DOJ Honors Program 2023-24 Forum

[Anonymous User]

https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/h ... components

New component slots have been listed FYI.

Anyone know how USAOs (the formally participating ones) like being ranked? I’m most interested in them, Crim, and Tax. Figuring out how best to arrange those.

[Anonymous User]

https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/h ... components

New component slots have been listed FYI.

Anyone know how USAOs (the formally participating ones) like being ranked? I’m most interested in them, Crim, and Tax. Figuring out how best to arrange those.

With the caveat that this was a while ago now, and it may be different by now, I ranked the USAOs 3rd and got an offer from AZ. You ranked the USAOs collectively as part of your 3 formal components, then you ranked the offices within the USAOs. There were 6 USAOs participating formally my year and I only ranked three of them, but I honestly can't remember if there was a limit or if I only ranked the ones I thought I had a realistic chance with. I did rank AZ #1 within the USAOs and didn't get any interest from the others I ranked (but looking back, I think the other offices are more likely to favor top school pedigrees, which I didn't have).

I have heard that Crim only interviews people who rank them first, but no idea the original source/reliability of that, or whether they'd make an exception for a really top candidate. I also think the essay portions of the application are important - you get asked a couple of questions about why you want to work for a USAO and what you can contribute; you also get asked why DOJ and why you chose/ranked the components the way you did. I can't back this up with hard evidence besides the fact that I got interviews with multiple components and was hired by the one I ranked third, but I think being able to argue persuasively in your essays as to why you're genuinely interested equally in each of the components you ranked can help a lot. (Which should be pretty manageable for Crim, USAO, and Tax; some other combos might be tougher!)

[Anonymous User]

https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/h ... components

New component slots have been listed FYI.

Anyone know how USAOs (the formally participating ones) like being ranked? I’m most interested in them, Crim, and Tax. Figuring out how best to arrange those.

With the caveat that this was a while ago now, and it may be different by now, I ranked the USAOs 3rd and got an offer from AZ. You ranked the USAOs collectively as part of your 3 formal components, then you ranked the offices within the USAOs. There were 6 USAOs participating formally my year and I only ranked three of them, but I honestly can't remember if there was a limit or if I only ranked the ones I thought I had a realistic chance with. I did rank AZ #1 within the USAOs and didn't get any interest from the others I ranked (but looking back, I think the other offices are more likely to favor top school pedigrees, which I didn't have).

I have heard that Crim only interviews people who rank them first, but no idea the original source/reliability of that, or whether they'd make an exception for a really top candidate. I also think the essay portions of the application are important - you get asked a couple of questions about why you want to work for a USAO and what you can contribute; you also get asked why DOJ and why you chose/ranked the components the way you did. I can't back this up with hard evidence besides the fact that I got interviews with multiple components and was hired by the one I ranked third, but I think being able to argue persuasively in your essays as to why you're genuinely interested equally in each of the components you ranked can help a lot. (Which should be pretty manageable for Crim, USAO, and Tax; some other combos might be tougher!)

Thank you, that’s very helpful information. Even though the USAO is my number one choice, it sounds like it might be prudent to rank Crim first.

[Anonymous User]

How many USAOs that are informal components actually end up hiring folks through the Honors Program? I’m agnostic on location, so I plan to indicate that I’d like my application to go into the general pool. Just curious on how all that works.

Also, is it worth mentioning if I have ties to a particular informal USAO on my application?

[Anonymous User]

How many USAOs that are informal components actually end up hiring folks through the Honors Program? I’m agnostic on location, so I plan to indicate that I’d like my application to go into the general pool. Just curious on how all that works.

Also, is it worth mentioning if I have ties to a particular informal USAO on my application?

I recently interviewed with a USAO that is also an informal component during honors. They told me that they are informal because they are also hiring outside of honors. Being informal also means that they can hire someone if they get a good candidate, but without committing to hiring a certain number.

I would definitely mention any ties you have to the area. I think this is even more important for smaller/less popular USA offices because they want to know you’ll stick around for a while.

[Anonymous User]

How many USAOs that are informal components actually end up hiring folks through the Honors Program? I’m agnostic on location, so I plan to indicate that I’d like my application to go into the general pool. Just curious on how all that works.

Also, is it worth mentioning if I have ties to a particular informal USAO on my application?

I recently interviewed with a USAO that is also an informal component during honors. They told me that they are informal because they are also hiring outside of honors. Being informal also means that they can hire someone if they get a good candidate, but without committing to hiring a certain number.

I would definitely mention any ties you have to the area. I think this is even more important for smaller/less popular USA offices because they want to know you’ll stick around for a while.

Good to know. The district I have connections to (most of my family lives there) is quite small, so I’m hoping that + my stats get me a serious look.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone happen to know if any of the participating components are offering remote work options?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone happen to know if any of the participating components are offering remote work options?

I would be shocked if any were. DOJ is transitioning back to more in person days (even as divisions who since COVID have had very generous telework agreements with attorneys) for all attorneys. I know when I got my offer (post COVID) I was explicitly told I would be expected to move to DC. The reality is that so many people want these jobs and are willing to move to DC to get them, so there’s no real reason for them to offer that kind of flexibility. Now, if you are willing to move to DC, I know some branches have a policy that after a certain number of years you can ask to go fully remote.

[Anonymous User]

DOJ distinguishes fully remote work from WFH - they do have the latter, but I don't know of any DOJ components that have the former yet, though someone I know in ENRD says that they are working on implementing one. Last I heard from that ENRD person, their WFH policy was come into the office once per pay period (i.e. every 2 weeks), which is the most generous I know of currently.

So I agree with the post above this - my experience has been that culturally, DOJ isn't very big on remote. But my connection to DOJ is working at a USAO, which is unlike Main Justice in many ways, and DOJ is a big tent, so never say never. Currently, though, if you search USAjobs for remote positions, there are very few remote attorney jobs at all, not just in DOJ. I think the poster above me is right that when this happens it's often worked out more on an individual basis (like a colleague of mine WFH full time b/c of health issues even though official office policy is 1x/wk).

Last thing, there may also be an expectation that newbies don't get to WFH at all or as much as longer-term employees for the first 6 mos-year, for training/integration/etc (probably depends a lot on the component, though, this makes less sense if like ENRD you let everyone WFH the vast majority of the time).

[Anonymous User]

To add onto the above poster’s comment, it seems like most Civil Division branches allow a flexible telework schedule. With that being said, we’ve been told that a new schedule will be implemented after Labor Day. But as of now, in my branch you can work from home up to three days a week. Unlike most USAOs I’m aware of, seniority has no bearing on your telework schedule.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone receive one of those coveted funnel offers yet?

[Chokenhauer]

Anyone receive one of those coveted funnel offers yet?

What is a “funnel offer”?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone receive one of those coveted funnel offers yet?

What is a “funnel offer”?

SLIP intern being given an honors slot.

Also question: if I'm primarily interested in the Tenoso fellowship, what other components do similar work? I know ENRD handles most of the Indian Rights litigation, and Crim is likely the place to be for fighting reservation gangs (though obviously that's a secondary concern for them), but does Civil Rights or any other component have significant tribal workloads or no? Currently applying to Tenoso/Crim/ENRD but haven't submitted yet.

[Anonymous User]

For the Employment section, how did people generally write the duties/responsibilities section? Do people go with a long narrative format that fills up the 2000 characters? Are bullet points the norm? I am trying to figure out how "hard" to go on that section.

[Anonymous User]

As a past person who got a USAO position (and a couple other interviews), I used bullet points, basically copying into the app what I had under that section on my resume. I don't have access to the instructions any more, but I didn't take that as an opportunity to write an essay. There are other parts of the application where you can do that, and I understood the employment section to be a resume substitute since you don't submit one at this point.

If someone else has done otherwise/suggests otherwise, though, don't take my word as gospel - just sharing my experience.

[Anonymous User]

Is it stupid to rank the MLARS fellowship first over the trial attorney slot? Oddly, I have a little bit of background experience in asset forfeiture. The fellowship really interests me, and I don’t mind that it’s a limited slot because it could set me up for that kind of work in the future. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous User]

What are we supposed to write for "Additional Information"? Haven't we already listed experience, accomplishments, activities, qualifications, training, special skills or competencies, awards, articles published, special circumstances, and all other potentially relevant information?

[Anonymous User]

What are we supposed to write for "Additional Information"? Haven't we already listed experience, accomplishments, activities, qualifications, training, special skills or competencies, awards, articles published, special circumstances, and all other potentially relevant information?

At least when I applied, some portions of the application specifically asked you to expand in the additional information section. Looking at what I included, it was some information asked for in an earlier section, an explanation of my law school's (less standard) grading system, my specific class rank (that is XX/YYY, not just a percentage), details about law school awards and activities that didn't fit into the earlier portions of the application, undergraduate honors, various non-legal publications, and non-legal volunteer stuff.

But if you don't have anything else to add and everything fit into the rest of the application, I wouldn't worry about it. The application may not even look the same as when I went through the process.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of any instances where unlisted USAOs hired through Honors? There’s an option to list all the states that I can relocate to if selected for a USAO. I’m wondering if that means that other USAOs that aren’t listed will get my application/if they will consider Honors applicants on an ad hoc basis.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of any instances where unlisted USAOs hired through Honors? There’s an option to list all the states that I can relocate to if selected for a USAO. I’m wondering if that means that other USAOs that aren’t listed will get my application/if they will consider Honors applicants on an ad hoc basis.

The Honors web page says this:

Other Department hiring offices and USAOs may participate informally in the Honors Program on an ad hoc basis throughout the year. Applicants who wish to be considered by informally participating U.S. Attorneys’ Offices or Department of Justice offices that are not listed on the application may check a box on the application requesting to be included in a general USAO or Department-wide candidate pool. Candidates will be required to identify the specific States or U.S. territories to which they would relocate if they received an offer.

So they clearly contemplate the possibility of dumping applications into a DOJ/USAO wide pool, but I've never heard of anyone getting hired this way. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen though.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of any instances where unlisted USAOs hired through Honors? There’s an option to list all the states that I can relocate to if selected for a USAO. I’m wondering if that means that other USAOs that aren’t listed will get my application/if they will consider Honors applicants on an ad hoc basis.

Not a USAO, but I actually got an offer from ATF this way. I checked the box saying I'd work in West Virginia, and they reached out. I ended up going with a listed component, but it was close.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of any instances where unlisted USAOs hired through Honors? There’s an option to list all the states that I can relocate to if selected for a USAO. I’m wondering if that means that other USAOs that aren’t listed will get my application/if they will consider Honors applicants on an ad hoc basis.

Not a USAO, but I actually got an offer from ATF this way. I checked the box saying I'd work in West Virginia, and they reached out. I ended up going with a listed component, but it was close.

That is good to know. Did they contact you during the same timeline as the listed components?

[Anonymous User]

Now that apps are in, are we just waiting until end of September for interview updates?

[Anonymous User]

Now that apps are in, are we just waiting until end of September for interview updates?

Historically interview invites were sent en masse on September 29th. Good luck everyone! Time to put this shit out of my mind for the next three weeks

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know of any instances where unlisted USAOs hired through Honors? There’s an option to list all the states that I can relocate to if selected for a USAO. I’m wondering if that means that other USAOs that aren’t listed will get my application/if they will consider Honors applicants on an ad hoc basis.

Not a USAO, but I actually got an offer from ATF this way. I checked the box saying I'd work in West Virginia, and they reached out. I ended up going with a listed component, but it was close.

That is good to know. Did they contact you during the same timeline as the listed components?

Pretty much. I got an email from the Honors Program lady (Deanna maybe?) asking if I was interested, said sure, did a couple rounds of interviews. They actually moved slightly faster than the other components, so I was still waiting on other components when they offered.