Attorney Jobs for OPT Students
Attorney roles on OPT are available at law firms, corporate legal departments, and government agencies, though bar admission requirements vary by state and often require separate licensing steps. Your 12-month OPT window, or 24-month STEM extension if your law degree qualifies, determines how much time you have to secure H-1B sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsJob Posting Title
Attorney
Agency
131 DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Supervisory Organization
DOC Ofc of General Counsel
Job Posting End Date
Refer to the date listed at the top of this posting, if available. Continuous if date is blank.
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.
Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)
Full/Part-Time
Full time
Job Type
Regular
Compensation
$95,000.00
Job Description
Basic Purpose:
Positions in this job family perform professional legal work providing legal counsel and representation for the agency to include policy and procedure review, legal research, contract writing and negotiation, monitoring proposed legislation, consultation with department managers, and representation of the department in a variety of legal forums.
Typical Functions:
- Conducts legal research; analyzes legal issues; reviews policies, procedures, regulations, and other related legal issues and questions for the department.
- Performs advisory services and legislative review; provides drafts or comments on proposed legislation or changes in regulations; prepares memoranda or reports outlining facts and legal issues, prepares necessary legal documents and advisory opinions for administrative personnel; consults with, and provides guidance to, department managers.
- Prepares orders, complaints, briefs, motions, and other documents; participates in pre-trial or pre-hearing conferences, conducts pre-trial witness examination, examines, and cross-examines witnesses, argues motions before the court or hearing officer.
- Prepares reports and exhibits any legal memoranda from the records and hearings outlining the factual and legal issues and recommends legal disposition.
- Conducts specialized training for all levels of staff on relevant legal topics.
- Negotiates contractual relations; drafts contracts other legal instruments or documents; performs consultation to department officials regarding contractual agreements.
- Interacts with external stakeholders and clients.
Level Descriptor:
This is the career level of the job family, where incumbents are largely responsible for performing a full range of professional legal activities or at a full performance level. May provide training or assistance to lower-level employees. Assignments are prescribed, but the methods are not typically reviewed nor controlled while the work is in progress.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Competencies:
Knowledge of legal principles and their application; of legal research methods; of the scope of Oklahoma statutory law and provisions of the Oklahoma Constitution; of the principles of administration and constitutional law; of trial and administrative hearing procedures; and rules of evidence.
Skill in performing legal research; the ability to analyze and apply legal principles, facts, and precedents to legal problems in a variety of legal areas; skill in effectively presenting statements of fact, law, and argument in written and oral form; in drafting statutes and other legal instruments and documents; in dictating correspondence involving the explanation of legal matters; the ability to manage other professional employees.
Education and Experience:
Minimum: Active membership in the Oklahoma Bar Association/graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctorate.
Preferred: Three (3) years’ experience practicing relevant area of law such as criminal, administrative, employment, or government.
ADDITIONAL JOB DESCRIPTION
Office of General Counsel
This is not a remote position.
Equal Opportunity Employment
The State of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.
Current active State of Oklahoma employees must apply for open positions internally through the Workday Jobs Hub.
If you are needing any extra assistance or have any questions relating to a job you have applied for, please click the link below and find the agency for which you applied for additional information:
Agency Contact
Job Posting Title
Attorney
Agency
131 DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Supervisory Organization
DOC Ofc of General Counsel
Job Posting End Date
Refer to the date listed at the top of this posting, if available. Continuous if date is blank.
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.
Estimated Appointment End Date (Continuous if Blank)
Full/Part-Time
Full time
Job Type
Regular
Compensation
$95,000.00
Job Description
Basic Purpose:
Positions in this job family perform professional legal work providing legal counsel and representation for the agency to include policy and procedure review, legal research, contract writing and negotiation, monitoring proposed legislation, consultation with department managers, and representation of the department in a variety of legal forums.
Typical Functions:
- Conducts legal research; analyzes legal issues; reviews policies, procedures, regulations, and other related legal issues and questions for the department.
- Performs advisory services and legislative review; provides drafts or comments on proposed legislation or changes in regulations; prepares memoranda or reports outlining facts and legal issues, prepares necessary legal documents and advisory opinions for administrative personnel; consults with, and provides guidance to, department managers.
- Prepares orders, complaints, briefs, motions, and other documents; participates in pre-trial or pre-hearing conferences, conducts pre-trial witness examination, examines, and cross-examines witnesses, argues motions before the court or hearing officer.
- Prepares reports and exhibits any legal memoranda from the records and hearings outlining the factual and legal issues and recommends legal disposition.
- Conducts specialized training for all levels of staff on relevant legal topics.
- Negotiates contractual relations; drafts contracts other legal instruments or documents; performs consultation to department officials regarding contractual agreements.
- Interacts with external stakeholders and clients.
Level Descriptor:
This is the career level of the job family, where incumbents are largely responsible for performing a full range of professional legal activities or at a full performance level. May provide training or assistance to lower-level employees. Assignments are prescribed, but the methods are not typically reviewed nor controlled while the work is in progress.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Competencies:
Knowledge of legal principles and their application; of legal research methods; of the scope of Oklahoma statutory law and provisions of the Oklahoma Constitution; of the principles of administration and constitutional law; of trial and administrative hearing procedures; and rules of evidence.
Skill in performing legal research; the ability to analyze and apply legal principles, facts, and precedents to legal problems in a variety of legal areas; skill in effectively presenting statements of fact, law, and argument in written and oral form; in drafting statutes and other legal instruments and documents; in dictating correspondence involving the explanation of legal matters; the ability to manage other professional employees.
Education and Experience:
Minimum: Active membership in the Oklahoma Bar Association/graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctorate.
Preferred: Three (3) years’ experience practicing relevant area of law such as criminal, administrative, employment, or government.
ADDITIONAL JOB DESCRIPTION
Office of General Counsel
This is not a remote position.
Equal Opportunity Employment
The State of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.
Current active State of Oklahoma employees must apply for open positions internally through the Workday Jobs Hub.
If you are needing any extra assistance or have any questions relating to a job you have applied for, please click the link below and find the agency for which you applied for additional information:
Agency Contact
How to Get Visa Sponsorship as an Attorney
Target employers with H-1B sponsorship history
Large law firms and corporate legal departments file H-1B petitions regularly. Prioritize employers with a documented history of sponsoring foreign national attorneys, since smaller firms often lack the infrastructure to navigate the sponsorship process.
Understand your bar admission timeline
Most attorney roles require bar admission, which takes months after graduation. Plan your OPT start date carefully so your work authorization is active when you're ready to practice, not just when you finish law school.
Consider law school's STEM extension eligibility
Some JD programs with quantitative concentrations, such as technology law or law and data science, may qualify for a STEM OPT extension. Confirm your CIP code with your DSO before assuming you have 36 months of total OPT.
Leverage your foreign law background strategically
Fluency in a foreign legal system is a genuine differentiator for international arbitration, cross-border transactions, and comparative law roles. Frame your dual legal training as an asset, not a gap, in applications and interviews.
Pursue law firm associate programs that have sponsored before
Big Law associate classes at firms like Kirkland, Latham, and Skadden have sponsored OPT attorneys before. Research summer associate and first-year programs at firms with global practices, where sponsorship infrastructure already exists.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Can I work as an attorney on OPT without a green card or H-1B?
Yes, F-1 OPT authorizes you to work as an attorney in a role directly related to your law degree. You don't need an H-1B or green card to start. However, you must have valid OPT authorization through USCIS, your employment must be full-time, and you still need to satisfy your state bar's admission requirements independently of your immigration status.
Do law firms typically sponsor H-1B visas for OPT attorneys?
Large law firms, particularly AmLaw 100 firms with international practices, have sponsored H-1B petitions for associates. Smaller regional firms rarely do. Corporate legal departments at multinational companies are also reliable sponsors. The key factor is whether the firm has a dedicated HR or immigration function that can manage the petition process before your OPT expires.
How does bar admission affect my OPT employment authorization?
Bar admission is a state licensing requirement separate from your federal immigration status. OPT authorizes you to work, but your employer and state bar determine whether you can practice law unsupervised. Some states allow foreign-trained attorneys to sit for the bar; others don't. Confirm your state's character and fitness and educational requirements before accepting a role that requires immediate admission.
Where can I find attorney jobs that sponsor OPT students?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters for employers open to sponsoring international candidates. Browsing attorney roles on Migrate Mate lets you identify law firms and corporate legal departments that have hired OPT students before, saving you from applying to firms that will screen you out for needing sponsorship.
Does my law degree qualify for a STEM OPT extension?
Most JD programs do not qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension because law is not a STEM-designated field under DHS guidelines. However, dual-degree programs combining law with a STEM field, such as a JD/MS in computer science, may qualify based on the STEM degree's CIP code. Confirm with your Designated School Official before making any timeline assumptions.
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