Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal)
If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career in public service, this is the position for you! With a talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens.
The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Eastern District of Texas is a large district consisting of six staffed offices that cover 43 counties in the eastern part of the state, spanning more than 50,000 square miles from the Oklahoma border to the Gulf of America. Offices are located in Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana, and Tyler. The U.S. Attorney's Office works closely with federal agencies and law enforcement personnel located throughout the District and in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas.
Our mission to represent the people of the United States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness and integrity of our office and the judicial system, and to conduct our work with the highest integrity. We strive to perform our mission in the most efficient and effective manner. The Office adheres to the highest standards of excellence and ethical behavior while pursuing justice and we seek to build a legacy of excellence.
For more information on the Department of Justice and the USAOs, visit https://www.justice.gov/careers
Please note: This is a term position not-to-exceed March 31, 2028, subject to availability of funds. This position may be extended, or made permanent, without further advertising.
Duties of Criminal Assistant United States Attorneys
Assistant US Attorneys located in the Eastern District of Texas prosecute a wide variety of federal crime, breaches of national security, child exploitation, public corruption, transnational organized crime, and violent crime.
Important Note: The Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) will serve in the Criminal Division of the Beaumont, Plano, Sherman or Tyler Offices. The two positions currently being filled will investigate and prosecute cases involving illegal immigration, illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings, and targeting the Cartels and Transitional Criminal Organizations designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to the process established in Executive Order 14157.
The attorney positions may work on any type of casework directly tied to the purposes outlined above, to include criminal casework, or related forfeiture efforts.
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 USAOs, visit https://www.justice.gov/careers
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.
Please note: This is a term position not-to-exceed March 31, 2028, subject to availability of funds. This position may be extended, or made permanent, without further advertising.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is seeking two qualified, experienced AUSAs to:
- Partner with federal, state, and local law enforcement to manage criminal investigations and prosecutions brought in the federal courts in the Eastern District of Texas.
- Advise federal agents on questions of law and Departmental policy.
- Recommend charging decisions and proposes dispositions with regard to assigned cases.
- Research and draft all legal pleadings and be prepared to try cases in federal court.
- Investigate and pursue asset forfeiture related to prosecutions.
- Oversee and coordinate the preparation of litigation assignments for legal support staff.
Required Qualifications:
- Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
- Applicants must have at at least 1* year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
- United States citizenship is required.
- Be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction)
Preferred Qualifications: Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues involved with a case; superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment; excellent communication and courtroom skills and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff and client agencies, and must have a demonstrated capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
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 7/30/2025 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.)
Please ensure on your cover letter or resume to specify the location to which you are applying.
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, 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 the Eastern District of Texas at (903) 510-2352 or email Kelly.D.Holland@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.
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 $63,163 to $148,202.
- Beaumont and Tyler Texas: Salary is $73,939 to $173,485 which includes 17.06% locality pay.
- Plano and Sherman Texas: Salary is: $80,381 to $188,602 which includes 27.26% locality pay.
Type of Position: All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
This is a term position not-to-exceed 03/31/2028. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.
Political Appointees (Current and Former): Political Appointees (Current or 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.
Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment 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.
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.