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Careers

Attorney in the Legal Division

FDIC Seal Graphic

About the FDIC:

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is an independent agency created by the Congress to maintain stability and public confidence in the nation's financial system. The FDIC insures deposits; examines and supervises financial institutions for safety, soundness, and consumer protection; makes large and complex financial institutions resolvable; and manages receiverships.

Learn More

To submit an attorney resume to the Legal Division, please email attorneycareers@fdic.gov. Submission of a resume does not guarantee an interview or employment. Due to the anticipated volume of submissions, you should not expect a response unless you are selected for an interview.

The Legal Division

The practice of law at the FDIC reflects the broad nature of the FDIC's work as well as its statutory powers. FDIC attorneys support the FDIC’s mission of insuring deposits, examining and supervising financial institutions, resolving large and complex financial intuitions, and managing receiverships. The FDIC also has its own litigating authority and contract authority, and our attorneys practice before courts and administrative tribunals, in addition to advising on procurements and acquisitions. While we periodically solicit applicants for specific positions, we welcome interest from practicing attorneys in positions in the Legal Division and may fill potions from this set of interested applicants. FDIC attorneys maintain active practices in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia headquarters plus multiple Regional Offices in the following practice areas:

Supervision, Policy, and Enforcement

  • Providing advice on legislation, regulations, and policy statements relating to insured depository institutions;
  • Providing advice on supervisory filings, safety and soundness, and compliance-related matters in Washington headquarters and the FDIC’s regional offices in Atlanta, Boston/New York, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, and San Francisco to ensure coordination and consistency in the application of banking laws and regulations to FDIC-supervised institutions;
  • Providing advice on deposit insurance coverage, assessments of insured depository institutions, and potential misrepresentations of FDIC deposit insurance and the FDIC’s name and logo;
  • Providing advice on the evolving technological advances in payment systems, digitalization, machine learning, the utilization of fintech companies, crypto assets, blockchain, stablecoins, and artificial intelligence in the banking sector; and
  • Investigating and providing advice on potential formal and informal enforcement actions, negotiating stipulations, litigating enforcement cases before the Office of Financial Institution Adjudication, and publishing enforcement-related notices and orders on the FDIC’s website.

Litigation

  • Representing the FDIC in traditional federal agency litigation in federal courts across the country;
  • Defending the FDIC against challenges to its statutory authority and regulations and in appeals from its administrative determinations;
  • Representing FDIC receiverships as plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation arising out of failed financial institutions, and providing litigation support for bank closings;
  • Investigating and, where appropriate, litigating civil claims against directors, officers, attorneys, accountants, and other professionals whose negligence or malpractice caused losses to insured depository institutions placed in FDIC receivership; and
  • Litigating appeals in which the FDIC or FDIC receiverships are parties and coordinating with the Solicitor General on appeals before the United States Supreme Court.

Resolution and Receivership

  • Providing legal advice on the FDIC’s execution of policies and program initiatives concerning the development of resolution strategies and resolution planning for complex financial institutions and other responsibilities involving complex financial institutions;
  • Providing legal advice and counsel on a wide variety of transactional and oversight matters related to the FDIC’s receivership authorities, including loan and asset sales and securitization, franchise sales, securities sales, structured financial transactions, corporate law, commercial law, real estate law, and mortgage servicing rights;
  • Advising on legislation, regulations, and policy statements relating to the FDIC’s activities as receiver of an insured depository institution or covered financial company; and
  • Developing resolution, receivership, and marketing strategies for failed banks involving hundreds of millions of dollars in deposits and loans.

Corporate Operations 

  • Providing legal opinions on a wide range of topics, including statutory powers of the FDIC and corporate governance, and serving as Executive Secretary to the Board;
  • Coordinating the FDIC’s responses under the Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act and providing guidance on Legal Division’s records management and supporting the eDiscovery work of the Legal Division, and other FDIC divisions and offices;
  • Handling labor and employment issues, including administrative hearings on employee-related matters and negotiations with the bargaining unit representative;
  • Providing advice and guidance on avoiding conflicts of interest and other ethical responsibilities, and supporting and providing a variety of dispute resolution and conflict management services in conjunction with other FDIC divisions and offices; and
  • Advising on FDIC procurements, acquisitions, and leases, including retention of outside counsel and contracts for other legal support services.

Why Join the FDIC?

The FDIC is a cornerstone federal agency upholding, protecting, and maintaining stability and public confidence in the nation's financial system. Created in 1933 in response to the thousands of bank failures that occurred in the 1920s and early 1930s, the FDIC was established to maintain public confidence in the nation’s financial system and to provide a Federal guarantee of customers’ deposits, within certain limits, in the event of a financial institution failure. As an independent federal agency that insures deposits, the FDIC is charged with examining and supervising financial institutions for safety, soundness and consumer protection; ensuring that large and complex financial institutions resolvable; and managing receiverships.

Since the start of FDIC insurance on January 1, 1934, not one depositor has lost a cent of insured funds as a result of a failure of a financial institution. The FDIC sign - posted in insured depository institutions across the country - is a symbol of confidence.

During financial crises, the FDIC has played a critical leadership role in stemming a global crisis, including through the use of its emergency authorities as provided by Congress. FDIC attorneys made critical contributions to the FDIC’s actions in containing the systemic risk within the banking industry and restoring financial stability after the failure of almost 500 insured depository institutions during the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Further, FDIC attorneys have been leaders in creating regulatory changes in the wake of those failures, continuing to the present day.

The FDIC provides highly competitive pay and comprehensive benefits that include health, life, vision, long-term disability and dental insurance, paid vacation time, paid parental leave, Student Loan Repayment Program, flexible spending and 401(k) savings accounts, and enrollment in the Federal Employee Retirement System. Furthermore, employment with the FDIC may qualify you for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. The FDIC remains committed to helping employees maintain a work/life balance through reasonable work hours and flexible schedules.

For more information about the FDIC’s mission and operations, please be sure to browse the additional information offered in the about section of the FDIC’s website.

Qualifications

Attorney positions have a positive education requirement. Before appointment, official transcripts must be provided showing degree conferred. 

  • Education: All attorney positions have a minimum education requirement of a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Master of Laws (LL.M.) from a school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
  • Bar Membership: All attorney positions require current active bar membership (valid license to practice law). Admission to the bar of any state, District of Columbia, or any United States territory or Commonwealth is acceptable. Active Bar membership must be verified prior to appointment. Employees must maintain active bar membership while employed as an attorney with the FDIC. FDIC will reimburse attorneys for the annual cost of bar membership, subject to applicable limits.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic, religious spiritual; community; student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Additional qualifications information can be found General Schedule Qualification Policies (opm.gov).

Appointment

Selected candidates may be assigned to our headquarters offices in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia or a regional office in Atlanta, Boston/New York, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, or San Francisco.

FDIC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate.

For more information or to submit a resume, please email attorneycareers@fdic.gov. Submission of a resume does not guarantee an interview or employment. Due to the anticipated volume of submissions, you should not expect a response unless you are selected for an interview.

Privacy Act Statement

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. § 1819) and Executive Order 9397, as amended, authorize the collection of this information. The purpose for collecting this information is to evaluate your qualifications for employment by the FDIC. Furnishing this information is voluntary but failure to provide the requested information in whole or in part may delay or prevent further processing of your application for employment. The information you provide may be furnished to appropriate Federal, state, local or foreign law enforcement authorities; to a court, administrative tribunal, or a party in litigation; to contractors, agents and other third parties as authorized by law, and in accordance with any of the other routine uses described in the FDIC-015 Personnel Records, System of Records. A complete copy of this System of Records is available at www.fdic.gov/about/privacy. If you have questions or concerns about the collection or use of the information, you may contact the FDIC’s Chief Privacy Officer at Privacy@fdic.gov.

The FDIC is an equal opportunity employer. We recruit, hire, and develop a high-performing workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants are considered without regard to their race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, disability, age, genetic information, retaliation, parental status, or other non-merit factors.

Last Updated: February 10, 2026