Legal Careers
Assistant U.S. Attorney (Criminal)
Alexandria, VA 22314 - United States
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has four offices which are located in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News. Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) are assigned to each of these offices to prosecute criminal cases and litigate civil cases. The district consists of more than 19,000 square miles, has a population of over six million, and includes numerous federal agencies (including the Defense Department and the CIA), military installations, and major airports. The Office has over 100 criminal AUSAs who handle a wide variety of complex cases, including drug trafficking and money-laundering crimes, terrorism-related offenses, firearms and other violent crime offenses, cybercrimes, environmental crimes, and a variety of fraud and white-collar offenses.
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
For more information on the Department of Justice and the USAOs, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html
An appointment as an AUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia offers unique and challenging experiences for highly motivated attorneys, including an opportunity to work on their own caseload as a representative of the United States. This office is hiring for two AUSA in the Alexandria Office.
Appellate Unit: One (1) selected candidate will handle criminal appeals on behalf of the United States in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Responsibilities will include working on direct and post-conviction appeals involving the full range of criminal cases that the District prosecutes. Appellate AUSAs draft briefs and present oral arguments on constitutional, statutory, evidentiary, and procedural issues in appeals arising out of all four offices. Appellate AUSAs also review briefs drafted by their colleagues and participate in moot courts to prepare AUSAs for oral arguments. In addition, Appellate AUSAs assist with complex district court litigation and provide advice to other prosecutors on significant legal issues.
Major Crimes Unit: One (1) selected candidate will be part of a dedicated team helping to prosecute federal criminal cases and prepare appeals in the Major Crimes Unit. This Unit investigates and prosecutes a wide variety of violent and gang-related crimes, including murders, kidnappings, racketeering, firearms trafficking conspiracies, robberies, and carjackings, as well as crimes involving civil rights, human trafficking, human rights, immigration, and other cases as needed
This positions will be located in Alexandria, Virginia and will require travel to other EDVA officers for court appearances and case assignments as needed.
Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), have at least three years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience, and possess superior oral and written communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and have demonstrated the capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
Preferred qualifications: Experience litigating criminal cases in the federal courts and/or a federal judicial clerkship is desirable. Equivalent experience litigating in state courts will also be considered. Experience litigating violent crime cases is preferred.
United States citizenship is required.
Applications must be submitted online through the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/838730800 by closing of 11:59pm on June 27, 2025.
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 Attorneys’ pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay for non-supervisory (line) AUSA positions will be $67,863 to $165,209, plus 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.