applicants applying for the GS-14 must have 2.5 or more years post J.D. attorney experience.
GS-15: Applicants applying for the GS-15 must have 4 or more years of post J.D. attorney experience.

NOTE: All FBI employees must undergo an FBI Background Investigation and receive an FBI Top Secret security clearance. For employment eligibility with the FBI, applicants must not violate any of the automatic employment disqualifiers, and adhere to the FBI's pre-employment drug policy. Please ensure you meet these standards before submitting an application. All of these disqualifiers are extensively researched during the FBI Background Investigation Process. The preliminary employment requirements include a polygraph examination; a test for illegal drug use; credit and records checks; and extensive interviews with former and current colleagues, neighbors, friends, professors, etc. Before applying for this position, please make sure that the FBI Employment Disqualifiers do not apply to you. https://www.fbijobs.gov/working-at-FBI/eligibility

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes the following REQUIRED documents:

Please Note: FBI employees currently assigned to a General Attorney position do not need to provide Law School Transcripts or Proof of Bar Association Membership.

• Step 1 - Create a new email and attach all required electronic documents. Include contact information (phone number) and a brief introduction (2-3 sentences) in the body of the email.
• Step 2 - Title the subject of the email using the following format, indicating whether you are an internal or external candidate. (Example: OGC_CJILU_2026_External/Internal)
• Step 3 - Submit the completed application email to OGC-JOBS@fbi.gov.

What to Expect Next:

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. The Most Competitive candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. You will be notified of your status throughout the process.

Internal Applicants Additional Information:

• Management may select any grade for which this position is announced.
• Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties.
• Probationary employees are precluded from being considered for all job opportunities until 12-months of their 24-month probationary period has concluded. Probationary employees may be considered for competitive vacancies that are advertised within their respective division or field office after serving 90 days within the FBI.
• Candidates will not be considered if currently on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP); a Letter of Requirement (LOR); or failed a PIP or LOR and are currently awaiting the final action by HRD.
  1. A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a 90-day written developmental plan for an employee whose performance on one or more critical elements is rated “Unacceptable.”
  2. A Letter of Requirement (LOR) is issued when a supervisor identified leave abuse and/or when frequent absences negatively impact operations of the office.
• Limited Movement: Policy has been implemented wherein support employees entering a position through competitive OR non-competitive action may be precluded from moving to another position within the Bureau by means of reassignment or change to lower grade for a minimum of 12 months.
• Relocation expenses will be borne by the selectee, except FBI employees returning from LEGAT assignment. Employees returning from LEGAT assignments must advise the Staffing Unit, Administrative Unit, and the International Operations Unit of their application to apply.
• On December 22, 2017, the Presidential Administrative signed into law the Tax cuts and Jobs Act. This law may impact your transfer.
• This legislation may previously non-taxed moving expenses reimbursement taxable as of January 1, 2018. Please see HR Link for the list of FBI’s current understanding of the applicable tax changes. However, this may change upon receipt of official guidance from GSA and DOJ.
• Current law provides the FBI with the authority to compensate employees for much of the tax burden caused by a transfer through the Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) possess, in an effort to identify way to minimize the additional tax burden on transferring employees.
• Candidates receiving a transfer of physical location, whether at the expense of the FBI or not, will be required to complete a one-year commitment to the assignment, prior to moving to a new position at the FBI. The 12-month waiting period begins the day an employee reports for duty at the new location.
• Employees selected for positions at the GS-14 level or higher, as well as employees selected for positions where a transfer of location is required, will be processed through the name check program prior to being notified of their selection.
• Memorandum of Understanding: Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on a SF-50, i.e. back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished, no credit will be given for the time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation (Memorandum of Understanding):
  • Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties)
  • The month/year work began
  • Frequency worked (i.e. daily, monthly, etc.)
  • Specific duties performed

Attach the Memorandum of Understanding to your application in the “Cover Letters and Attachments” section of My Career Tools on the Careers Home page. Please upload the attachment as type “Other.”

External Applicants Additional Information:

• The FBI is in the Executive Branch of the federal government. It is one of the components of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The FBI is the principle investigative arm of the DOJ. All FBI positions are in the excepted service.
• Applicants must be a U. S. citizen and consent to a complete background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph. You must be suitable for Federal employment; as determined by a background investigation.
• Failure to provide necessary and relevant information required by this vacancy announcement may disqualify you from consideration. Additional information will not be requested if your application is incomplete. Your application will be evaluated solely on the basis of information you have submitted.
• Management may select any grade for which this position is announced.
• Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties.
• If you are hired, you will be required to serve a two-year probationary period. Probationary employees are precluded from being considered for all job opportunities until 12-months of their 24-month probationary period has concluded. Probationary Employees may be considered for competitive vacancies that are advertised within their respective division or field office after serving 90 days within the FBI. The probationary periods will be served concurrently.
• Memorandum of Understanding: Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on a SF-50, i.e. back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished, no credit will be given for the time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation (Memorandum of Understanding):
  • Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties)
  • The month/year work began
  • Frequency worked (i.e. daily, monthly, etc.)
  • Specific duties performed
  
  

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Relocation Expenses:

• Internal (FBI): Selected candidates will be offered a 20% relocation incentive, will be required to sign a one-year service agreement, and will need to provide proof of residency that verifies their new geographic area relocation. In addition to relocation expenses, cost transfer expenses, determined by the HRD Transfer Unit, may be borne by the FBI. To be eligible, the candidate must move 50 miles or more to the location. Proof of change in residency will be required.
• External: FBI may authorize up to a 25% recruitment incentive for non-government candidates and 20% relocation for current federal employees. Candidates will be required to sign a one-year commitment agreement prior to moving to the new position. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Clarksburg, WV

• GS-13: $106,437.00 - $138,370.00
• GS-14: $125,776.00 - $163.514.00
• GS-15: $147,945.00 - $192,331.00

Washington, DC

• GS-13: $131,785.00 - $158,322.00
• GS-14: $143,913.00 - $187,093.00
• GS-15: $169,279.00 - $197,200.00