Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal)
Ste 260
St. Thomas, VI 00802 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, is located in the heart of Charlotte Amalie. The United States Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement official with jurisdiction covering the primary islands of St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas. The office prosecutes federal crimes and represents the interests of the United States Government in civil cases.
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 United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands is seeking applications from experienced attorneys who have superb research and writing skills as well as a criminal law background to fill one Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) vacancy in the Criminal Division.
The successful candidate primarily will be responsible for handling the investigation and prosecution of federal crimes. This will include prosecuting cases such as firearms offenses, drug crimes, immigration, child exploitation and other violent crimes, fraud, embezzlement and other white collar crimes. In addition, the candidate may also be called upon to assist in the prosecution of a wide variety of other criminal cases as needed to address the district’s priorities. Assistant United States Attorneys work their cases from inception through appeal, and thus, in addition to district court work, the successful candidate will be responsible for drafting appellate briefs and presenting oral arguments.
The successful candidate must have the legal acumen and experience to successfully prosecute a complex white collar, organized crime, or drug trafficking organization case, or is capable of prosecuting such a case if given the appropriate training and experience. The candidate must also have a prosecutor's professional temperament and judgment. They must have the desire to seek justice, meaning to vigorously use the power of our office to protect the public, but also to protect the rights of defendants based on strong ethical beliefs. Finally, the successful candidate must be an inspiring colleague and leader, or is capable of being such a colleague and leader as they develop. Such leadership can be overt, but can also be exercised by example in day to day work. An essential part of being this type of colleague is being a dedicated team player; someone who believes in effective teamwork.
About the Position: Initially selected for an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA), the selectee for this position may be placed on a temporary promotion as the supervisor of the St. Thomas office as part of the supervisory team of the office, under the control, supervision and direction of the United States Attorney. AUSAs selected for supervisory positions will be responsible for exercising dynamic leadership and efficiently and effectively managing the employees in their respective sections to accomplish the mission of the Department and the specific goals of this office, as set forth by the United States Attorney. All Supervisory AUSA appointments are temporary promotions that may be extended or terminated at the discretion of the US Attorney. At the end of the temporary promotion, the employee returns to a permanent line AUSA position with pay set within the salary range of line AUSAs.
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.
How to apply: Submit required application materials by email to https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/593273900
[IMPORTANT: The position is open until 12 March 2021.
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 $74,309 to $130,824, plus 15.95% locality pay and 12.62% cost of living adjustment.
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.