Office of the Solicitor – Working for America's Workforce

Attorneys and other professionals, help enforce our nation's labor laws!

Veterans' Preference Eligibility and Equal Employment Opportunity Statements

For SOL's statement on veterans' preference eligibility, please refer to the SOL Veterans' Preference Eligibility page.

For DOL's Equal Employment Opportunity statement, please refer to the Equal Employment Opportunity page.

Informative

The Solicitor’s office has an immediate need for talented attorneys for positions located in Washington, DC and throughout the country.

Please click the link for current SOL vacancy announcements and see below for more information as to how to apply.

Ambassadors Program

SOL Ambassadors are attorneys who volunteer to receive questions about working at the Office of the Solicitor. Individuals can email an Ambassador directly to learn more about SOL and its culture. Ambassadors act as an informal resource only. Job seekers with questions regarding current employment opportunities should visit the Job Opportunities page on the SOL website. Questions regarding a specific opening should be directed to the individual listed as the point of contact for that vacancy announcement. (The SOL Ambassadors Program is hosted by the SOL Diversity and Inclusion Committee.) For more information, please go to the SOL Ambassadors Program webpage.

Experienced Attorneys

The Office of the Solicitor (SOL) regularly seeks experienced attorneys to work in our Washington, D.C., headquarters and in our regional offices. Put your law degree and legal experience to good use by contributing to a noble mission: to serve and protect American workers, prepare them for new and better jobs, and to ensure the safety and fairness of American workplaces!

SOL has over 425 attorneys across the country who address the many complex legal issues that arise in administering and enforcing more than 180 federal labor laws and their implementing regulations. SOL is unusual among the federal government's legal offices because it has independent litigating authority under numerous federal statutes. As a result, SOL attorneys regularly appear in courts throughout the country pursuing enforcement actions against employers and others who violate labor laws. Outside the courtroom, SOL is regularly called on to provide advice on varied and complex legal issues as well as to review and guide the development of regulations and interpretative materials.

Learn more about individual SOL Divisions and Regional Offices

The SOL National Office at DOL's D.C. headquarters includes nine divisions that provide program advice and litigation services to Department agencies. About half of SOL's attorneys are located in Regional and Branch Offices across the country and are regularly engaged with litigation in Federal district courts and before administrative law judges.

You can read about the work of each of the National Office divisions of the Office of the Solicitor on the SOL National Divisions page or click the links below.

To learn more about SOL's Regional and Branch Offices in Atlanta, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, Arlington (VA), Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Kansas City, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, please visit the SOL Regional Offices page.

How to Apply

Attorney positions with SOL are federal excepted service positions. To see a list of current USAJobs vacancy announcements in both the SOL National Office and Regional Offices, please click on the link to USAJOBS. For any position posted on USAJOBS.gov, you must follow the application procedure specified in the announcement.

If you are interested in a position with one of SOL's Regional offices, you may also contact the particular regional office directly – find that contact information by clicking on the link to the SOL Regions.

SOL Honors Program

If you are a third-year law student or post-graduate law clerk looking for an entry-level attorney position, please refer to the SOL Honors Program.

Internship Opportunities

Help our attorneys protect American workers!

The Office of the Solicitor's (SOL) mission is to meet the legal service demands of the entire Department of Labor. As the Secretary of Labor and other Department officials seek to accomplish the Department's overall mission and further specific priorities, SOL provides legal advice regarding how to achieve those goals. In doing so, SOL ensures the Nation's labor laws are forcefully and fairly applied and enforced to protect the Nation's workers.

The SOL National Office at our Washington, D.C., headquarters includes nine divisions that provide program advice and litigation services to Department agencies. The divisions advise client agencies within DOL regarding regulations and legislative initiatives divisions. They are also involved in litigation in Federal courts and/or before administrative law judges. About half of SOL's attorneys are located in Regional and Branch Offices across the country and are regularly engaged with litigation in Federal district courts and before administrative law judges. SOL's National Office divisions and Regional and Branch Offices often accept current law students to intern on an unpaid or academic credit basis. As a legal intern, you will perform a variety of legal assistance responsibilities including significant legal research and writing related to advice, litigation and/or rulemaking projects for client agencies; and analyzing the legal impact of legislative developments, administrative and court decisions, rulings and opinions on Departmental programs. Interns may also attend meetings with DOL client agencies, other SOL divisions, and other executive agencies, as appropriate.

Learn more about individual SOL Divisions and Regional Offices

The SOL National Office at DOL's Washington, D.C., headquarters includes nine divisions that provide program advice and litigation services to Department agencies. About half of SOL's attorneys are located in Regional and Branch Offices across the country and are regularly engaged with litigation in Federal district courts and before administrative law judges.

You can read about the work of each of the National Office divisions of the Office of the Solicitor on the SOL National Divisions page or click the links below.

Qualifications

Excellent research and writing skills; a demonstrated interest in labor and employment issues; and a strong academic record. Prior relevant courses or work experience should be identified.

How to Apply

Information about opportunities and how to apply to intern in a National Office division or Regional office can be found on our Internship Opportunities page.

Although each division or regional office may have additional requirements, interested candidates should be prepared to submit by email:

  1. Cover letter;
  2. Resume;
  3. Law school transcript; and
  4. Recent writing sample.

Student Volunteer Program

The Office of the Solicitor (SOL) selects student volunteers each year through the Student Volunteer Service Program. These positions are without compensation but are highly sought after because of the responsibility and experience they offer. A significant number of volunteer opportunities are located in the Washington, D.C. area. These opportunities are available to students in high schools, colleges, law schools and graduate programs. Many of these positions are legal interns, but all provide work experience related to your academic program. The program allows you to explore career options as well as develop your personal and professional skills. As a student volunteer, you will be exposed to the SOL work environment and will learn about the missions and responsibilities of the agencies and department. If you are interested in being a student volunteer in SOL, please contact the particular SOL office or division in which you are interested. You should be prepared to send a resume and cover letter. Contact information can be found under the "SOL Contacts" page.

Other Opportunities

Attorneys and other professionals, help enforce our nation's labor laws!

The Office of the Solicitor (SOL) regularly seeks paralegals and other administrative specialists for our Washington, D.C., headquarters and regional offices across the country. Put your dedication and experience to good use by contributing to a noble mission: to serve and protect American workers, prepare them for new and better jobs, and to ensure the safety and fairness of American workplaces!

How to Apply

To learn about particular administrative or paralegal positions in SOL, please search USAJOBS, the official job website of the U.S. Government, or the Department of Labor (DOL) Online Opportunities Recruitment System (DOORS), an automated e-Recruit system that allows you to access vacancy announcements and apply for jobs. You can conduct an agency search for Department of Labor - Office of the Solicitor. You must follow the application procedure specified in the position announcement.