DOJ offers $25K signing bonuses to address lawyer shortage
The U.S. Department of Justice, faced with a lawyer staffing crisis after mass departures and firings, is trying to recruit legal talent and prevent current lawyers from leaving by offering signing and retention bonuses. (Image from Shutterstock)
The U.S. Department of Justice, faced with a lawyer staffing crisis after mass departures and firings, is trying to recruit legal talent and prevent current lawyers from leaving by offering signing and retention bonuses.
The new vacancy postings offer signing bonuses of $25,000 for lawyers hired in offices that are investigating youth transgender treatments and litigating the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, according to a story by Bloomberg Law.
In addition, the head of the DOJ’s Civil Division on Monday told attorneys that they’ll begin receiving a retention incentive allowance that will range between $60 and $220 every pay period through Thanksgiving, according to an internal email, Bloomberg Law reports.
There were an estimated 10,000 attorneys working across the DOJ before President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. By September 2025, that number appears to have been nearly cut in half, according to a story by the New Republic.
The bonuses come as the department in March revoked its long-standing requirement that newly hired prosecutors have at least one year of experience practicing law. The Civil Division vacancies similarly state that new hires must have “up to one” year of legal experience, although there are openings at higher grade levels requiring more legal experience, according to Bloomberg Law.
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