Skip to main content

Legal Careers

Assistant United States Attorney

Hiring Organization
USAO Central District of California
Job ID
2015-10
Location:
312 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 - United States
Application Deadline:
About the Office

The United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California (USAO) is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the Central District of California. This includes criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. With an authorized strength of approximately 280 Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), the USAO is the second largest in the country. The USAO is divided into four litigating Divisions (Criminal, National Security, Civil, and Tax). The USAOs main offices are in Los Angeles. The USAOs Criminal Division has branch offices in Santa Ana and Riverside.

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Job Description

Hiring is for one AUSA position in our Criminal Division or National Security Division. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. Applications previously submitted (Vacancy No. 2015-3, 3/9/15 to 3/16/15) will automatically be considered. If you have previously submitted an application, please do not resubmit.

AUSAs in the Criminal and National Security Divisions advise federal law enforcement agents on criminal and national security investigations, present criminal cases to the grand jury, try criminal cases before the United States District Court, and represent the United States in criminal appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

Qualifications

Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three years post-J.D. experience. If not already an active member of the California bar, any applicant hired will be required to take and pass the California bar exam and become an active member of the California bar as quickly as possible after entry on duty.

Preferred qualifications: Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a diverse complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all taken into account. California bar membership is an important factor in hiring decisions. Exceptional lawyers who are not members of the California bar are occasionally hired, but must take the next available California bar examination after their entry on duty and must become active California bar members as quickly as possible.

Application Process

Attorneys seeking a position as an AUSA should provide a cover letter with a resume, law school transcript, and brief writing sample (preferably 10 pages or less). Please be sure to indicate all jurisdictions in which you are admitted to practice law, and include your state bar number for any state in which you are admitted. Application materials must be submitted electronically in a single pdf containing all required documents in the order set forth above. AUSA applications should be directed to Patrick Fitzgerald, First Assistant United States Attorney, 1200 United States Courthouse, 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, California 90012, and should be emailed to: USACAC.AUSAHiring@usdoj.gov. Positions are open until filled, but no later than August 14, 2015. No telephone calls please.

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/
http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies

Salary

AUSA pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $45,477 to $120,365 plus locality pay where authorized.

Number of Positions
One
Travel
Travel may be required between 1-5 nights per month or more depending on the needs of any particular case assignment, both within and outside the district.
Relocation Expenses
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

*         *         *

Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity:  The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.  Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor.  The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.

Reasonable Accommodations:  This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities:  The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements.  Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority.  Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.   

Suitability and Citizenship:  It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment.  Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.

Veterans:  There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

USAO Residency Requirement:  Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof.  See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

*         *         *

This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.

Updated April 7, 2016