Lawyers fresh out of law school can begin working for the DOJ so long as they are a U.S. citizen and have passed the bar exam

Staffing shortages at the Department of Justice, which have plagued the organization for the last year, have led officials to drop minimum experience requirements for job openings to attract talent fresh out of law school.

The DOJ told U.S. attorney offices earlier this month that a one-year experience requirement for new hires would be suspended “due to an exigent hiring need for attorneys across the Department”, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg Law.

In job postings for assistant U.S. attorneys in Alaska, Montana, New Hampshire and Oklahoma, applicants are only required to possess a law degree, have passed the state bar exam and be a U.S. citizen.