Career Opportunities
Our Office assists the United States House of Representatives, and its committees and Members, in drafting legislation and performing related legal functions on a nonpartisan basis. The subject matter dealt with in the Office is as broad and varied as is the field of Federal legislation. The legal issues encountered in furnishing this assistance involve constitutional, statutory, and administrative law questions, as well as questions in other fields of Federal law.
The typical legislative proposal starts with a problem requiring a legislative solution. The attorney assigned to the project must gain a clear understanding of (1) the problem, including the factual and legal setting (often complex) in which it arises, and (2) the intended legislative solution. This process ordinarily involves (sometimes extensive) consultation with the proponent. Work being performed for a committee on a bill may also require the attorney’s attendance at the sessions of a subcommittee, of the full committee, and of a committee of conference between the House and the Senate.
The ability to write accurately and clearly is essential for attorneys working in our Office, as is the ability to analyze complex problems and handle difficult situations as they arise with judgment, tact, and discretion. Office hours and vacation schedules are entirely dependent on the schedule of the House of Representatives which, at times, can be unpredictable. After a period of training, attorneys are given certain telework privileges that are subsequently increased throughout the career of the attorney.
Each attorney must at all times remain impartial with respect to the policies to be incorporated into a legislative proposal. He or she is concerned with the legislative policy only for the purpose of making sure that the bill, resolution, or amendment accurately reflects the policy of the committee or Member for whom it is being drafted.
Full-time positions on the legal staff of the Office are filled by appointing individuals who are recent law school graduates or attorneys with legal experience. The Office has a small summer associate program. The summer program is available to law students only during the summer before their last year in an accredited law school, and may lead to an offer of full-time employment upon completion of law school, depending on performance and the needs of the Office. The Office provides a modest stipend for summer associates. Unfortunately, the Office does not run an externship program during the school year. Each attorney must be admitted to practice in a State or the District of Columbia. The specifications for the attorney position may be found here: Attorney Classification Specifications. The specifications for the summer associate position may be found here: Summer Associate Classification Specifications.
Our Office also has a small paralegal and clerical staff to assist the attorneys and to perform functions ancillary to its principal mission. The specifications for the Principal Recruitment and Rentention Specialist may be found here. Appointments to all positions in the Office are made without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of fitness to perform the work. The Legislative Counsel, who is appointed by the Speaker of the House, appoints and fixes the compensation of the other personnel of the Office, subject to the approval of the Speaker.
Benefits include retirement (through the Federal Employees’ Retirement System, the Thrift Savings Plan, and Social Security), health insurance (through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program), public transit benefits, and life insurance (through the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program). Employees receive paid annual and sick leave, and are eligible for parental leave. The House of Representatives student loan repayment plan is also available to help employees with college or law school debt.
Our office space is located in the Ford House Office Building, which is an accessible facility, and the Office is committed to diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or military status.
For complete information about how to apply for a position as a 2L summer associate or as a full-time attorney, please see here: https://online.flipbuilder.com/kper/rnmx/. Please direct any questions to HOLC.Hiring@mail.house.gov. For more information on how to apply to the position of Principal Recruitment and Retention Specialist, please visit this link. Please direct any questions about that position to recruitmentsolutions@cpshr.us. Persons interested in any position in our Office other than a 2L summer associate position or full-time employment as an attorney may contact us by sending an email to Kelly.Meryweather@mail.house.gov.
UPDATE: The Office does not currently have any openings for 2L Summer Associate positions or full-time attorney positions with start dates in 2024. Applications for full-time attorney positions may be submitted at any time using the flipbuilder link above and will be considered if a position becomes available. Please check this page in the late Spring of 2024 for information on applying for positions with start dates in 2025.