Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (TERM Appointment, Not-to-Exceed 03/31/2028)
The United States Department of Justice has prioritized investigations and prosecutions relating to illegal immigration, Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), and the illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings, collectively known as the Border District Surge (BDS).
In support of this mission, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York (NDNY), a border district, is seeking Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) to work in the Criminal Division in its Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, or Syracuse, New York office for a term, not-to-exceed March 31, 2028.
The NDNY serves an area comprised of 32 counties in upstate New York. AUSAs are staffed in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, and Syracuse, and appear before federal judges there and in Utica. Approximately 55 attorneys and 51 support personnel work in NDNY, along with several subject-matter specialist contract personnel.
Albany is the state capital of New York with a metropolitan area that is home to more than one million people. Located within a three-hour drive of New York City and Boston, the Capital Region offers rich history, extensive cultural opportunities, outstanding schools, and the nearby beauty of the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George, and the Catskills.
Binghamton is the principal city and cultural center of the Binghamton metropolitan area which is home to 248,000 people in the Southern Tier of New York. The economy focuses on high-tech firms, healthcare, and education. Syracuse is just over an hour drive away, while New York City is within three hours, and Philadelphia within 4 hours. There are abundant recreational opportunities nearby in the Finger Lakes and along the Susquehanna River.
Plattsburgh is situated on the shores of magnificent Lake Champlain. The Lake is a splendid venue for boating, wind surfing, and fishing. Lake Champlain is surrounded by the majestic peaks of the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Less than an hour's drive from Plattsburgh, the Lake Placid/High Peaks region, the venue for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, offers skiing, snowmobile/ATV trails, camping, hiking, and backpacking. The Champlain Valley and surrounding areas offer a setting as spectacular and beautiful as any in the Eastern United States.
Syracuse is located in Central New York, a region that contains both urban and rural areas, with a population of just under 1.2 million. Syracuse and its surroundings offer abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, close proximity to the Finger Lakes region and Lake Ontario, the academic and cultural resources of numerous colleges and universities, excellent schools, and a rapidly developing high-tech manufacturing sector.
Find additional information about the Northern District of New York at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny
These AUSA positions are in NDNY’s Criminal Division, which is comprised of approximately 39 attorneys and are responsible for prosecuting federal crimes.
As a border district, the selected AUSAs will specifically work on investigations and prosecutions relating to illegal immigration, illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings, and targeting the Cartels and TCOs designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) pursuant to the process established in Executive Order 14157.
The selected AUSAs may work on any type of criminal casework directly related to these initiatives, including related forfeiture efforts. They will work with law enforcement agencies to investigate such crimes, research and brief legal issues, and represent the United States before grand juries and in hearings, trials, and appeals.
Day-to-day responsibilities may include working with law enforcement agencies and others to investigate such matters, researching legal issues, drafting motions or motion responses, drafting search warrants, appearing before grand juries, and other litigation related duties.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as training and experience progress.
Required:
- Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience.
- Applicants must hold United States citizenship.
Preferred:
The ideal candidate will:
- Have at least 3 years of post-J.D. experience that provided significant opportunity to develop strong legal writing, oral advocacy, and courtroom litigation skills;
- Demonstrate facility with federal criminal practice;
- Be comfortable with all aspects of electronic discovery and litigation;
- Collaborate effectively with others, including AUSAs, law enforcement, support staff, and court personnel;
- Possess impeccable integrity; and
- Be self‑motivated, justice‑oriented, organized, and courteous.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon closing date of this announcement.
These are TERM positions, not-to-exceed March 31, 2028. These positions may be extended or made permanent without further competition.
The staffing, continuation, or extension of these positions is subject to the availability of funds.
Security Requirements
Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment 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.
Residency Requirement
AUSAs must reside in the district to which they are appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. §545 for district-specific information.
Benefits
The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. This link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal employees: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits.
To apply, applications must be submitted online through USAJOBS, which may be accessed via the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/851977300
Please reference the "Required Documents" section of the USAJOBS vacancy for information regarding the specific documents and the format in which they must be submitted to complete your application.
Evaluation Process
Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. After the application period closes, the NDNY leadership team will review all qualified applicants to make determinations on who they will interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview. Our hiring process will involve in-person interviews.
If you have questions regarding this process, you may contact Maria Farrell, Human Resources Officer at 315-448-0963 or maria.farrell@usdoj.gov.
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.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
Pay for AUSAs is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $63,163 to $165,209 per year, plus a locality pay supplement, where authorized. For Binghamton, Plattsburgh, or Syracuse, NY, the total salary range is $73,939 to $193,394 per year, which includes 17.06% locality pay. For Albany, NY, the total salary range is $76,282 to $195,100 per year, which includes 20.77% locality pay.
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.