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.
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