WASHINGTON — Today Justice Connection launched a first-of-its-kind legal network built by and for the Justice Department community, where federal employees will receive legal representation throughout their cases. The Justice Connection Legal Network, staffed by trained DOJ alumni volunteers, offers pro bono representation to current and recent DOJ employees facing federal employment-related actions, as well as criminal, congressional, and other investigations related to their work with the department.
This initiative meets an urgent and growing need. Over the past several months, Justice Connection has heard from many current and recent DOJ employees who are navigating career-threatening challenges — often with little access to specialized legal help. Early on, we foresaw this dire problem facing federal employees — there are very few attorneys who practice in the necessary fields, and because of ruthless attacks across federal agencies, many have reached capacity. The Justice Connection Legal Network is our response: a way to mobilize expertise from within the DOJ community and deliver meaningful support to those who need it most.
“Since taking office, this administration has torn through DOJ’s workforce with recklessness and retribution — firing, threatening, and demoting hundreds of career civil servants simply for doing their jobs,” said Stacey Young, founder and executive director of Justice Connection. “Attorneys in the Justice Connection Legal Network are now helping those employees determine the best path forward when facing a crossroad and representing them throughout the process when they’re unfairly targeted.”
Attorney volunteers in the Justice Connection Legal Network who are representing employees before the Merit Systems Protection Board completed comprehensive training in federal-sector employment law from leaders in the field. Unlike other efforts that offer brief consultations, our volunteers, in partnership with veteran federal employment lawyers, will provide comprehensive support from consultation through trials and appeals. Our criminal defense attorney volunteers, who are representing employees facing investigations, are all seasoned specialists in their fields.
If you’re a current or recent DOJ employee seeking legal support, email us at intake@thejusticeconnection.org to so we can pair you with one of our attorney volunteers. Please use a personal email when contacting us.
If you’re a DOJ alum interested in participating in the Legal Network as an attorney volunteer, please contact alumni@thejusticeconnection.org.
Justice Connection is a network of Justice Department alumni supporting the department’s nonpartisan workforce. We will continue speaking out about what’s happening at the Justice Department to stand up for dedicated career employees and preserve the rule of law.
We’ve expanded our social media presence to Bluesky and X to ensure that Americans understand the grave harm caused by attacks on the department and its workforce. You can follow us at @justiceconnection.bsky.social and @Justice_CXN.