Hilary Richards Smith, Assistant Director
Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management

A job with the Department of Justice is a dream come true. My dreams of a career with the Department began during my second year of law school when I interned with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Drug Task Force, in Boston, Massachusetts. There, I was exposed to a fast-paced and exciting work environment, and afforded the opportunity to work for Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) on a multitude of challenging substantive legal issues. I was immensely impressed by the high caliber of the AUSAs’ written work product, as well as their dynamic courtroom presentations. I was additionally impressed by the way in which each attorney made an effort to ensure that my internship was a positive experience, and that I learn the practical skills necessary to effectively prosecute federal drug trafficking cases.

My desire to work for the Department was reaffirmed by my time spent as a post-graduate law clerk to Honorable James F. McClure, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where I had the unique opportunity to observe – from the other side of the bench – the knowledge, skill, and integrity of Department attorneys.

In my current role as an Assistant Director with the Department’s Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management, I am responsible for working with the Director to adjudicate claims of whistleblower reprisal brought by FBI employees. I was initially drawn to this position in light of my prior employment law experience with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, as well as my desire to hone my research, writing, and decision-making skills. As a new-hire with the Department, I was assigned a mentor in my office as part of the Department’s Mentor Program. My mentor welcomed me to the Department and helped to make the transition from my prior job a smooth one. To this day, my mentor continues to express a genuine interest in my personal and professional development. In my position, I routinely handle complex factual and legal issues presented by the unique provisions of the law governing FBI whistleblower cases. I am presented with a variety of challenges each day, ranging from holding conferences/hearings with the parties; to advising Department employees on regulatory, legislative, and policy matters; to drafting and issuing opinions and orders.

I have also had the opportunity to tap into my creative side by participating in the development of a FBI whistleblower website. I work in a collegial environment with Department attorneys who are conscientious, diligent, and bright.

Based on my experience, it is clear how the Department earned its reputation for excellence and as one of “America’s Greatest Places to Work with a Law Degree.”

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Jeff McLellan, Tax Division

This is the best job I have ever had. I am a trial attorney in the Northern Criminal Enforcement Section of the Tax Division. I was an over-40, “late vocation” to the law. I enjoyed my share of opportunities in my previous career as a research psychologist, but they were nothing like those afforded by the Justice Department. Once in law school, I realized that I wanted to litigate. I had the good fortune to participate in the Summer Law Intern Program with the Tax Division and was later offered a position through the Attorney General’s Honors Program.

I was looking for chances to get into court and I was not disappointed. For example, I was sworn into the bar on a Friday in Washington, D.C., and by the following Monday I was appearing for the government at a hearing in Detroit. Within ten months of becoming a licensed attorney I had served as co-prosecutor for three felony jury trials. In that period, I also had the chance to represent the government at oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Sixteen months after starting with the Tax Division, I have my own docket of cases and am preparing for a six-week corporate fraud trial as co-counsel. I also have the satisfaction of helping the United States vindicate its interests in important criminal cases. What more could a new attorney ask?

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Dennis Wong, Federal Bureau of Prisons

When interviewing for my first job as a lawyer, I wanted to find a place I could call “home.” I heard so many tales of dissatisfied attorneys changing jobs every few years that I wondered if it was even possible to have one employer -- where the work was always challenging and interesting, where I was valued and where work would not consume my personal life. A decade later, I am still “home” with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

My first few years with the BOP are still vivid with memories. I remember how my first case involved hours of discussion with a BOP doctor in order to defend an Eighth Amendment deliberate indifference claim -- where understanding the medical issues was easy compared to learning how to correctly pronounce the assorted diagnoses, medical procedures and prescription medicines. I also recall the time a warden and I had an impromptu brown bag lunch meeting at a homeless shelter with a Federal Court of Appeals judge concerning a proposed community service project. While stationed at the Federal Correctional Institution at Terminal Island, California, I prepared agency responses to Environmental Impact Reports, negotiated and drafted agreements between the BOP and other governmental agencies, and even dealt with the media during emergencies. For the Metropolitan Detention Center at Los Angeles, California, I regularly defended BOP decisions concerning the care and custody of high profile inmates in federal court. In fact, in a RICO street gang case, I still wonder how I endured the long arguments where over fifteen defendants and their attorneys stood against me and the BOP.

Amazingly, during these years, I still found time to start a family, perform pro bono work in the Los Angeles area, and play softball several times per week. It was also exciting to know a variety of other opportunities were available for BOP attorneys who were ready for other challenges. From other branches of BOP like Labor Law, to supervisory level positions, there always seemed to be ample chances for advancement.

In 2000, I was selected to be the Deputy Regional Counsel for the Western Region and currently manage a team of attorneys that represent a number of prisons. Individually, and as a team, we advise BOP staff on a broad range of issues, from Constitutional Rights to tort. We also work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office when matters are litigated, drafting pleadings, preparing discovery responses, and when called upon, arguing before federal judges. Even though this new role is demanding, I still find time to coach baseball and soccer. Although I don’t know what the future holds, I do know the BOP has earned a place in my future. After all, it’s “home.”

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Kristen Byrnes Floom, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Wildlife and Marine Resources Section

I came to the Wildlife Section of ENRD as a lateral hire, having practiced with both a large and small law firm in Washington, DC, representing mainly commercial clients. I was a general litigation associate, working on cases in a number of practice areas, and I wanted to specialize in environmental law. I was attracted by the nature of the cases handled by the Wildlife Section, particularly Endangered Species Act (ESA) cases. Few private sector attorneys have the opportunity to handle cases brought under wildlife statutes, and I jumped at the chance to defend these complex cases, involving cutting edge science and thought-provoking conflicts between the interests of wildlife and humans.

Within days of arriving at DOJ, I assumed primary responsibility for several ESA cases. This was daunting, because in nearly five years of private practice I had never been the lead attorney on a case. Moreover, I had no prior experience with the ESA. But there is a very collegial atmosphere in the Wildlife Section, and the attorneys are always willing to share their extensive practical experience. The cases that our Section litigates are often precedent-setting and of significant interest to the public, invoking strong emotions on both sides of the issues. It is fulfilling to be one of a small group of attorneys directly involved in shaping this specialized area of the law.

One of the most rewarding aspects of government practice for me has been working with a talented group of attorneys who share my interests in environmental law and public service. I find the subject matter of my cases extremely interesting on a personal level, and by litigating on behalf of the Federal government I feel that I serve the public interest as well.

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Steven Logan, United States Attorney’s Office, Minnesota and Arizona

I've been part of government service my entire life. After graduation from the University of Louisville in 1988, I joined the United States Marine Corps (USMC) ultimately serving as a judge advocate for seven years after graduation from law school. When I decided to leave the active duty ranks of the USMC I knew I wanted to continue serving our great country as a government lawyer.

What drew me to the Department of Justice was an opportunity to continue to litigate cases on a larger scale. I knew the Justice Department offered a unique opportunity to litigate many different cases in different jurisdictions. At the USAO, I had a tremendous mentor, boss and friend. Within three months in the District of Minnesota, I began to work within the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). Minnesota offered tremendous opportunity for personal and professional growth. The office is very unique because several AUSAs worked in the office for decades. The talent is amazing. Several of my peers were nationally known for excellence. After working several years in Minnesota, I transferred to the District of Arizona.

Public service for me has been amazing. At USAO MN and AZ my supervisors and peers have been extremely understanding of my other service related activity, the United States Marine Corps Reserves. While I was back on active duty serving in Iraq for almost 9 months, my office was extremely supportive both while deployed and when I returned from Iraq. The friendships, the quality of work, the mentoring, as well as the feeling that you've not only accomplished something but, also that you are part of a great team are all things that I would not trade for anything.

I've had a chance to work in 2 different offices in two amazing cities, Minneapolis and Phoenix. The cases that I am currently assigned are very interesting and rewarding. The Department, because of the people you work with, is a place you really feel rewards its own. If you want to work with good people with great attitudes who always want to do what's best for the United States, I highly recommend government service.

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