Legal Careers
Assistant U.S. Attorney (Open/Continuous)
Marquette, MI 49855 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan is a collegial office that prosecutes federal offenses, defends the interests of the United States and affirmatively pursues claims on behalf of the government, representing the United States in all criminal, civil, and appellate litigation in the Western District of Michigan. Our mission is to provide Federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime, seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to administer and enforce the Nation's laws to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all the citizens in our District.
The main office is located in Grand Rapids. The district has approximately 41 AUSAs in the Grand Rapids office and 3 AUSAs in the Marquette branch office, in the Upper Peninsula. On the southern shore of Lake Superior, Marquette is a vibrant town of about 20,700 people. Home to Northern Michigan University, Marquette has been named the Best Small Town for Adventure and one of the top ten Best Small Town Cultural Scenes in the country. Court proceedings take place in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Marquette. The district includes 11 federally recognized Indian tribes, which together comprise the largest Native American population in a district east of the Mississippi River.
Use your law degree to make a difference! We are seeking a talented attorney to represent the United States in criminal cases as an Assistant United States Attorney. Do justice for your community while honing your trial skills against a talented defense bar before an excellent federal bench. If you are looking for real courtroom experience and decision-making authority over case investigation and trial strategy, this job is for you. We seek only the best because this important work demands the best.
As an AUSA, you will be part of the backbone of the Department of Justice, indispensable in carrying out our mission to uphold the law, and keep our country and community safe. AUSAs are entrusted with significant autonomy to use their judgment and professional skill to pursue justice and do the right thing under the law and Department policies. Criminal Division AUSAs lead the investigation, prosecution, and appeals of a wide variety of important and often complex subject matters, including:
- National Security
- Economic and Cyber Crime
- Domestic Terrorism
- Public Corruption and Health Care Fraud
- Violent and Firearms Offenses
- Drug Trafficking
- Human Exploitation
AUSAs routinely lead cases from initial intake and grand jury investigation, through indictment, pretrial litigation, trial, and appeals. We work closely with federal, state, and local investigative agencies to help disrupt the most serious criminal threats facing our communities. And we advocate extensively, in writing and on our feet, before our U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
As an AUSA in the Western District of Michigan, you will become part of an outstanding team of attorneys and support professionals dedicated to working together in pursuit of our vital mission. We tailor our training, mentorship, and development programs to fit the needs of each attorney as they join our office.
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:
Applicants should be able to demonstrate the following qualities:
- Ability to work well with client agencies and the public.
- Intelligence and aptitude, measured by professional experience/growth potential, academic record, the writing sample and any interview performance.
- Commitment to excellence, strong work ethic and drive, as may be demonstrated through successful team work, leadership, obstacles overcome and personal, academic and professional achievement.
- Sound judgment and good character.
- Balance, both professionally and personally, in terms of interests and abilities.
- Desire to work as a Criminal Division AUSA in the Marquette office in the Western District of Michigan.
- Prior experience handling victim-centered cases, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and human-trafficking cases, and/or prior experience working with a tribal-justice system.
- Willingness to occasionally travel to the federal courthouses in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Kalamazoo for hearings and trials.
- Have demonstrated the capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment.
- Ideal candidate will have 5 years of litigation experience but candidates with less experience will be considered.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Apply online here.
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: Your response to the Candidate Questionnaire located here.
- Required: Writing sample.
- 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 $76,748.00 to $180,078.00 which includes 17.06% locality pay.
Recruitment and Relocation Incentives available upon approval by Executive Office.
Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes such things as
- paid vacation
- sick leave
- paid federal holidays
- life insurance
- health benefits
- Federal pension program (Federal Employee Retirement System) that vests within 5 years of employment
- participation in the Thrift Savings Program with employer matching contributions
- potential signing bonus (recruitment incentive)
- Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness program
Department Policies
The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and treating employees with fairness, dignity and compassion. We must ensure that no applicant for employment or employee of our Department is denied equal opportunity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex – including pregnancy – or because of age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor and that all have the freedom to compete on a fair and level playing field. To learn more, please view the Department’s full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy 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://help.usajobs.gov/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.