There
was
a
time,
not
all
that
long
ago,
when
lawyers
fought
to
work
at
the
Department
of
Justice.
Lawyers
would
take
massive
pay
cuts
to
move
into
a
cramped
federal
building
office
so
they
could
add
a
prestigious
new
line
item
to
their
resumes.
The
federal
government
had
its
pick
from
among
the
best
candidates
in
the
legal
profession.
Now
they’re
running
bad
Star
Wars
ads
and
promising
$25,000
bonuses
just
to
convince
halfway
competent
applicants
to
fill
out
an
application.
Bloomberg
Law
News
reports
that
the
Civil
Division
now
offers
$25,000
signing
bonuses
for
those
will
to
“staff
offices
investigating
youth
transgender
treatments
and
litigating
the
Trump
administration’s
immigration
agenda.”
And
the
good
financial
news
doesn’t
stop
with
new
hires,
with
biweekly
“retention
incentive
allowances”
ranging
from
roughly
$60
to
$220
to
keep
the
lawyers
who
haven’t
yet
bolted
for
a
job
that
allows
them
to
look
themselves
in
the
mirror.
Having
lifted
the
requirement
that
applicants
have
any
real
experience,
the
Justice
Department
has
apparently
picked
over
the
lowest-hanging
fruit
and
decided
that
it
can
only
solve
its
staffing
issues
with
cold
hard
cash.
The
Bloomberg
piece
frames
this
as
“an
apparent
first,”
a
polite
way
of
describing
a
Department
trapped
in
a
precipitous
lowering
of
its
standards.
It’s
a
problem
that
stretches
to
every
corner
of
the
DOJ.
The
Solicitor
General’s
office
has
hemorrhaged
at
least
half
of
its
career
attorneys.
The
Civil
Rights
Division
has
shed
more
than
60
percent
of
its
workforce
since
January
2025.
U.S.
Attorney’s
Offices
around
the
country
are
cracking
under
the
strain
of
cleaning
up
after
DHS
and
an
immigration
enforcement
regime
that
treats
federal
court
orders
as
mere
suggestions.
Career
lawyers
have
resigned
in
organized
waves
rather
than
pad
their
portfolio
for
what
should
be
the
inevitable
disciplinary
proceedings.
Everything
has
its
price.
The
DOJ
is
hoping
“lying
to
courts”
and
“open
contempt”
is
worth
about
$25K.
DOJ
Offers
Lawyers
$25,000
Signing
Bonuses
as
Hiring
Lags
[Bloomberg
Law
News]
Earlier:
DOJ
Posts
Star
Wars-Themed
Tweet
Seeking
Recruits
Who
Misunderstand
The
Whole
Point
Of
Star
Wars
Pam
Bondi’s
DOJ
Lowers
Hiring
Standards
After
Driving
Away
Lawyers
With
Actual
Experience
Disbar
Them
All:
The
Only
Accountability
Left
For
Trump’s
Lawyers
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
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Bluesky
if
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news.