DOJ offers $25K signing bonuses to recruit lawyers outside Washington DC

The Justice Department is offering signing bonuses of up to $25,000 to recruit lawyers across the country to strengthen legal battles against what a department official described as “lawless jurisdictions.”

New job postings show high bonuses being offered by components of the DOJ’s civil division that handle immigration prosecutions and transgender medical treatment investigations, two of President Donald Trump’s most controversial priorities, and highlight New York, Raleigh, San Francisco and Dallas.

The hiring push comes as the Civil Division, the DOJ’s largest division led by Brett Shumate, continues the resource-intensive task of defending White House policies in court as it faces hundreds of lawsuits, while scrutinizing employee departures and reported recruiting difficulties.

The new staffing strategy highlights the pressure DOJ faces to maintain its aggressive legal defense strategy, particularly in blue cities and states it accuses of undermining federal authority, while combating narratives that the department is struggling to retain its staff.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a White House press conference with President Donald Trump on recent Supreme Court rulings in Washington, DC, June 27, 2025. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A DOJ official told Fox News Digital that the recruiting efforts did not reflect any internal tensions, but rather a way for the department to “think bigger by attracting attorneys from across the country who might not have considered” working for a Washington-based federal agency.

“The Department is expanding its resources across the country to combat illegal jurisdictions and injunctions nationwide, and there is a need to attract candidates from these new areas,” the official said, touting that Trump’s signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave the DOJ “millions of dollars to hire more lawyers specifically for these efforts.”

The offers come as blue states, civil rights groups and Democrats flood courts across the country with lawsuits challenging Trump’s efforts to shrink and unify executive power, crack down on illegal immigration, implement tariffs and strengthen policies surrounding election security and transgender people, among other things. Lower court judges have often obstructed the work of the administration. The DOJ has chosen on rare occasions to submit adverse decisions on an emergency basis to the conservative-leaning Supreme Court and has won around 20 cases – representing the vast majority of cases – by taking this route.

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The facade of the United States Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, DC in October 2024. (Valérie Plesch/photo alliance via Getty Images)

The Civil Division, charged with defending civil lawsuits against the administration, has also offered incentives to current attorneys, according to Bloomberg Law. The outlet said the division is offering new biweekly bonuses of up to $220 through Thanksgiving because lawyers “continue to flee” and because the division “is increasingly desperate to avoid further departures of valuable lawyers” who are uncomfortable with Trump’s priorities.

The DOJ official raised concerns about the employee exodus in a statement to Fox News Digital, after the Financial Times also reported that more than a quarter of its nearly 13,000 lawyers had resigned or been fired since the start of last year.

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Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States Brett A. Shumate speaks during the inauguration ceremony for U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden at the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, April 13, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The official attributed the departures, in part, to employees choosing a crossroads resignation option, which the Trump administration implemented last year with the stated goal of shrinking the size of government.

“This has allowed the DOJ to operate more efficiently and hire new employees who wholeheartedly believe in the work they are doing,” the official told Fox News Digital.

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Deputy Attorney General Shumate told Fox News Digital in a statement that he is “always looking for talented and qualified attorneys to advance President Trump’s priorities and protect the American people.”

“The Civil Division will continue to hire hard-working patriots across the country and provide appreciation bonuses to our loyal attorneys who remain committed to our mission and upholding the rule of law,” Shumate said.