Attorney

USAO District of Montana
Criminal Division
Attorney
Billings, MT 59101
United States
16-MT-5
About the Office: 

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana is considered a medium sized district and has offices located in Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula.  The Criminal Division prosecutes a wide range of federal cases involving organized crime, terrorism, complex securities and fraud cases, international narcotics, health care fraud and public corruption.  The District also prosecutes in Federal Court violent crime cases which occur on Indian Reservations.  These cases include assault, burglary, drugs, sexual assault and homicide.  AUSA's assigned to the reservations act as a liaison between the reservation(s) and the U.S. Attorney.  The Civil Division prosecutes every conceivable variety of affirmative and defensive cases filed in the District of Montana, at both the trial and appellate levels, involving matters such as health care, commercial, civil rights, environmental, false claims, immigration matters, all varieties of tort and discriminatory claims against the sovereign, the internet, telecommunications, energy policies, and First Amendment issues.  AUSA's are assigned to a unit within either the criminal or civil divisions in one of the branch offices.

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.

Job Description: 

This Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) will handle the prosecution of economic crime, public corruption, narcotic cases and Indian Country cases for the District of Montana.  The narcotic prosecution duties include handling both Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and Non-OCDETF narcotics cases.  In addition to trial work, other areas of responsibility include interaction with multi-jurisdictional drug task forces and training of officers.  The Indian Country duties include violent crime cases which occur on Indian Reservations in Federal Court.  Among other substantive areas, cases will include assaults, burglaries, drugs, sexual assaults and homicides.  The position is also responsible for appellate work.  This position may be located in either Billings, Great Falls or Helena, MT dependent upon the preference and location of the successful candidate. 

Qualifications: 

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least one year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.  United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:  Hiring for AUSA positions is highly competitive.  The ideal candidate will have:

  • a quick analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case;
  • superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment;
  • excellent communication and courtroom skills;
  • the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, and client agencies;
  • a demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment;
  • excellent computer literacy skills including experience with automated electronic court filing.
Salary: 
AUSA pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic annual pay is $51,811 to $135,519, plus applicable locality pay.
Travel: 
Some travel will be required. AUSA's can expect to travel 1-5 nights per month.
Application Process: 

To apply, interested candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter that address in detail their educational and professional background as well as a listing of all bar memberships to:

usamt.staffing@usdoj.gov

Applicants without access to email may mail their application materials to the following address:

United States Attorney's Office

Attn:  Theresa Hutchison

901 Front St., Ste 1100

Helena, MT 59626

Applicants are responsible for ensuring their application materials are received in the USAO, District of Montana, before the deadline.

No phone calls please.

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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Application Deadline: 
Friday, September 30, 2016
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Number of Positions: 
One or More
Updated September 17, 2016

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Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity:  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.

Reasonable Accommodations:  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.

Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities:  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.   

Suitability and Citizenship:  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.

Veterans:  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).

USAO Residency Requirement:  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.

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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.