Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney
Suite 9200
Boston, MA 02210 - United States
Assistant United States Attorneys prosecute all criminal and civil cases brought by the Federal government and defend the United States in civil cases. AUSAs in this district improve the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents by prosecuting terrorism, violent crime, narcotics trafficking, fraud, political corruption, and other crimes; by enforcing the federal civil rights laws; and by safeguarding federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid through civil actions.
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.
The position of an Assistant U.S. Attorney provides one with the responsibility and the authority to improve the lives of Americans who live in Massachusetts and across the United States. We prosecute local and international drug dealers, fraudsters, terrorists, war criminals, major pharmaceutical companies that cheat in the sale of drugs and devices, and perpetrators of intellectual property crime. We bring civil suits against bad actors in the health care industry and against companies that fail to comply with the laws protecting disabled Americans, and represent the United States when it is, or its agencies, are sued in a wide variety of civil actions.
Working as a federal prosecutor sworn to pursue justice in the name of the United States is deeply satisfying. Many lawyers look back on their days as an Assistant U.S. Attorney as among the most rewarding of their professional careers.
The office is currently hiring for an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU). Work in this unit includes recovering assets to pay fines and restitution in criminal cases, including ensuring pre-judgment identification and freezing of assets and handling post-judgment enforcement matters. This attorney’s practice will also include commencing civil actions to recover debt owed to federal agencies and managing civil bankruptcy matters. In addition, ARU AUSAs handle forfeiture of assets in criminal and civil cases, and this position will also include forfeiture work.
The ARU AUSA will be responsible for handling a large and active caseload, filing pleadings, appearing in both U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court, providing prompt legal advice to agencies, and representing the United States in other legal matters as may be assigned.
Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar in good standing (in any jurisdiction), and have at least one year post-J.D. legal experience.
Preferred qualifications: Significant experience as an attorney practicing debt collection or bankruptcy law. Litigation experience and/or federal clerkship is a plus. United States citizenship is required.
All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Salary:
In practice, Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Office are paid based on their years of experience and year of graduation from law school, starting around $112,500 for lawyers who graduated in 2011.
To apply, please complete the AUSA Job Application found at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/page/file/897256/download and forward it with a resume and cover letter to: USAMA.AUSA.Application@usdoj.gov (link sends e-mail)
As a technical matter, the range of pay for federal prosecutors in 2021 is $71,986 to $168,907 per annum.
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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.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.
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.
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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.