About the Job
The Office of General Counsel (OGC) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides legal advice and policy counsel to the Director of the CIA (DCIA) and other CIA officers on a variety of legal issues, to include intelligence and national security law; procurement and acquisition law; employment and personnel law; government ethics; fiscal law; general administrative law; privacy and civil liberties, and legislative affairs.
Our office places a high value on diversity of experiences and perspectives, and encourages applications from qualified individuals from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBTQ individuals, and persons with disabilities.
As an Attorney, you will be responsible for:
- Providing legal advice and policy counsel to CIA leadership on complex areas of law affecting the CIA’s duties and responsibilities under authorities including the National Security Act, the CIA Act, and Executive Orders.
- Conducting legal research and analysis on sensitive matters.
- Providing training on a variety of laws and policies affecting CIA personnel, including but not limited to collection of intelligence, employment and anti-discrimination laws, and government ethics.
- Maintaining productive working relationships with other Intelligence Community elements, federal agencies, congressional committees, and use these relationships to further the mission of the CIA.
Attorneys (Tech and Cyber) practice at the intersection of law and advanced technology, including intelligence collection authorities, IT, cybersecurity, data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning, telecommunications, aerospace, and/or biotechnology, among others.
Your guidance may be called upon in a wide range of legal assignments and contexts, including intelligence and national security law, privacy and civil liberties law, litigation matters, procurement law, environmental law, and intellectual property law. Attorneys are required to support the mission of OGC more generally and may serve in non-technology-focused assignments over the course of their careers, as needed.
Who You’ll Work With
At the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), we recognize our Nation’s strength comes from the diversity of its people. People from a broad range of backgrounds and viewpoints work at CIA, and our diverse teams are the reason we can keep our country safe.
Read more about diversity and inclusion
What You’ll Get
Our benefits support every aspect of a working professional’s life, including health and wellness, time off, family, finances, and continuing education. Our programs include highly sought-after government health benefits, flexible schedules, sick leave, and childcare.
As a CIA employee, you’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing your work is part of something bigger than yourself. Our work is driven by one mission: to keep our Nation safe. Every day is an opportunity to enhance U.S. national security.
Learn more about working at CIA
Minimum Qualifications
- Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an ABA-accredited law school;
- Active bar membership from any of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands;
- Minimum of three (3) years of experience within the US Government or in private practice;
- Demonstrated experience providing legal counsel on matters (e.g., transactions, investigations, litigation, IP, and/or corporate or regulatory matters) related to technology, including telecommunications, enterprise IT, computer software, data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, aerospace, biotechnology, and/or military technology, among others;
- Demonstrated ability to deal with ambiguity by adapting to new demands or information and handling situations with multiple variables and unknowns; and
- Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation
Desired Qualifications
All applicants are reviewed for the following competencies:
- Legal analysis, reasoning and writing, including the ability to quickly integrate and synthesize facts and law to make legally sound decisions in compressed timeframes.
- Demonstrated expertise on complex legal matters.
- The ability to work both independently and as a team member in a demanding environment.
- The ability to exercise sound judgment in challenging situations.
- Willingness to consider diverse perspectives and ability to navigate changing circumstances.
- Ability to effectively manage multiple work assignments and competing priorities concurrently.
- Ability to develop and maintain close and collaborative working relationships inside and outside the CIA.
For Attorneys (Tech and Cyber), the following are also desired:
- Undergraduate or advanced degree in the areas of science, technology, engineering, computer science, data science, or mathematics; or
- Prior work experience in a technology or science or computer science-related field.
What You’ll Need to Apply
- Resume
- Unofficial transcripts for all degrees
- A cover letter addressing: your legal experience in the areas of technology and cyber law; your legal analysis and writing skills; and your interpersonal skills and impact.
- Legal writing sample not to exceed 10 pages. You may include an excerpt from a longer document and provide a brief synopsis to provide context for your excerpt and redact any names for privacy. Please exclude any non-substantive portions from your submission (Table of Contents, Table of Authorities, etc.). A writing sample from within the last three years that demonstrates legal analysis on a technical topic is preferred.
- Three (3) legal references with full names and contact information
Failure to include any of the above will result in your application being closed without review.
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