Legal Careers in EPA's Office of General Counsel (OGC)
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Why Work at OGC?
We believe that there is no better place than EPA OGC for attorneys who want to practice public sector general or environmental law! OGC offers both junior and senior lawyers exciting and challenging legal work, and an outstanding opportunity to advance the nation’s environmental policies. For example:
- OGC lawyers work on novel, cutting-edge legal issues that impact how EPA carries out its mission. Through their work in counseling Agency program offices and litigating legal issues of first impression in federal courts, OGC attorneys have a major role in shaping federal environmental law.
- OGC lawyers are given extraordinary responsibility early in their careers. Individual attorneys are often responsible for providing legal advice on environmental programs affecting public health and the environment across the nation.
- OGC lawyers quickly become highly proficient in particular areas of general or environmental law. Even at an early stage in their careers, they are recognized as legal experts both inside and outside the Agency.
OGC attorneys are generally responsible for providing all types of legal support, including legal advice on not only the Agency’s policy development process, rulemaking, and legislation, but also on contracts, grants, managing property and money, protecting EPA's intellectual property, advising on eDiscovery, records, information issues, working with EPA's employees, and litigation support. As a result, OGC lawyers have an opportunity to use and perfect a wide array of lawyering skills, including brief and memo writing, client relationship skills, and legislative and regulatory drafting.
OGC offers excellent opportunities for professional growth and development, including excellent training opportunities (for example, in-house continuing legal education and lunch and learn sessions, and the opportunity to attend courses at EPA’s Trial Advocacy Institute and OPM’s Federal Executive Institute) and the chance to work temporarily in other legal and non-legal positions at EPA, as well as other federal and state agencies.
Paths to OGC Employment
OGC currently posts permanent attorney job announcements on USAJobs.gov. OGC currently posts student summer honors law clerkships and student law externships on our webpages linked below. You can also learn more about OGC employment by reviewing our attorney, clerkship, and externship webpages linked here and by checking with your law school careers office.
| Position |
Application Deadline (Note: see linked webpages for current specific deadlines) |
Externship & Clerkship Program Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney |
As detailed in “seasonal” January and June USAJobs website announcements |
N/A |
| Fall Extern |
March directly prior to externship |
Fall Semester beginning in August/September |
| Spring Extern |
October of year prior to externship |
Spring Semester beginning in January |
| Summer Honors Clerk |
August of year prior to clerkship |
12 week period, May – August |
Attorney Positions
OGC is seeking talented and diverse attorneys with excellent analytical and writing abilities, a strong commitment to public service, effective “people” skills, and an ability to take on significant responsibility. OGC generally posts vacancy announcements for attorney positions on the USAJobs website. View further information on OGC attorney positions.
Student Externs and Summer Honors Law Clerks
This section provides an overview of these programs, but please see each program’s specific webpage linked below for further information and the necessary details on how to apply. OGC externs and clerks undertake assignments that may include legal research, written memoranda, draft rulemakings, draft pleadings, and counseling Agency program offices and leadership on cutting-edge environmental and agency law topics. Clerks are usually assigned to a single OGC office but may be able to work on projects for other offices as well, and work with a mentoring attorney to ensure a broad range of in-depth experience.
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Fall and Spring Student Extern Program: The Extern Program offers both full and part-time externships during the academic year. These opportunities are available to second- and third-year law students and LLM candidates seeking academic credit. Applications are usually accepted in March for fall positions and in October for Spring positions. All interested applicants should follow the instructions under "How To Apply.”
- Summer Honors Program: OGC operates a highly-competitive, 12-week volunteer Summer Honors Program. The Office of General Counsel is hiring for next summer’s OGC Summer Honors Law Clerk Program. All interested applicants should apply at USAJOBS and follow the instructions under "How To Apply.”