Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal)
Room 233, U.S. Courthouse
Asheville, NC 28801 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the Western District of North Carolina. This includes all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The district extends over 13,563.9 square miles and includes 32 counties. The population of our district is over three million people. Mecklenburg is the largest county in WDNC with over one million people. Graham is the smallest with just over 8,000 people. Charlotte is the largest city in the state, the 2nd largest banking center in America, and has a metropolitan area of 1.8 million people. Half of the great Smoky Mountains National Park, approximately 800 square miles is in the Western District of North Carolina as well as 250 of the 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Pisgah and Nantahala Forest cover over one million acres of our district. The largest Native American Community in the eastern half of the United States, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is in WDNC.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina is seeking qualified Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) candidates for the Criminal Division in Asheville, North Carolina. As a member of the Criminal Division, attorneys are responsible for the prosecution of a variety of crimes under federal law including violent crimes, fraud, public corruption, illegal immigration, child pornography, human trafficking, drug violations, firearms violations, terrorism, and asset forfeiture.
The Criminal AUSA position offers a unique and challenging experience for a highly motivated team player with the desire to litigate extensively. Applicants must demonstrate analytical ability, good judgment, organizational skills, excellent writing, and communication and courtroom skills. In addition, applicants must exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with courthouse personnel, other attorneys, support staff, and client agencies.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1* year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
The selected applicant will focus on a wide variety of federal criminal cases which may include violent crime, drug trafficking, terrorism, organized crime, money laundering, and firearms offenses. The selected applicant will be assigned complex cases involving lengthy investigations and voluminous discovery. Applicant must be a strong researcher and writer and may be required to submit a writing sample. At least five (5) years of criminal litigation experience is preferred, although we consider applicants with a variety of legal backgrounds.
Applicant must have a demonstrated capacity to function with minimal supervision in a highly demanding work environment and a strong desire to practice in North Carolina. The ideal applicant should possess superior communication and courtroom skills, exhibit exceptional research and writing ability, comport themselves with the highest degree of professionalism and ethical standards, and demonstrate strong interpersonal and professional skills. Applicants must also exhibit the ability to work with other attorneys, support staff and client agencies in a professional manner while functioning in a highly demanding work environment.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/10/2025 to receive consideration.
Applications will only be accepted through USAjobs website at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/851479200
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: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
- Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
- Employer name and contact information,
- Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
- Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
- A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
- 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.
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: 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 $73,939 to $195,200.; which includes 17.06% locality pay.
Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; situational 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.
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.