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[quote=Anonymous]Hi OP, NP here.  I put in 4 years at a firm and am now in my 8th year as a Fed.  I agree with PPs who suggested you read the USAJobs adverts -- you'll see a lot of jobs in government-focused support work like FOIA, records, procurement and government contracting, ethics, etc.  If you have that kind of experience you can work in almost any agency.  Beyond that, many (though not all) agencies have their own litigation divisions that work with DOJ -- so, for example, DOJ actually takes the case to court but there is a whole office at the subject matter agency that knows the issues, supports the litigation, etc.

I imagine that you believe -- correctly! -- that you can learn to do whatever work is at hand.  However, agencies generally don't like to train people, so government hiring favors those who have already done government work.  If you haven't done anything related to government before, see if you can't find some pro bono work or bar association activities that touch on the topics above.  Or, if you have subject matter expertise (say, banking) focus on those agencies.

As far as quality of life, there are trade-offs.  At any agency including DOJ, you will work fewer hours on average and have a nicer quality of life than you do now; however, at nearly every agency you will have less flexibility in your daily schedule and at some places you may need to clock in/out.  Think of it as the difference between the flexibility to take a long lunch during your long law firm day and the flexibility to take a scheduled day off and not worry about the hours.   For me that's worth the trade-off and the paycut, but some people chafe at having to behave like an hourly employee with respect to hours and leave.

Usually, the headquarters offices of Department-level agencies work slightly longer hours, later hours (think 9-5:30: instead of 7-3:30), and offer less flexibility as far as telework and alternate work schedules; by contrast the sub-agencies usually have nicer and more flexible work environments, particularly those that are not in downtown DC.

If you want to see how the agencies compare, there is a "Best Places to Work in Government" survey every year and the results are online.  However, this really just looks at morale across the whole agency and doesn't speak to what your experience will be in the legal division of any given agency.

Good luck![/quote]

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