How competitive are federal attorney jobs right now?

[Anonymous]

I know we are in a candidate's market right now, but I am wondering how competitive federal attorney jobs are at the moment. I am pretty burnt out/miserable in my current job and have a couple of interviews and don't want to get my hopes too high. Anyone hiring for these jobs who can opine?

[Anonymous]

I’m involved in attorney hiring at my agency and it’s extremely competitive right now. Got hundreds of applicants for a few positions. We’re turning down very impressive, high quality applicants.

[Anonymous]

The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m involved in attorney hiring at my agency and it’s extremely competitive right now. Got hundreds of applicants for a few positions. We’re turning down very impressive, high quality applicants.

This is my experience also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

[Anonymous]

How many people do you typically interview?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know we are in a candidate's market right now, but I am wondering how competitive federal attorney jobs are at the moment. I am pretty burnt out/miserable in my current job and have a couple of interviews and don't want to get my hopes too high. Anyone hiring for these jobs who can opine?

Need more specifics. Some agencies and positions will always be far more competitive than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

My agency (smaller very boring basic gov function) has a lawyer who helped with contractor selection for a support contract. She was very nice but seemed to have a random law degree from some state school and didn’t live in DMV. Why doesn’t one of those highly qualified attornies jostle for this role?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

What’s wrong with BVA? Are they low paying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

My agency (smaller very boring basic gov function) has a lawyer who helped with contractor selection for a support contract. She was very nice but seemed to have a random law degree from some state school and didn’t live in DMV. Why doesn’t one of those highly qualified attornies jostle for this role?

Why do you think this lawyer who had "a random law degree" wasn't highly qualified? She may have been top of her class or had specialized experience that got her the job.

I'm a procurement attorney at a large federal agency. We haven't even had an opening in years because people don't leave these jobs very often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

My agency (smaller very boring basic gov function) has a lawyer who helped with contractor selection for a support contract. She was very nice but seemed to have a random law degree from some state school and didn’t live in DMV. Why doesn’t one of those highly qualified attornies jostle for this role?

Why do you think this lawyer who had "a random law degree" wasn't highly qualified? She may have been top of her class or had specialized experience that got her the job.

I'm a procurement attorney at a large federal agency. We haven't even had an opening in years because people don't leave these jobs very often.

NAL. My impression was law jobs are very focused on pedigree. She did a fine job so I had no complaints.

[Anonymous]

It's a candidate's market. I'm a current Fed and I received two offers last week, interview invitation this week, and referred to hiring official on an application I put in just a couple weeks ago. Two years ago I could not get an interview at any of these places.

Meanwhile, my current employer recently hired a GS14. We only got about 50 resumes and only one or two of those were qualified. In the past we've received many hundreds of applications for each opening.

IMO people are moving (or retiring) for WFH or money or both. Agencies that don't offer either of those can't compete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

What’s wrong with BVA? Are they low paying?

Nothing - it’s just a decision-writing attorney job like hundreds of others in various agencies across the fed Gvt. not everyone’s cup of tea.

There is a nasty BVA-hating troll who pops up wherever he can to trash them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

My agency (smaller very boring basic gov function) has a lawyer who helped with contractor selection for a support contract. She was very nice but seemed to have a random law degree from some state school and didn’t live in DMV. Why doesn’t one of those highly qualified attornies jostle for this role?

Why do you think this lawyer who had "a random law degree" wasn't highly qualified? She may have been top of her class or had specialized experience that got her the job.

I'm a procurement attorney at a large federal agency. We haven't even had an opening in years because people don't leave these jobs very often.

NAL. My impression was law jobs are very focused on pedigree. She did a fine job so I had no complaints.

While some federal attorney jobs, such as those at the Office of the Solicitor General, are focused on pedigree, most federal agencies don't care about pedigree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is always mass hiring attorneys. If you want an attorney position, apply for that job.

When people ask about federal attorney positions they do not mean the SSA or BVA writing jobs. If you are unfortunate enough to even know about those jobs then you ask with specificity (and the neerdowells who work there will respond).

To answer your question OP, they are all highly competitive. Many private sector attorneys are eager to give up high pay for the much more manageable fed gov schedule.

What’s wrong with BVA? Are they low paying?

Nothing - it’s just a decision-writing attorney job like hundreds of others in various agencies across the fed Gvt. not everyone’s cup of tea.

There is a nasty BVA-hating troll who pops up wherever he can to trash them.

Most of the BVA hate comes from actual BVA attorneys. They are the ones trashing BVA, and by "they," I mean hundreds of them. That hatred is unique to BVA. Just take a look for yourself.

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A4dc55b1b-80ed-4b2c-9e0a-155be961d998#pageNum=5