Federal Hiring Debacle

[TinCow]

You decide whether this is competitive or not. Perhaps immigration law is simply a high-demand job in the gov't, and certainly, this is not one of the most popular fields of law.

Yes, there are a lot of immigration law attorneys in the federal government. Other big ones are trademark, patent, antitrust, criminal prosecution, social security, and veterans' law. The last two areas aren't really taught in law school, so it can be difficult to get experience in those areas before you apply for the job. Of the above, patent attorneys have, by far, the easiest time getting jobs. They're pretty much always in demand and get highly paid. This is because you have to have a separate technical degree or significant technical coursework (just a JD isn't good enough) and you have to pass a separate Patent bar exam. Since most attorneys aren't engineering types, there is always a shortage of Patent attorneys, particularly those with experience in stuff like electrical, chemical, and mechanical, and biomechanical engineering. CS Patent attorneys are more common, since everyone seems to have a CS degree these days. If you've got an engineering background, I very strongly recommend consideration of a legal career... you'll have great prospects and job security both in the government and at firms for your entire life. MD/JD combos also pretty much have guaranteed employment for life, though that's a lot of education commitment.

Another good avenue for government legal jobs is JAG service. JAG officers always end up at the top of the lists for government legal positions, particular in the DoJ and VA.