General Attorney (Employment Law)

Job Title Attorney for the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) The Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) is the largest legal program within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), employing over 3,000 attorneys nationwide to provide a full range of legal services to all ICE programs and offices. ICE OPLA (ELD) is seeking an attorney to handle issues relating to: Providing legal advice, training, and support to ICE programs, including top-ranking officials, on Federal employment law issues, including performance and conduct issues; complaints of prohibited discrimination, harassment, and retaliation/reprisal; and prohibited personnel practices and whistleblower retaliation; Serving as agency counsel in proceedings before administrative and judicial forums, including arbitration, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, the Office of Special Counsel, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the U.S. Federal Courts; At higher grade levels, working on more complex third-party proceedings including those of national importance to ICE and providing legal advice to top-ranking officials. Experience in practicing Federal labor and/or employment law, including matters involving Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Family Medical Leave Act, Rehabilitation Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, is strongly preferred but not required. In addition, the selectee must possess the ability to represent ICE in high-level meetings and to provide legal advice to top-ranking officials. ELD provides legal advice to ICE program offices. ELD's work contributes to significant policy decisions integral to ICE's mission. Assignments within ELD are fast-paced and involve high-profile work. ELD attorneys advise, counsel, and train ICE program offices on legal authorities, best practices, and agency policies on a wide array of issues, including but not limited to those listed above. ELD attorneys work closely with a wide range of ICE program offices, including the Office of Human Capital and the Office of Professional Responsibility. They also work occasionally with various departmental components as well as other federal agencies and departments. The selected attorney will immediately be given significant responsibilities and will be expected to craft legally supportable policies to address the needs of agency operational components. The attorney will be expected to routinely provide timely legal opinions to ICE officers and agents, ELD management, and leadership within OPLA, ICE, and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the General Counsel Headquarters. The selected attorney will be required to assess litigation risk and provide litigation support to the Department of Justice (DOJ). U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)