Why the Justice Department’s signing bonuses are so deeply embarrassing

It is an enormous problem for the Justice Department that, between politically motivated purges and widespread resignations, it finds itself noticeably short on attorneys. In fact, there are real practical consequences to the hollowing out of the DOJ, as prosecutors with increasing frequency are forced to seek delays in cases, simply because they lack enough lawyers to handle the disputes.

This Video Is Trending Right Now →

But making matters even worse is the fact that the flipside is also true: The Justice Department hasn’t just lost or ousted too many attorneys — it’s also struggling to replace them. Bloomberg Law reported:

The Justice Department is taking a new tack to overcome hurdles in attracting qualified legal talent and to prevent current lawyers from leaving: offering signing and retention bonuses throughout the Civil Division.

New vacancy postings show signing bonuses of $25,000 are newly available to staff offices investigating youth transgender treatments and litigating the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

The same report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW, added that the DOJ’s civil division recently informed its attorneys that they’re poised to receive a new “retention incentive allowance” — in effect, paying them extra to stick around.

“The financial enticements are an apparent first” for federal law enforcement, Bloomberg Law reported.

After this report was published, I heard from some lawyers who were absolutely amazed to learn that conditions are this bad at the DOJ. Bradley P. Moss, a prominent attorney in Washington, D.C., wrote via Bluesky, “When I came out of law school in 2006, DOJ’s prestige was such that liberal and conservative graduates alike would have gladly stepped over their friends’ dead bodies to get a position there. Trump has ruined it now to the point [the department is] having to bribe new graduates to apply.”

In other words, the fact Main Justice has resorted to signing bonuses and retention incentives is profoundly embarrassing for the institution. These developments make it painfully clear that some of the most important and sought-after jobs in American law have become, for all intents and purposes, positions attorneys simply do not want.