Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) - Open Continuous
Washington, DC 20530 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is accepting applications for attorneys to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Office's Civil Division. AUSAs in the Civil Division represent the U.S. Government in both affirmative and defensive civil litigation in both trial and appellate courts.
Read more about the recruitment listed above at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/842887000
This is an open continuous announcement to fill current and future vacancies.
Applicant lists will be pulled on August 15, 2025 and every 30 days until the closing date.
Positions are open until filled, but no later than September 30, 2025.
The Civil Division does not have formal subcomponents, so Civil AUSA's may be assigned all types of cases and may remain responsible for all proceedings in their assigned cases from inception until final resolution, including trial and appeals.
Approximately eighty percent of the Civil Division's defensive case docket consists of cases brought under the Freedom of Information Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, the federal employment discrimination laws, and the immigration laws. Other kinds of defensive cases, including Federal Tort Claims Act cases and Privacy Act cases, account for smaller percentages.
Civil AUSAs must serve as effective and dedicated advocates for the government's interests, timely and efficiently pursue the just resolution of their assigned cases, and make sound and legally supportable decisions toward those ends. They must possess the foresight and organizational and legal skills needed to manage a large and diverse caseload that involves lengthy and difficult litigation. They must be able to identify the relevant legal and factual issues in their assigned cases, and to develop and implement effective strategies for all proceeding in those cases, including motions practice, discovery, alternative dispute resolution, trial and appeal. They must be able to work well with colleagues, supervisors, support staff, and other participants in litigation such as court personnel, opposing counsel, agency counsel, and witnesses. They must have strong legal research skills, be able to produce high quality written work even under deadline pressure, and be persuasive oral advocates. Newly hired Civil AUSAs are expected to quickly develop subject matter expertise in all areas in which the Civil Division regularly practices, and to possess or rapidly acquire expert-level knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and the Federal Rules of Evidence.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience.
You must be a United States Citizen or National.
Preferred Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have 1 to 5 years of experience working on complex civil litigation and be looking for the opportunity and challenge of handling their own cases (i.e., being the lead attorney presenting arguments in court, conducting trials, taking depositions, and drafting briefs and other filings).
Applicants must possess superior communication and advocacy skills; exhibit exceptional research and writing ability; perform thorough legal and factual analysis; demonstrate an ability to work well with others; have mature judgment and a keen desire for public service; and function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
You must be a United States Citizen or National.
Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. The initial appointment is temporary not-to-exceed 14 months from the effective date. The appointment will be converted to a
permanent appointment after receiving a favorable adjudication of a full-field background investigation. Failure to obtain a favorable adjudication from the background investigation process could result in your removal from federal service. Once you have been converted to a permanent position, you will be subject to a two-year probationary period. Failure to successfully perform during this probationary period could result in your removal from federal service.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance with eligibility for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access depending on organizational assignment / duty location.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2025 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Required - Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
- Required - A Cover Letter.
- Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year).
- Required - Unofficial or official law school transcript. (Please do not submit a restricted pdf document with encryption or password security.)
- Required - Writing Sample (such as an appellate brief, substantive brief, or memorandum) that reflects your own work and does not exceed a total of 15 pages).
Required, if applicable - To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia at or email at USADC.Staffers@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Salary Information: This is an excepted service attorney appointment under an Administrative Determined pay scale. (See www.justice.gov/usao/career-center/salary-information/administrativelydetermined-pay-plan-charts). Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $84,601 to $195,100 which includes 33.94% locality pay. For additional information on salary and benefits, visit www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorney-salaries-promotions-and-benefits.
Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
EEO Statement: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.
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.
Department Policies
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. To learn more, please visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.