Lateral Attorney

Attorneys at the CIA provide legal advice and policy counsel on a variety of legal issues relating to intelligence and national security law and other routine practices of an executive agency.

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.
• OGC prefers that lateral attorneys have a law school GPA of at least 3.0 for schools on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent on other scales.

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides legal advice and policy counsel to the Director of the CIA (DCIA) and other CIA officers on a variety of legal issues, to include intelligence and national security law; procurement and acquisition law; employment and personnel law; government ethics; fiscal law; general administrative law; privacy and civil liberties, and legislative affairs.

As an attorney, you will be responsible for:

• Providing legal advice and policy counsel to CIA leadership on complex areas of law affecting the CIA's duties and responsibilities under authorities including the National Security Act, the CIA Act, and Executive Orders.
• Conducting legal research and analysis on sensitive matters.
• Providing training on a variety of laws and policies affecting CIA personnel.
• Engaging with other Intelligence Community elements, federal agencies, and congressional committees.
• Maintaining productive working relationships with other OGC and Agency officers to further CIA's mission.

Minimum Qualifications

Interested candidates should be passionate about the ideals of our American republic, committed to upholding the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, and committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government. Hiring decisions will not be based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

• Active membership of the bar (any US jurisdiction).
• Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation
• Demonstrated experience of at least three years in one or more of OGC's practice areas.

Desired Qualifications

• All candidates are reviewed for the following competencies:
  • Legal analysis, reasoning and writing, including the ability to effectively integrate and synthesize facts and law to make legally sound decisions, including in compressed timeframes.
  • Interpersonal and communication skills.
  • The ability to work both independently and as a team member in a demanding environment.
  • The ability to exercise sound judgment in challenging situations.
  • Ability to navigate changing circumstances.
  • Ability to effectively manage multiple work assignments and competing priorities concurrently.
  • Ability to develop and maintain collaborative working relationships inside and outside the CIA.
  • Demonstrated expertise on complex legal matters, and strong client counseling skills, in one or more of the following practice areas: Constitutional Law, Government Contracts, Employment Law, Ethics, Fiscal Law, FOIA, International Law, Investigations, Litigation (Federal), Privacy Law, Operational Law, Surveillance Law, and Tech/Cyber Law.
• Lateral (or mid-career) hires have more than three years of post-law school experience and work on the most complex legal issues in the Agency.
• Please note other OGC job postings on CIA.gov tailored to specific practice areas (e.g., government contracts, employment law, etc.). Candidate may apply to a specialty practice area through the tailored job postings. This "Lateral Attorney" job posting is an opportunity for generalist candidates to highlight experience in multiple practice areas.