US Army Corps of Engineers Chief Counsels Honors Attorney Program
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the world’s premier public engineering organization, responsible for building critical infrastructure and well-known monuments such as the Pentagon, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and the Washington Monument. Our mission is to deliver vital engineering solutions to secure our nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk. With over 35,000 civilians in over 55 offices worldwide, USACE team members support missions that are essential to the safety and security of our nation and the world.
Each year, the Chief Counsel, through the Civilian Honors Program, selects a limited number of highly qualified graduating law students, LL.M. candidates, and judicial law clerks to join our global team of over 500 attorneys and legal support professionals based in more than 50 cities across the world. The Civilian Honors Program offers recent law school graduates and new attorneys challenging work, significant responsibility, substantive experience, and unparalleled development opportunities to serve the public.
USACE attorneys perform dynamic legal work as members of a team of talented professionals solving the nation’s toughest challenges. USACE attorneys commonly develop expertise in multiple subject matter areas, including: contract law; environmental law; federal administrative law, fiscal, and ethics law; labor and employment law; litigation; real estate law; and many other areas. USACE attorneys in all offices experience robust training, a culture of mentorship, and a global support network. And, while USACE attorneys take on challenging assignments that enable them to grow personally and professionally, USACE provides for flexible work schedules so that USACE attorneys may maintain a healthy work-life balance. USACE is an equal opportunity employer.
The Chief Counsel’s Civilian Honors Program places highly qualified candidates in full-time legal positions throughout the world as positions become available. USACE’s mission is a global mission, and Honors Attorney placements reflect and support that global mission. While placements in particular offices may be available, candidates are not placed in every office each year. Roughly 98% of qualified candidates are placed outside of the Washington, D.C. area offices. Because placement is contingent upon the availability of open positions in offices worldwide, applicants willing and able to accept offers in a broad array of offices increase their chances of placement. Relocation expenses may be covered by the gaining office.
To be eligible to apply, candidates must be third-year law students or LL.M. candidates who will graduate no later than June of their academic year of application, or law school graduates currently participating in a judicial clerkship program. Consideration is given to a candidate’s superior academic performance, participation on a law journal, participation on a moot court team, participation on a mock trial team, prior military service, demonstrated commitment to public service, paid and unpaid work experience, judicial clerkships, and academic background relevant to USACE’s missions.
Interested applicants should submit a single application to cecc-hon@usace.army.mil in PDF format in the following order: (1) cover letter; (2) resume, not to exceed two pages, single spaced; (3) official or unofficial law school transcript; (4) legal writing sample, no more than 10 pages double spaced; and (5) geographic preferences form. The submitted PDF should be a single file titled in the following order with underscores between each part: (1) applicant last name, (2) applicant first name, (3) application year, and (4) CHP Application (for example: Last Name_First Name_2025_CHP Application).
For more information, please see our program webpage: https://www.usace.army.mil/About/Offices-and-Units/Chief-Counsel-Office/Honors-Program/
See the US Army Corps of Engineers Chief Counsels Honors Attorney Geographic Preferences: US Army Geographic Preferences
