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Legal Careers

AUSA

Hiring Organization
United States Attorney's Office (USAO)
Hiring Office
United States Attorney's Office, District of Idaho
Job ID
22-ID-11610459-AUSA
Location:
801 E. Sherman, Suite 192
Pocatello, ID 83201 - United States
Application Deadline:
About the Office

The United States Attorney’s Office represents the United States in criminal and civil actions in federal district court throughout the state of Idaho.  It has offices in Boise, Pocatello, and Coeur d’Alene.  The Criminal Division has 22 attorneys.  The Civil Division has seven attorneys and is only based in Boise. 

This vacancy for an Assistant United States Attorney is located in the Pocatello, Idaho, office.  Pocatello is located in southeastern Idaho about 250 miles east of the main office in Boise, 165 north of Salt Lake City, and 100 miles west of the Wyoming border.  It is the largest city and county seat of Bannock County (population nearly 83,000). 

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

The District has an opening for an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Criminal Division.  The position is a general criminal litigation position with responsibility for coordinating with federal law enforcement agencies on federal criminal investigations and handling a heavy caseload involving a wide variety of federal criminal offenses involving mostly violent crime, child exploitation, firearms, narcotics, immigration, white collar crime, and crime in Indian Country.

All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have at least three years post‑J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications: Ideally, an applicant will have: at least five years legal experience, a record of academic excellence, demonstrated commitment to public service, experience as a federal or state law clerk, experience as a criminal prosecutor in state and/or federal court, and a strong desire to practice in Idaho.  Also, an applicant should have broad experience planning and executing case strategy in a variety of cases including violent crime, firearms, narcotics, etc.  In addition, the ideal applicant will demonstrate superior written and oral communications skills, superior research skills, and a demonstrated ability to work well with others, including support staff, peers, and supervisors.

United States citizenship is required. 

Application Process

Applicants must apply online using USAJobs.gov. See the full vacancy announcement and apply at: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/671383800

Interested persons should include a signed cover letter; detailed resume; writing sample (ideally, edited solely by the applicant and 7-12 pages in length, with substantive legal analysis), and two references who may be called at any time during the hiring process.  The signed cover letter should state why the applicant wants to work in the District of Idaho.                       

Salary

The range of basic pay is $61,224 to $149,044 plus locality pay where authorized (locality pay in Idaho, is currently 16.20%).

Number of Positions
1. However, depending on the needs of the office, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Travel
Travel is required both within and outside the District of Idaho.
Relocation Expenses
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

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.

Updated August 15, 2022