Honors Attorney (GS-904-11 Law Clerk/GS-905-12/13 Attorney Advisor)

The Attorney Honors Program is the FCC's primary vehicle for hiring entry-level attorneys. AHP participants serve in a two-year employment and training program designed to introduce them to the field of communications law and policy. The FCC encourages law students in their final year of study, recent law school graduates, and current judicial clerks with superior academic credentials and an interest in public service and communications law to apply. See www.fcc.gov/attorneyhonorsprogram.

Honors Attorneys gain valuable experience and benefit from a wide variety of learning experiences. Attorneys at the FCC draft decisions in adjudicatory and rule-making matters, work with internal and external constituencies to resolve complex policy issues before the agency, participate in international negotiations, represent the FCC in dealings with other government agencies, Congress and the private sector, and defend FCC decisions in the federal courts. Additionally, Honors Attorneys benefit from a specialized training and career-development curriculum designed specifically for the program. Typically, Honors Attorneys: Conduct legal research, compile facts and background information, search authorities and precedents on points of law, and draft legal documents, reports, and memoranda; Study the record in cases pending before the agency and prepare drafts on the law and facts; Research legal and policy matters involved in special projects, including interpretations of treaties, statutes, and regulations; prepare written authoritative opinions; and prepare responses to inquiries from members of the public concerning communications law, policy, and procedures; and/or Examine formal filings such as applications for licenses or other authorities, petitions and responsive pleadings, formal and informal complaints and inquiries, and various reports and statements required to be filed under the Commission's rules; analyze questions of law and fact, conduct the necessary research, and prepare appropriate documents recommending dispositive action.

General Eligibility Requirements. You are eligible to apply during the fall application window for the 2027 Attorney Honors Program if you are a: Current law student who will graduate in the spring or summer of 2027; Graduate law student who will complete your course of study by the summer of 2027; Federal, state, or municipal judicial clerk serving during the 2026-27 judicial term; or Recent law students who graduated in the spring or summer of 2026.