The Department of Justice is part of the Executive Branch of the Government and is charged with representing the United States, its agencies and personnel of the Executive Branch in legal matters. The Department is prevented, by law, from offering legal advice to private citizens. However, your local chapter of the Bar Association or Legal Aid Society may be able to assist you in locating a lawyer. Many bar associations can also provide references for free legal assistance.

You have many choices. The most efficient route is generally to contact the Environmental Protection Agency office for your region which may be able to investigate directly. ENRD does not typically investigate alleged violations of federal environmental laws until a federal agency, like the Environmental Protection Agency, refers a matter to it.

If you suspect that a violation of a pollution-control law is occurring and presents an emergency situation, you may contact the Environmental Enforcement Section (one of the sections within ENRD). You may also wish to contact your local fire or health department.

If you have direct evidence of criminal activity, you should contact your local United States Attorneys Office, or the Environmental Crimes Section of ENRD.

You may also wish to contact your State Attorney General's office.

If you suspect that a violation of a wildlife law is occurring, you should contact the Fish and Wildlife Service office for your region. The National Marine Fisheries Service office for your region should be contacted regarding marine violations. You may also wish to contact your State Attorney General or your State fish and game department.

If you suspect that a wetlands violation has occurred, you should contact the United States Army Corps of Engineers district for your region and the Environmental Protection Agency office for your region.

You may wish to contact your State Attorney General's office in this situation.

The United States Attorneys are a part of the Department of Justice. They have offices throughout the United States, and serve as the principal litigators for the United States on a variety of issues. Each United States Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer of the United States within his or her particular state or part of a state. The Executive Office for United States Attorneys has headquarters in the main Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C.

Submit a detailed written request to the ENRD FOIA contact. Procedural details are available from the Department of Justice FOIA page.

Attorneys interested in applying for positions with ENRD can do so in one of the following ways: (1) Check the listing of attorney positions in ENRD periodically for listings of attorney vacancies. (2) Experienced attorneys may submit a resume and cover letter to: Personnel Officer, P.O. Box 7754, Washington, DC 20044-7754. (3) Graduating law students may be considered through the annual Honor Law Graduate Program (deadline in September). Interested students may check the Department's Web site for eligibility requirements and deadline dates. Application forms are also available in all accredited law school placement offices each year in August.

Yes, there are many positions within ENRD for non-attorneys. Check out the ENRD's Employment Site for details on available positions and application procedures.

The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Children's Health Protection is a good resource, as is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' Kids' Page. For information on lead hazards, consult the Office of Lead Hazard Control, a branch of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.