General Attorney (Honors)

⁠​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌⁠The U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel (OGC), is seeking applications for its 2027 Honors Attorney Program. Honors Attorneys at the U.S. Department of Commerce provide legal advice and counsel to help the Department meet its strategic goals in its broad mission to promote U.S. commerce at home and abroad. See Qualifications Above. The Honors Attorney Program offers new law graduates and recent law graduates completing judicial clerkships or fellowships a unique opportunity to complete a two-year rotational program before being assigned to a permanent position in one of OGC's many practice areas. Six-month rotational opportunities will provide each Honors Attorney with substantive and challenging assignments and broad exposure to Commerce's diverse mission and the work of a Cabinet-level agency. On each rotation, Honors Attorneys will work in one of nearly two dozen programmatic and administrative legal offices, including:

Employment Litigation and Information (ELI) is responsible for all litigation brought by or against the Department and oversees matters involving information law. The office is comprised of three divisions: the Employment and Labor Law Division, the General Litigation Division, and the Information Law Division.

Ethics Law and Program (ELP) is accountable for administration of Commerce's government ethics program.

Legislation and Regulation (L&R) manages the Department's legislative and regulatory legal functions.

Office of Accountability (OA) is responsible for ensuring that the Department maintains the highest standards of performance and conduct across its 40,000+ person workforce.

Transactions and Program Management's (TPM) isthree divisions provide legal services and guidance to the Department's senior leadership and bureau program offices regarding procurement, real property, financial assistance, interagency, and other special agreement transactions with outside parties and represents the Department in any litigation arising from procurement and real property matters.

Commercial Law Development Program's (CLDP) mission is to advance U.S. business interests and national security objectives around the world by providing technical assistance, advisory services, and sector planning support to improve the legal and regulatory conditions for trade and investment.

Office of the Chief Counsel for Economic Affairs (OCC-EA) provides legal advice to the Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs (OUS/EA) and supports OUS/EA's efforts to maintain the highest possible quality Federal statistical system, communicate a vision of the key forces at work in the economy and the opportunities these forces create for improving the well-being of all Americans, and support the information and analytical needs of the Department and the Executive Branch.

Office of the Chief Counsel of the Economic Development Administration (OCC-EDA) serves the legal needs of EDA, the agency that leads the Federal economic development agenda by making strategic grants-based investments.

Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement & Compliance (CC-TEC) is the principal legal advisor to Enforcement & Compliance (E&C), a unit within the International Trade Administration, regarding legal issues that arise during antidumping (discriminatory pricing) and countervailing duty (foreign government subsidization) administrative proceedings.

Office of the Chief Counsel for Industry and Security (OCC-IS) provides legal support to the Department of Commerce, particularly the Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), including BIS's Export Administration, Export Enforcement, and Information and Communications Technology and Services offices.

Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce (OCC-IC) provides legal support to the Department of Commerce, particularly the Department's International Trade Administration (ITA), including ITA's three business units, Enforcement and Compliance, Global Markets, and Industry and Analysis.

Office of the Chief Counsel for National Institute of Standards and Technology (OCC-NIST) supports NIST, which is directly related to advancing the scientific and technical capabilities of the commercial infrastructure of the United States.

Office of the Chief Counsel for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (OCC-NTIA) is responsible for the development and administration of the NTIA legal program.

Office of the Chief Counsel for Semiconductor Incentives (OCC-SI) provides advice and assistance to the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) within the Department.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility is limited to graduating law students and recent law school graduates who entered judicial clerkships, graduate law programs, or qualifying legal fellowships within 9 months of law school graduation. To be eligible for our next program starting in September/October 2027, you must be a U.S. citizen graduating from law school in Spring 2027 or a recent law school graduate completing a judicial clerkship or fellowship in Summer 2027.