CIA lateral attorney jobs at the Central Intelligence Agency start at $143,913 a year on the GS 14 to 15 scale, for roles based in Washington, DC. Applications close January 31, 2027. This guide explains what the job actually involves, who qualifies, which practice areas fit, and how to apply through the CIA careers site.
Can Pakistanis apply? No. This role requires United States citizenship. Dual-national United States citizens are eligible, but Pakistani citizens without United States citizenship cannot apply.
CIA lateral attorney jobs are for experienced lawyers. Lateral hires have more than three years of post-law school experience and work on the most complex legal issues in the Agency. You also need United States citizenship and a pass on a full background investigation, a polygraph, and medical and psychological exams.
- Role: Lateral Attorney, Central Intelligence Agency
- Location: Washington, DC (on-site)
- Pay: $143,913 a year to start (GS 14 to 15)
- Closes: January 31, 2027
- Citizenship: United States citizenship required
- How to apply: through the CIA careers site, then MyLINK
By the ixjob.pk editorial team. Last verified November 2, 2026, against the official USAJOBS posting and the CIA careers pages.
This page summarizes the official posting. ixjob.pk is not affiliated with the CIA.
CIA lateral attorney jobs at a glance
| Detail | What the posting says |
|---|---|
| Agency | Central Intelligence Agency |
| Start | Experienced level, more than three years of post-law school experience |
| Practice | Office of General Counsel, centralized OGC office |
| Education | Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school |
| Bar | Active membership of the bar in any United States jurisdiction |
| Security | Background investigation, polygraph, medical and psychological exams |
| Assignments | Centralized OGC office, Washington, DC; rotation after 2 to 4 years |
| Job type | Permanent, full-time |
| Opened | September 1, 2026 |
Five terms to know.
- GS scale: the General Schedule, the federal pay scale. GS 14 to 15 is the grade range for this role.
- OGC: the Office of General Counsel, the CIA legal office that advises the Director and Agency officers.
- FISA: the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law that covers court-approved surveillance for foreign intelligence.
- MyLINK: the CIA online system for submitting a resume and ranking jobs.
- SF-86: the paperwork for the security clearance background check.
What a lateral attorney actually does
A lateral attorney gives legal advice to CIA leadership on hard questions of law. The Office of General Counsel covers national security law, fiscal law, employment law, government contracts and procurement, ethics, technology and cyber law, digital privacy, and FISA, among other areas. Each question ties back to the CIA duties and responsibilities under the National Security Act, the CIA Act, and Executive Orders.
The daily work has five parts. You provide legal advice and policy counsel to CIA leadership. Sensitive matters also call for legal research and analysis. Training is part of the job too, since you deliver training on laws and policies that affect CIA personnel.
You also engage with other Intelligence Community elements, federal agencies, and congressional committees. Working relationships with other OGC and Agency officers keep the mission moving forward.
Lateral hires work on the most complex legal issues in the Agency. New OGC attorneys serve in the centralized OGC office, where the office provides the core legal advice and counsel for Agency-wide functions. After an initial assignment of two to four years, laterals may rotate to different practice and mission areas if they wish.
Practice areas and rotation
The posting lists the practice areas where lateral hires show expertise: Constitutional Law, Government Contracts, Employment Law, Ethics, Fiscal Law, FOIA, International Law, Investigations, Litigation (Federal), Privacy Law, Operational Law, Surveillance Law, and Tech/Cyber Law. The lateral posting suits generalist candidates who can show experience across several of those areas.
Specialists have a second route. The posting notes other OGC job postings tailored to specific practice areas, such as government contracts or employment law, and candidates may apply to a specialty practice area through those tailored postings. The general lateral posting is the route for candidates whose experience spans more than one area.
What does a CIA lateral attorney earn?
The USAJOBS posting lists CIA lateral attorney jobs at GS 14 to 15, with pay starting at $143,913 a year. That figure is the starting point. Your exact step also depends on experience and education, so two new hires can start at different points inside the same range.
On benefits, the CIA careers page describes a federal package in general terms: competitive health care plans, retirement programs, generous time off, flexible schedules, fitness facilities, and chances to continue your education. The posting itself gives no figures for bonuses or allowances, so this guide gives none either.
Who can apply for CIA lateral attorney jobs?
CIA CIA lateral attorney jobs set a short list of hard conditions. Miss one, and the application stops there. Run through each item before you spend time on the rest.
- Be a United States citizen and at least 18 years old. Dual-national United States citizens are eligible.
- Be physically in the United States or one of its territories when you submit your resume through MyLINK.
- Register for the Selective Service, if that applies to you.
Two more conditions completes the list.
- Be willing to move to the Washington, DC area.
- Pass a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview, and a comprehensive background investigation.
The posting lists no upper age limit. The only age rule is 18 or older.
Education and experience are both specific. You need a Juris Doctor degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, active membership of the bar in any United States jurisdiction, and demonstrated experience of at least three years in one or more of the OGC practice areas. The posting prefers a law school GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale, or the equivalent on other scales.
Beyond the hard rules, the posting lists the qualities it screens for. Legal analysis, reasoning, and writing come first, with the ability to pull facts and law together into sound decisions in compressed timeframes. It also asks for strong client counseling skills and demonstrated expertise on complex legal matters in one or more practice areas.
How CIA hiring works, step by step
According to the CIA’s How We Hire page, CIA CIA lateral attorney jobs follow the same eight stages. The Agency itself warns that the process may be lengthy. No fixed timeline is published, so plan for a slow process and do not count on a quick answer.
- Submit your resume through MyLINK.
- Receive an invitation to apply for a specific position.
- Complete screening, testing, and interviews.
- Receive a Conditional Offer of Employment.
- Complete and submit the conditional offer paperwork, including the SF-86.
- Complete security and medical evaluations as part of the clearance process.
- Receive the official job offer and onboarding information.
- Onboard.
Two practical points follow from those steps. First, the application starts on the CIA careers site, where you express interest in up to four jobs and then move to MyLINK to submit your resume and rankings. Second, the polygraph interview and the medical exams come after the conditional offer, as part of the security and medical evaluations, so an early interview is not a job offer. Readers weighing other federal paths can also look at the CIA student internship program in Washington, DC], which is a separate route for students.
Who should apply and who should wait
Apply for CIA lateral attorney jobs when the checklist above fits you cleanly. That means a JD, active bar membership, at least three years of experience in an OGC practice area, and a record that can survive a full background investigation. It also means you accept the polygraph, the medical exams, and the move to the DC area without hesitation.
Wait when any hard condition misses. Non-citizens cannot apply, and neither can anyone who cannot pass the background investigation or the medical exams. Waiting also makes sense when your experience falls short of three years, since the honors attorney route fits newer lawyers better, or you want a hiring decision within weeks. The process rewards patience, and forcing an application that fails a hard rule wastes months of your time.
One more group should think twice. If your main draw is the salary, compare it with the demands first. The pay is strong federal pay, but the job asks for the most complex legal work in the Agency under pressure and a long clearance process. A reader who wants the mission itself will find those trade-offs easier to accept than a reader who wants only the paycheck.
Mistakes that cost applicants the role
The most common error is applying as a lateral with too little experience. The posting asks for at least three years in an OGC practice area, so a new graduate belongs on the honors attorney posting instead. A second error is applying as a generalist when a specialist posting fits better. The posting notes tailored OGC postings for specific practice areas, so a contracts specialist should use that route.
A third error, and a common one for CIA lateral attorney jobs, is following the wrong apply button. The USAJOBS listing is for viewing only; apply through the CIA careers site. Use the official route, because a resume sent to the wrong place never reaches the hiring team.
The last error is impatience. The CIA says the process may be lengthy, and applicants who press for fast answers do themselves no favors. Prepare one strong application, submit it through the right channel, and let the process run.
Watch out for fake CIA job offers
Apply for CIA CIA lateral attorney jobs only through the official CIA careers site and MyLINK. No recruiter can sell you a place in the hiring process.
The FTC’s job scams guide states that it is always free to apply for a federal job. Any message that asks for money, bank details, or gift cards in exchange for a CIA job is a scam. Check any unexpected job message against the official site before you reply.
Fake federal job offers are a known pattern. The United States Federal Trade Commission keeps a plain-language guide to spotting them. Read the FTC guide to job scams] before you answer any recruiter who contacts you first. If an offer asks you to pay, share banking details, or move fast, walk away and report it.
Frequently asked questions
What does a CIA lateral attorney do?
A CIA lateral attorney provides legal advice and policy counsel to CIA leadership on national security law, fiscal law, employment law, contracts, ethics, technology and cyber law, digital privacy, and FISA. Lateral hires work on the most complex legal issues in the Agency.
How much does a CIA lateral attorney make?
A CIA lateral attorney makes $143,913 a year to start on the GS 14 to 15 scale.
What experience do you need to become a CIA lateral attorney?
You need a Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school, active membership of the bar in any United States jurisdiction, and demonstrated experience of at least three years in one or more of the OGC practice areas.
What is the difference between a lateral attorney and an honors attorney at the CIA?
Lateral attorneys have more than three years of post-law school experience and work on the most complex legal issues, while honors attorneys have less than three years of post-law school experience and work under close supervision. Honors attorneys also serve two 18-month rotations.
How long does it take to get hired by the CIA?
The CIA says its hiring process may be lengthy and gives no fixed timeline. The steps are a resume through MyLINK, an invitation to apply, screening, testing, and interviews, a conditional offer, paperwork, security and medical evaluations, and then onboarding.
Can non-US citizens apply for CIA lateral attorney jobs?
No. United States citizenship is required. Dual-national United States citizens are eligible, but non-citizens cannot apply for this role.
Sources
Pay, dates, duties, and requirements for CIA CIA lateral attorney jobs above come from the official posting and the CIA careers pages linked here.
- USAJOBS Lateral Attorney posting]: duties, requirements, education, and pay.
- CIA How We Hire]: minimum requirements and the eight hiring steps.
- CIA Careers]: the application route through MyLINK and the general benefits description.
- FTC Job Scams guide]: how to spot fake federal job offers.
The January 31, 2027 closing date comes from the supplied USAJOBS listing summary. The fetched posting text shows a September 1, 2026 publication date and no closing date, so confirm the date on the CIA careers site before you apply.
Related jobs: CIA student internship program in Washington, DC], job search websites], International Jobs].
