Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal)
5500 Veterans Drive, Room 260
Charlotte Amalie, VI 00802 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of the Virgin Islands is seeking an experienced attorney with outstanding prosecution, and research and writing skills. A candidate with well-established litigating skills, high proficiency in legal research and writing, and experience with criminal practice will be selected to fill this position.
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 criminal AUSA offers a rare opportunity to combine a challenging and rewarding career as a federal prosecutor with life in a tropical paradise. An attorney with well-developed litigation skills, proficiency in legal research and writing and experience with criminal practice and procedure will be selected to fill this position. The successful candidate will be responsible for handling the investigation and prosecution of federal crimes.
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of the Virgin Islands is a unit of the Department of Justice, with its headquarter office in St. Thomas and a satellite office in St. Croix. The USAO is led by the United States Attorney who serves as the chief federal law enforcement official in the District of the Virgin Islands. Like other USAOs, we prosecute federal crimes and represent the interests of the United States in civil
cases. By Department standards, we are considered a small office, but we prosecute serious and significant cases. The District of the Virgin Islands encompasses the entire Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, including the primary islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas. The District of the Virgin Islands is truly an island paradise with a celebrated Caribbean culture, pristine beaches, crystal clear blue waters, brilliant sunshine, moderate climate, and constant breezes. Residents enjoy countless leisure opportunities such as swimming, fishing, sailing, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking and a wide range of dining and nightlife options. Other tropical island destinations such as the British Virgin Islands are easily accessible, and Puerto Rico is a short 15-minute flight for additional sightseeing and shopping options.
We seek one AUSA with experience in prosecuting crimes, including narcotics, firearms, violent crimes, public corruption and child exploitation .Our District also prosecutes Virgin Islands Territorial crimes such as civil rights, fraud and public corruption offenses when they are related to other charged federal offenses. While we do offer some degree of specialization in our criminal practice, the successful candidate will also handle a range of criminal cases, as needed, to address the District's priorities. In addition to developing investigations and cases, AUSAs will also have an opportunity to handle appeals, on occasion. A successful candidate must possess a restrained, professional temperament, sound judgment, and must have the legal acumen, skills and flexibility to work on a range of cases with support from colleagues and co-counsel, after receiving appropriate training. Above all, a successful candidate must have a commitment to seek and do justice, to vigorously
use the authority of the United States Attorney's Office to protect the public while simultaneously respecting and protecting the rights of defendants.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, bean active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have at least 3 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
Applicants should have excellent academic credentials and some litigation experience, preferably at least ten years. Applicants also should be computer literate, possess superior oral and written communication skills, have strong character and excellent interpersonal skills, have the capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment, and have strong commitment to public service.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Submission Process and Deadline Date: Applicants should submit the following:
- Resume
- Cover letter that highlights interest in the position and addresses in detail how the applicant meets the qualifications;
- Summary of litigation experience, including the number and types of cases handled and tried.
- Writing sample; and
- References.
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The position is open until filled.
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 $95,557 to $162,447 which includes 16.82% locality pay and an additional tax-free Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) of 12.04%.
Department Policies
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.
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. 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.
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.