Legal F-1 STEM OPT Sponsorship Jobs in Washington DC
Legal F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship jobs in Washington DC concentrate at major law firms, federal contractors, and legal technology companies operating near Capitol Hill and K Street. Employers such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and large AmLaw 100 firms with DC offices regularly file Labor Condition Applications for technology-adjacent legal roles that qualify under STEM-designated degree programs.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout Kirkland & Ellis
At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 23 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.
What You’ll Do
If you have spent your career in eDiscovery and litigation support and are ready to apply that foundation, along with a broader technical skill set, to a wider scope of work, this could be the role for you.
Impact. Data Scientists sit within a group of discovery, data management, and AI specialists dedicated to designing and executing client-focused workflows on some of the most complex matters in our industry. You will report to the Associate Director of Technical Operations. The role is hands-on and client-facing; more than half of your time will be spent directly embedded in active matters. This position sits within the firm’s Innovation Program.
Coordination and Execution of In-house Solution Development. You will support the collection of requirements and the design and building of in-house solutions. You will consult with case teams on data strategies and execute rapid solution development including custom scripting, data management, database development, and visualization design. You will complete requests requiring advanced technologies such as document layout analysis, LLM-based information extraction, semantic chunking, and entity recognition, while maintaining comprehensive documentation throughout.
Data Project Service Delivery. You will support matter-specific needs as a subject matter resource, analyzing and troubleshooting data processing and analytics issues. You will develop custom eDiscovery workflows and execute data-heavy, data-modeling projects that require creative problem-solving and technical depth.
Department Initiatives. You will work closely with other data science teams and Litigation & Practice Technology (“LPT”) leadership to evaluate and test internal solutions and emerging technology. You will serve as a go-to resource for technical knowledge in AI, contributing your expertise to the team’s continuous advancement of its capabilities.
What You’ll Bring
- 3+ years of experience in a law firm, legal services, or professional services organization with significant experience working in a team environment.
- Ability to translate complex concepts into client-friendly language.
- Highly analytical with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to translate ambiguous problems into structured solutions.
- Knowledge of statistical analysis and data modeling.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with Relativity custom development. Deep knowledge in eDiscovery-focused data processing, structured analytics, and related troubleshooting.
- Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including VBA development, Power Query, complex formula construction, advanced data modeling, and chart design.
- Experience in creating data visualizations with hands-on proficiency in tools such as Plotly, Tableau, and Microsoft Power BI.
- Strong Python skills for data analysis, statistical modeling, and AI/ML prototyping (e.g., pandas, PyTorch, TensorFlow); advanced SQL proficiency; experience building data pipelines.
- Proficiency in front-end web technologies including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, with the ability to develop interactive web-based tools and dashboards.
- Hands-on experience with AI platforms and tools (e.g., OpenAI, Microsoft Azure OpenAI, Hugging Face, LangFlow, LangChain), including practical implementation of RAG pipelines, vector databases, and knowledge graph construction.
- General knowledge of social network analysis, natural language processing, classification algorithms, and image processing.
- Familiarity with git, svn, JIRA, or other version control technologies.
- Familiarity with hardware platforms (e.g., CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs).
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Familiarity with leading legal technology platforms is preferred (docketing systems, document management systems, case management systems, eDiscovery, data collection and web capture solutions).
- Experience evaluating LLM output quality through benchmarking, precision, recall, and extraction accuracy assessment is preferred.
Compensation
The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in each of the below locations. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.
Compensation Range:
- Chicago: $133,000 - $150,000
- New York City: $133,000 - $166,000
- Los Angeles: $133,000 - $166,000
- Bay Area: $133,000 - $191,000
- Washington D.C.: $133,000 - $166,000
- Boston: $133,000 - $166,000
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."
Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Firm will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records and criminal histories consistent with local laws.
All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
LI-Hybrid #LI-LB1 #LI-Remote
About Kirkland & Ellis
At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 23 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.
What You’ll Do
If you have spent your career in eDiscovery and litigation support and are ready to apply that foundation, along with a broader technical skill set, to a wider scope of work, this could be the role for you.
Impact. Data Scientists sit within a group of discovery, data management, and AI specialists dedicated to designing and executing client-focused workflows on some of the most complex matters in our industry. You will report to the Associate Director of Technical Operations. The role is hands-on and client-facing; more than half of your time will be spent directly embedded in active matters. This position sits within the firm’s Innovation Program.
Coordination and Execution of In-house Solution Development. You will support the collection of requirements and the design and building of in-house solutions. You will consult with case teams on data strategies and execute rapid solution development including custom scripting, data management, database development, and visualization design. You will complete requests requiring advanced technologies such as document layout analysis, LLM-based information extraction, semantic chunking, and entity recognition, while maintaining comprehensive documentation throughout.
Data Project Service Delivery. You will support matter-specific needs as a subject matter resource, analyzing and troubleshooting data processing and analytics issues. You will develop custom eDiscovery workflows and execute data-heavy, data-modeling projects that require creative problem-solving and technical depth.
Department Initiatives. You will work closely with other data science teams and Litigation & Practice Technology (“LPT”) leadership to evaluate and test internal solutions and emerging technology. You will serve as a go-to resource for technical knowledge in AI, contributing your expertise to the team’s continuous advancement of its capabilities.
What You’ll Bring
- 3+ years of experience in a law firm, legal services, or professional services organization with significant experience working in a team environment.
- Ability to translate complex concepts into client-friendly language.
- Highly analytical with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to translate ambiguous problems into structured solutions.
- Knowledge of statistical analysis and data modeling.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience with Relativity custom development. Deep knowledge in eDiscovery-focused data processing, structured analytics, and related troubleshooting.
- Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including VBA development, Power Query, complex formula construction, advanced data modeling, and chart design.
- Experience in creating data visualizations with hands-on proficiency in tools such as Plotly, Tableau, and Microsoft Power BI.
- Strong Python skills for data analysis, statistical modeling, and AI/ML prototyping (e.g., pandas, PyTorch, TensorFlow); advanced SQL proficiency; experience building data pipelines.
- Proficiency in front-end web technologies including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, with the ability to develop interactive web-based tools and dashboards.
- Hands-on experience with AI platforms and tools (e.g., OpenAI, Microsoft Azure OpenAI, Hugging Face, LangFlow, LangChain), including practical implementation of RAG pipelines, vector databases, and knowledge graph construction.
- General knowledge of social network analysis, natural language processing, classification algorithms, and image processing.
- Familiarity with git, svn, JIRA, or other version control technologies.
- Familiarity with hardware platforms (e.g., CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs).
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Familiarity with leading legal technology platforms is preferred (docketing systems, document management systems, case management systems, eDiscovery, data collection and web capture solutions).
- Experience evaluating LLM output quality through benchmarking, precision, recall, and extraction accuracy assessment is preferred.
Compensation
The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in each of the below locations. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.
Compensation Range:
- Chicago: $133,000 - $150,000
- New York City: $133,000 - $166,000
- Los Angeles: $133,000 - $166,000
- Bay Area: $133,000 - $191,000
- Washington D.C.: $133,000 - $166,000
- Boston: $133,000 - $166,000
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."
Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Firm will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records and criminal histories consistent with local laws.
All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.
LI-Hybrid #LI-LB1 #LI-Remote
Legal Job Roles in Washington DC
See all Legal Jobs in Washington DC
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Search Legal Jobs in Washington DCLegal Jobs in Washington DC: Frequently Asked Questions
Which legal companies sponsor F-1 STEM OPT visas in Washington DC?
Washington DC legal employers that have filed Labor Condition Applications for STEM-eligible roles include federal contractors like Booz Allen Hamilton and Leidos, AmLaw 100 firms with significant DC presences such as Kirkland & Ellis and Covington & Burling, and legal technology vendors serving government clients. Sponsorship activity is concentrated among employers with dedicated compliance infrastructure and recurring needs for data analytics, legal engineering, and e-discovery technology roles.
What types of legal roles typically qualify for F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship?
STEM OPT authorization applies when a role is directly tied to a STEM-designated degree, so qualifying legal positions generally include e-discovery technology analyst, legal data scientist, compliance data analyst, litigation support engineer, and legal operations technologist. These roles sit at the intersection of law and quantitative or computational disciplines. Traditional attorney or paralegal positions without a STEM-field connection rarely qualify under the standard STEM OPT framework.
How do I find legal F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship jobs in Washington DC?
Migrate Mate filters Washington DC legal jobs by verified STEM OPT sponsorship history, showing which employers have active Labor Condition Applications for STEM-eligible legal and legal-technology roles. Searching by industry and visa type on Migrate Mate surfaces positions at law firms, federal contractors, and legal tech companies that have demonstrated willingness to sponsor, helping you target applications toward employers with a documented track record rather than applying broadly.
Which areas within Washington DC have the most legal F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship jobs?
Sponsorship-active legal employers cluster in several DC corridors: K Street and downtown DC for AmLaw and government affairs firms, Bethesda and Tysons Corner for federal contractors operating in the broader metro area, and NoMa and Capitol Hill for legal technology and policy-adjacent organizations. The DC Metro area functions as a single legal job market, so candidates holding F-1 STEM OPT status should consider employers in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland alongside the District itself.
Are there Washington DC-specific considerations for F-1 STEM OPT in the legal industry?
Washington DC's concentration of federal agencies and government contractors creates a distinct hiring pattern: many STEM-eligible legal roles require security clearances or federal contracting compliance, which can affect the employer's willingness and timeline for supporting STEM OPT extensions. Applicants should confirm that a prospective employer is enrolled in E-Verify, as USCIS requires E-Verify participation for all STEM OPT employers, and should verify that the offered role aligns with their STEM-designated degree field before accepting an offer.