Employment and Internships

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey employs more than 250 employees. Positions include Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), a variety of support staff positions, college students, and law students. Selections for positions in the District are made without regard to race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, creed, color, national origin, handicap condition, age, or political affiliation.

Employment for all positions is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background investigation conducted by the Department of Justice. The investigation process includes a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use, a fingerprint check, and a thorough review of the applicant's background to determine whether there have been any significant problems with unresolved financial indebtedness, failure to file and/or pay income taxes, criminal record, illegal drug use, etc.

Attorney Positions

Applications for AUSA positions in the Criminal and Civil Divisions, including positions in our Camden and Trenton Branch Offices, are received and evaluated by the Hiring Committee on an ongoing basis. Specialized positions (for example, AUSA positions in the Appeals Division or in affirmative civil enforcement) will be posted individually as vacancies arise.  Applicants for AUSA positions must possess a J.D. degree and be an active member of at least one bar (any jurisdiction), with at least three years of post-graduation legal experience.  Candidates selected for AUSA positions are expected to make a three-year commitment. 

Individuals interested in AUSA positions in the Criminal or Civil Divisions should submit a resume and cover letter in electronic form only to the following e-mail address by December 31, 2024:

Email: USANJ.HRApplications@usdoj.gov 

Please include your last name and "Assistant US Attorney position - Criminal" or “Assistant US Attorney position – Civil” in the subject line of your email, depending on the Division to which you are applying.  If you are interested in applying to both Divisions, please submit two applications. 

Please address your cover letter to:       

Vikas Khanna
First Assistant U.S. Attorney
United States Attorney's Office
District of New Jersey
970 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102

Please do not send a paper copy of your resume and cover letter unless you have no access to or ability to use e-mail. 

Special Attorney Positions

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey is seeking applications from attorneys who are willing to accept an unpaid temporary position that offers a valuable opportunity to gain exposure to the office while also obtaining litigation experience.

Special AUSA info

Support Positions

Applications for support positions are accepted only when a vacancy occurs. All vacancy announcements are listed on this website and on www.usajobs.gov and www.usdoj.gov. Unsolicited applications are not accepted and are returned to applicants. No vacancy announcements are currently being posted as a result of the federal employee hiring freeze.

Summer Law Student Interns

US Attorney's Office - District of New Jersey
Law Student Volunteer
970 Broad Street, Suite 700
Newark, NJ 07102
United States
2024 Summer Law Student

About the Office: 
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey (the 8th largest in the nation) is charged with the primary responsibility for prosecuting all federal crimes in New Jersey from acts of terrorism to public corruption, white-collar crime, organized crime and gang activities, internet-related crimes, drug importation, and many other criminal acts. Through its Civil Division, the Office is charged with defending agencies of the United States, enforcing regulatory agencies’ authority, and recovering funds from violators of U.S. criminal, regulatory, and civil laws.  The Office’s Criminal Division is broken into several units:  National Security, Cybercrime Prevention and Enforcement, Economic Crimes, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering, Health Care Fraud, Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement, OCDETF, Organized Crime/Gangs, and General Crimes.  The Special Prosecutions Division investigates and prosecutes matters involving public corruption at the federal, state, and local government levels.  The Civil Rights Division enforces both civil and criminal civil rights laws.  And, finally, the Appeals Division handles all appeals to the Third Circuit from the criminal cases prosecuted by the Office.  The Office has locations in Newark, Trenton, and Camden, all of which house AUSAs from each of the Office’s divisions.

Job Description: 
Each intern will be given assignments in as many divisions and units as possible, providing exposure to a wide variety of practice areas and a number of AUSAs. Each intern will be expected to perform research projects, assist in trial preparation, and assist AUSAs in various aspects of handling cases.  Each intern will receive ample opportunity to observe ongoing trials, participate in witness preparation and proffer sessions, and interact with AUSAs and federal agents.

The Office also hosts brown bag lunches with AUSAs, the defense bar, the judiciary and federal agents and sponsors weekly skill sessions focusing on trial practice (opening statements, cross-examination, evidence, etc.), all of which culminate in a mock trial at the end of the summer.

Location:
Positions are available in our Newark, Camden, and Trenton offices.  The Newark office is located at 970 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey; convenient to Newark Penn Station (NJ Transit and Path trains).  The Camden office is located at 401 Market Street, Camden, New Jersey (accessible by PATCO train from Philadelphia).  The Trenton office is located at 402 East State Street, Trenton, New Jersey.  Students interested in applying to an internship in any of our three locations should submit resumes and cover letters as indicated below and should note which office(s) they are interested in.

Qualifications: 
First-year (second semester) and second-year law students.
Must be a U.S. citizen.

Salary: 
Uncompensated
Students are permitted to receive funding and grants through their schools if available. 

Application Process: 
Students interested in applying for the 2024 Summer Program must submit a resume, cover letter, and law school transcript (if available) as one combined PDF file by January 20, 2024. The office will be unable to consider any applications that are received after that date. Please note that applications are considered on a rolling basis and that the Department of Justice requires that applicants pass a limited background check before reporting to the office. 

Please email your application to USANJ.InternApplications@usdoj.gov

Subject: Last Name, First Name - 2024 Summer Law Student Volunteer Program (indicate Newark, Trenton or Camden)

Application Deadline: 
January 20, 2024.

Number of Positions: 
Typically, the office selects 10-12 interns in Newark, 2-4 interns in Camden, and 2 interns in Trenton. 

Internship Opportunities in the Public Affairs Office

Overview: The Public Affairs Office (PAO) for the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey, offers a hands-on internship that provides undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to work in a fast-paced government communications office. As the principal point of contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the news media, the PAO is responsible for ensuring that the public is informed about the U.S. Attorney’s activities, and about the priorities and policies of the U.S. Attorney with regard to federal law enforcement, criminal, regulatory and civil laws.

Responsibilities include assisting the press officer with telephone calls from the news media; gathering news clips; assisting with interviews and press conferences; writing and editing news releases, advisories; and reviewing charging documents and pleadings filed in criminal and civil cases – as well as other duties as assigned.

Qualified candidates must have a strong interest in or are seeking a degree in communications, public affairs/relations, media, journalism, and/or public policy and government. Strong writing skills and strong interpersonal and communication skills are a must. Ability to handle multiple tasks and to work under pressure is also necessary. Previous internship experience is desirable.

Work Schedules: The PAO is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Fall/Spring - Interns are requested to work a minimum of 15 hours per week in the fall and spring semesters. Applications for Fall 2024 are due by June 2, 2024. Applications for Sping 2024 are due by October 13, 2024.

• Summer - Summer interns are requested to work 40 hours per week for approximately 10 weeks. The summer program runs from the end of May to August, but the opportunity exists to extend the internship into the fall on a full-time or part-time basis, not to exceed a total of six months. Applications for the summer 2024 are due by February 16, 2024.
   

Academic Credit: Internships are only offered to students currently enrolled in an academic institution in the United States. Information on academic credit should be obtained from the intern’s educational institution. Students are permitted to receive funding and grants through their schools if available.

Requirements: Applicants for an internship must be United States citizens and be currently enrolled in a study program as listed above. Please note that participation as a student intern is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a security clearance. Under no circumstances will a student be allowed to work in any capacity before his or her security clearance is successfully completed.

Location: The U.S. Attorney’s Office is located at Federal Square, 970 Broad St., Newark, New Jersey, and is convenient to Newark Penn Station (NJ Transit and PATH Trains).

Interested applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample in PDF format to Matthew Reilly at Matthew.reilly@usdoj.gov.

College Student Interns

College students are occasionally hired as unpaid interns on an as-needed basis. Interested students should send a resume and cover letter to:

United States Attorney's Office
Human Resources Division
Attn: College Student Intern Program
970 Broad Street
Suite 700
Newark, New Jersey 07102

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 color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a parent, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit 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.

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 targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to register for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Shared List of People with Disabilities (the Bender Disability Employment Registry) by submitting their resume to resume@benderconsult.com (link sends e-mail) and referencing "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line.  Additional information about the Bender Registry is available at www.benderconsult.com [external link] (link is external).  Individuals with disabilities may also contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC).  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. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the United States Attorneys' Offices. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, non-U.S. Citizens may apply for employment with other organizations, but should be advised that appointments of non-U.S. Citizens are 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.

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 his  or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

Benefits

Benefits Materials

The United States Attorney's Office offers a variety of benefits to its permanent paid employees, including the following:

Health Insurance: Employees may elect health insurance from a variety of carriers, including fee-for-service plans and health maintenance organization plans. Employees are normally responsible for paying at least one-fourth of the cost of health insurance, and the Federal government pays the remaining cost. Employee contributions for health insurance premiums are made on a pretax basis.

Life Insurance:  Employees may elect life insurance benefits. Most employees are automatically covered under basic life insurance, which equals their salary rounded to the next $1,000 plus $2,000. The government pays one-third of the cost of this group term insurance. Employees who elect basic life insurance are also eligible to elect optional insurance at their own expense. Optional life insurance includes additional insurance on the employee's life as well as coverage for the employee's spouse and eligible children.

Retirement:  Newly hired employees are covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered plan which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to employees and their dependents. FERS consists of Social Security, an annuity, and a tax deferred savings plan. The tax deferred savings plan allows employees to contribute up to 12 percent of their salaries. The agency automatically contributes an amount equal to 1% of an employee basic pay each pay period, whether the employee contributes or not. The agency matches employees's contributions as follows:

Dollar for dollar on the first 3% an employee contributes each pay period; and 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2% an employee contributes.

Leave:  Federal employees earn 13 days of annual leave during their first three years of Federal service and earn additional annual leave as their tenure with the Federal government increases, up to a maximum of 26 days per year after 15 years of service. Employees also earn 13 days of sick leave each year.

Holidays:   Employees are entitled to 10 paid holidays each year.

Transit Subsidy:  The transit subsidy program allows employees to be reimbursed for expenses incurred in utilizing public transportation for their daily commute to and from the office. Transit subsidies are available for unpaid interns.

Training and Tuition Assistance:  Through the resources of the Office of Legal Education of the Department of Justice, the agency offers a comprehensive range of courses to assist attorneys and support staff in improving their skills. Most courses are conducted at the National Advocacy Center, a state-of-the-art training facility located in Columbia, South Carolina. Permanent employees are also eligible to receive tuition reimbursement for continuing education seminars and/or college course work that relates to their assigned duties.

Many other benefits offered by the agency that are not listed here are described at http://www.opm.gov.