Legal Careers
AUSA
About the Office: The Central District of Illinois covers the 46 centrally located counties of Illinois. The Headquarters office is located in Springfield, Illinois with staffed branch offices in Peoria, Rock Island and Urbana. The district currently has 28 attorneys, and approximately 35 additional support staff. The mission of the Central District of Illinois is to serve and protect the citizens of the Central District of Illinois through vigorous, ethical and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States.
To accomplish this mission, assigned personnel work cooperatively with other Federal, state and local law enforcement and community agencies to improve the safety and quality of life; protect the public funds and other assets of the United States; maintain a courteous and professional working environment; and, with skill and integrity, seek to achieve justice in every civil and criminal matter. The District is divided into four divisions: Criminal, Civil, Appellate, and Administrative. In all matters, it is our mission to represent the people of the United States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness and integrity of our office and the judicial system, and to conduct our work with the highest integrity.
We strive to perform our mission in the most efficient and effective manner.
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.
The United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois is currently seeking qualified applicants for a position as Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Criminal Division for our Peoria, IL location, which is one of four branch offices in the district. AUSAs in the Criminal Division supervise the investigation and prosecution of federal offenses involving, among other things, financial fraud, economic crimes, child exploitation, identity theft, firearms offenses, counterfeiting, program fraud, immigration violations, drug trafficking, violent crimes, hate crimes, domestic terrorism, human trafficking, and public corruption. AUSAs in the Criminal Division are also responsible for post-conviction and other prisoner litigation.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Qualifications: Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least1 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. U.S. citizenship is required.
Preferred qualifications: Hiring for AUSA positions is highly competitive. Our ideal candidate will have:
• several years of federal or state prosecutorial experience handling complex cases, preferably working within a county or state prosecutor’s office, a U.S. Attorney’s Office and/or a Department of Justice litigating component;
• incisive analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a wide variety of criminal cases;
• superior oral and written communication skills, and strong organizational skills;
• strong advocacy skills and courtroom presence;
• the ability to thrive on the challenge posed by multiple and diverse demands and have a demonstrated ability to set priorities with minimal guidance;
• excellent judgment and the ability to handle highly-charged issues;
• excellent computer literacy skills; and
• the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with a wide variety of individuals and client agencies.
To apply, interested candidates should apply on-line via https://www.usajobs.gov/, required documentation include
• submit their resume;
• transcripts;
• a cover letter that highlights their interest in the position, and addresses in detail how they meet the qualifications;
• a summary of litigation experience, including number and types of cases handled and tried
• a summary of prosecutorial experience, including experience presenting matters to a grand jury and/or presenting expert witness testimony
• a short writing sample or part of a longer writing sample (not to exceed 15 pages), which should be exclusively or primarily the applicant’s work and should include legal analysis; and
• a list of three professional references.
AUSA pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic annual pay for this position is $52,523 to $154,966, which includes 14.35% locality pay.
* * *
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.
* * *
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.