Dec ’24/May ’25 Grads: Apply to be USACE Honors Attorneys

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civilian Honors Program will accept applications for students graduating in December of 2024 and May/June of 2025 from June 12, 2024 through October 15, 2024.

To be eligible to apply, candidates must be third-year law students or L.L.M. candidates who will graduate no later than June of 2025 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.

The USACE Civilian Honors Program accepts applications via email and through on-campus interviews. We prefer students apply through on-campus interviews, when available. (Memphis Law is still waiting to hear if we will have on campus interviews with the USACE.  We did last year.)

About USACE: USACE is the world’s premier public engineering organization, responsible for building critical infrastructure and well-known monuments such as the Panama Canal, the Pentagon, NASA’s Space Center, and the Washington Monument.  Our mission is to deliver vital engineering solutions, in collaboration with our partners, to secure our nation, energize our economy, and reduce disaster risk.  With over 35,000 civilians in over 50 offices worldwide, USACE team members support missions that are essential to the safety and security of our Nation and the world. Each year, the Office of 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 470 attorneys based in more than 50 cities across the world.  The Civilian Honors Program offers new attorneys challenging work, significant responsibility, substantive experience, and unparalleled development opportunities to serve the public.

USACE Locations: 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 one, and Honors Attorney placements reflect and support that global mission.  While placements in particular offices, such as USACE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., may be available, candidates are not placed in every office each year.  Roughly 98 percent 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 hiring office.

Practice areas:

• Contract law: USACE’s complex mission includes billions of dollars of federal contracting efforts each fiscal year.  USACE contract attorneys advise contracting teams on all aspects of federal contracting throughout the acquisition process.  USACE contract attorneys provide legal counsel for the panoply of federal contracting actions USACE enters into each year, including military construction, civil works construction, environmental remediation, service and supply contracts, and other federal contracts.

• Environmental law: USACE’s environmental missions include environmental contamination remediation, early atomic energy program contamination remediation, military munitions removal, hazardous waste disposal, environmental quality maintenance, environmental restoration and sustainability efforts, and environmental law compliance for civil works and other environmental efforts.  USACE environmental attorneys provide legal counsel for compliance with the wide array of environmental laws, cultural resources laws, and tribal laws implicated by USACE’s environmental missions.  USACE environmental attorneys also advise on coordinating compliance efforts with state and federal regulators and may work closely with the Department of Justice in environmental litigation before the federal courts.

• Federal administrative, fiscal, and ethics law: USACE attorneys are frequently called upon to provide counsel on matters concerning federal administrative, fiscal, and ethics law.  USACE administrative law attorneys are regularly asked to counsel USACE team members on matters including: interpretation of general laws, specific civil works and military project authorities, proper uses of emergency authorities for natural disasters, national emergency response authorities, and military contingency operations.  USACE fiscal attorneys advise on the proper application and expenditure of billions of dollars of federal funds appropriated under USACE’s authorities as well as funds appropriated to other agencies and transferred to USACE under the Economy Act.  USACE ethics attorneys provide ethics counsel to ensure that USACE team members comply with federal ethics requirements.

• Infrastructure:  USACE supports national, state, and local water infrastructure through the Civil Works Program. The mission of the Civil Works Program of the Army Corps of Engineers is to promote prosperity and democracy and to strengthen national security through the development, management, protection, and enhancement of the Nation’s water and related land resources for flood damage reduction, commercial navigation, environmental restoration, and allied purposes. This program is accomplished by applying the Corps planning, engineering, scientific, and management skills, in cooperation with non-Federal sponsors, Federal, state, and local agencies, and other interested stakeholders, to achieve productive, efficient, responsible solutions to water resources problems. The program provides for responsible stewardship of its water resources infrastructure including the associated natural resources and provides emergency services to the Nation for disaster relief. The Civil Works Program also provides planning, engineering, environmental, recreation, research and real estate services to other Federal agencies and non-Federal customers, provides support to the Army in both peacetime pursuits and during national emergencies, and stands ready to adapt to evolving national needs and priorities.

• Labor and employment law: USACE employs a diverse and talented staff of over 35,000 civilian employees across over 50 offices worldwide.  USACE labor and employment attorneys advise the highest-ranking Command officials regarding a wide variety of issues, including allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment, adverse personnel actions, and labor negotiations.  USACE labor and employment attorneys also litigate disputes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority.  USACE labor and employment attorneys may also advise the Department of Justice in litigation before the federal courts.

• Litigation: USACE’s broad mission also allows USACE trial attorneys to litigate a variety of matters affecting critical national interests.  USACE trial attorneys spearhead complex contract litigation before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, bid protests before the Government Accountability Office, labor and employment disputes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, and the Federal Labor Relations Authority.  USACE trial attorneys may also provide second-chair litigation support for the Department of Justice in a variety of matters before the federal courts.

• Real estate law: USACE’s mission includes diverse, significant real property interests across the world.  USACE real estate attorneys provide legal counsel concerning the management of Army military and civil works real property.  USACE real estate attorneys also advise on property acquisitions for flood risk management projects, shore protection projects, and harbor and navigation projects.  USACE real estate attorneys may also be called on to assist with Fifth Amendment takings analyses, direct acquisitions, business and residential relocations, condemnations, and real property interest negotiations.  USACE real estate attorneys may also work directly with the Department of Justice in applying title standards for federal property and assist with litigation of matters including inverse condemnation and landowner lawsuits.

• Water regulation: The Regulatory Program administers the Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, including wetlands. The Regulatory Program is committed to protecting the Nation’s aquatic resources and navigation capacity, while allowing reasonable development through fair and balanced decisions.  USACE regulatory attorneys support the program’s evaluation of permit applications for essentially all construction activities, public and private, that occur in the Nation’s waters, including wetlands.

USACE culture: USACE’s diverse and crucial missions provides attorneys with the opportunity to either specialize in a particular area of law or gain experience in numerous practice groups, depending on the interests of the attorney and the needs of each individual office.  However, 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 professionally, USACE provides for flexible work schedules so that USACE attorneys maintain a healthy work-life balance. USACE is an equal opportunity employer.  USACE is firmly committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce where all employees are valued for their talents as members of the team.

How to apply: Interested applicants should submit a single application 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: Smith_John_2025_CHP Application).

Email applications should be submitted to: CECC-HON@usace.army.mil. Cover letters should be addressed to Mr. David Cooper, Chief Counsel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Application process: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications received by email and through on-campus interviews are evaluated by a team who selects a limited number of applicants to receive an interview with the USACE Chief Counsel. After the interview, the Chief Counsel will determine if the applicant is qualified to be a candidate in the program. Qualified candidates are then added to the qualified candidate pool where they are eligible to be hired by any USACE office with an opening. Individual USACE offices may choose to conduct an office-specific interview before offering a position to a qualified candidate. Chief Counsel interviews are typically conducted between September and December. Applicants typically receive offers from USACE offices between November and May. The USACE Honors program is highly competitive. For the 2024 hiring cycle, 22% of total applicants received qualifying interviews, 18% of total applicants were placed in the qualified candidate pool, and only 7% of total applicants received offers from USACE offices.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for any additional information!

Amanda Kranz

Civilian Honors Attorney Program Co-Coordinator

Assistant Division Counsel

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Northwestern Division

503-475-6075