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Investigative Programs
Office of the General Counsel

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice to the Director and other FBI officials. In addition, OGC personnel research legal questions regarding law enforcement and national security matters and coordinate the defense of civil litigation and administrative claims involving the FBI, its personnel, and its records.

Litigation Branch
The mission of the Litigation Branch is to coordinate the defense of civil actions filed against the United States for the official acts of FBI employees, coordinate FBIHQ responses to subpoenas and civil discovery requests, coordinate the defense of litigation arising out of the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act (FOIPA), and defend the FBI against claims for unemployment compensation, Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, and employee complaints brought before the Merit Systems Protection Board. The Litigation Branch is currently comprised of the following units: Civil Litigation I and II, Employment Law I and II, and the Civil Discovery Review Unit.

Administrative and Technology Law Branch
The mission of the Administrative and Technology Law Branch is to assist the General Counsel in supporting the operational and administrative components of the FBI by providing timely, accurate, and cogent legal advice and counsel on a wide range of issues and matters in the administrative and technology law fields. These issues and matters include, but are not limited to, considerations of: constitutional law, agency authority and organization, fiscal law, ethics and standards of conduct, information law, federal personnel law, facilities and property, contracting and procurement, computer intrusion, infrastructure protection, and communications and technology law. The branch also provides legal services regarding special projects and taskings and works with other OGC branches in furtherance of the General Counsel's overall mission. The Administrative and Technology Law Branch is currently comprised of the following units: the Administrative Law Unit, the Technology Law Unit, and the Procurement Law Unit.

Legal Advice and Training Branch
The mission of the Legal Advice and Training Branch is to provide legal training and legal advice to the FBI and its employees concerning investigative matters, to formulate legal policy, to provide legal support to the FBI's asset forfeiture program, and to provide quality legal instruction to classes of FBI and DEA personnel, the National Academy, the National Law Institute, and other specialized classes. The branch is comprised of the following units: the Investigative Law Unit, the Legal Instruction Unit, and the Legal Forfeiture Unit.

National Security Law Branch
The National Security Law Branch exists to provide legal services that support operational elements which are related to the national security functions of the FBI. These matters include foreign counterintelligence (FCI), international terrorism, and domestic security/terrorism (including weapons of mass destruction, and counter-proliferation). The National Security Law Branch provides advice when intelligence or national security information is disseminated to, requested by, or otherwise used in the context of a criminal investigation, prosecution or analytical project, including dissemination to a foreign power. A major mission element is to develop and maintain liaison relationships with the intelligence community, Department of Defense, and other U.S. Government agencies on legal issues and operational requirements relating to the national security. The branch is comprised of the following units: the National Security Law Unit, and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Unit.

Hiring/Application Process
ADDRESS:
Office of the General Counsel
Room 7427
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20535

Total No. of Attorneys: Approximately 60

The FBI periodically has attorney, paralegal, and secretarial vacancies in the OGC at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. The number of vacancies varies from year to year, and is primarily dependent on budgetary limitations, program changes, and attrition. Due to a hiring freeze, OGC is not currently hiring. Additional information on FBI employment can be found at: www.fbi.gov/employment For information about opportunities at the Department of Justice go to: www.usdoj.gov The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, politics, marital status, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, status as a parent, membership or nonmembership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. The Federal Bureau of Investigation welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities and will reasonably accommodate the needs of those persons. The FBI is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the FBI.