THE HONORS ATTORNEY PROGRAM

Eligibility: The Department of Transportation recruits for its Honors Attorney Program every other year. We will begin recruiting in August 2005 for the class beginning in September 2006. To be eligible, you must be completing law school in May 2006 or be completing a judicial clerkship in the Summer of 2006.

Application Deadline: Application materials must be received by October 10, 2005; however, if we are participating in your on-campus interviewing process you must comply with the deadlines established by your Career Services Office.

Requirements: Submit law school transcripts and a resume of undergraduate and law school academic record and description of other achievements and employment experience to the address below. If you are invited back for a second interview, you must submit a writing sample.

The U.S. Department of Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation is the cabinet-level agency responsible for developing national transportation goals and policies and coordinating federal transportation programs.

The Department, headed by the Secretary of Transportation, is composed of the Office of the Secretary and eight operating administrations, as well as the Office of the Inspector General. The Office of the Secretary provides policy guidance and overall administrative support for the Department. Each operating administration, headed by its own Administrator, concentrates on a specialized aspect or mode of transportation.

Participants in the Honors Attorneys Program for 2006 include:

* Federal Aviation Administration
* Federal Highway Administration
* Federal Railroad Administration
*Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
* Maritime Administration
* Federal Transit Administration
* National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
* Research and Special Programs Administration
* Office of the Inspector General

The Office of the General Counsel is part of the Office of the Secretary. As principal legal officer and advisor to the Secretary, the Office of the General Counsel coordinates and oversees the work of the Department's many legal offices. Each operating administration has a separate legal staff headed by a Chief Counsel. The General Counsel's office has approximately 60 lawyers, while the Chief Counsels' offices range in size from 25 to over 200 lawyers.

The Honors Attorney Program

Every two years the Office of the General Counsel sponsors and administers an Honors Attorney Program for new or recent law graduates. After extensive interviewing of third year law students on campuses and at Department headquarters in Washington, DC, nine especially well qualified candidates are selected for a two year program that begins in the September following selection. During the two year program, each Honors Attorney spends at least four months in the General Counsel's office, and completes several four-month rotations in the Chief Counsels' offices. Honors Attorneys traditionally receive challenging and responsible assignments and develop an understanding of the particular legal problems that face each administration. They also have the opportunity to gain a comprehensive overview of the Department's activities and to learn how policy decisions are implemented.

The Office of the General Counsel and the Chief Counsels' offices hire attorneys on a permanent basis as needs arise and personnel allocations permit. Because of Honors Attorneys' special qualifications and the experience gained during their rotations in the Honors Program, the Department's legal offices give Honors Attorneys special consideration for permanent employment as attorney positions become available. Honors Attorneys are hired at the GS-11 level, and are eligible for promotion to the GS-12 level after one year.

Law students interested in the Honors Program should contact their school Placement Office to arrange an on-campus interview if a Department representative has scheduled a visit to that school. If no on-campus interviews are scheduled, third year students should send a resume of their undergraduate and law school academic records and description of other achievements and employment experience to the address below. Applications must be received no later than October 10, 2005.

For further information about the Department of Transportation's Honors Attorney Program, contact:

Honors Program Coordinator/Hiring Coordinator
Office of the General Counsel
Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
email address: honors.attorney@ost.dot.gov

All qualified candidates will be considered regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disability.

updated 5/10/04 sp