Legal Careers
Civil Assistant United States Attorney
The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the District of Montana litigates all cases on behalf of the United States. Its primary role is to prosecute federal crimes and defend federal agencies. The Montana USAO has offices in Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula. The Civil Division handles a wide array of cases at both the trial and appellate levels. Cases can involve medical malpractice, endangered species, oil spills, civil rights, immigration, police pursuits, Native American relations, public lands access, wrongful death, employment discrimination, and the full panoply of constitutional issues.
The United States Attorney is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA). The successful applicant will represent the U.S. Government on a wide range of unique and complex cases in the District of Montana. This position will focus on defensive civil litigation, including all the types of cases referenced above. Most often civil cases involve torts, employment, administrative law (including environmental), Bivens, public lands, civil rights and constitutional causes of action. Our practice covers every aspect of civil litigation from the time the case is filed, through pre-trial planning, discovery, pretrial motions, trial, and appeal. The position may be located in the Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, or Billings offices.
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar and in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least one year post-J.D. or other relevant experience.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
Hiring for AUSA positions is highly competitive. The ideal candidate will have:
- Superior oral and written communication skills;
- Excellent research and analytical skills;
- High EQ and interpersonal skills, and good judgment;
- Excellent advocacy 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 organizational capabilities, including the ability to track and meet deadlines across multiple active cases;
- Excellent computer literacy including experience and competence with automated electronic court filing.
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 showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include month/year), date J.D. was awarded (include month/year), and date of Bar Admission.
- Encouraged – Writing Sample
- Encouraged – Copy of JD Diploma or Transcripts
- Encouraged – Proof of Active Bar Membership
- Highly Recommend – A cover letter expressing your interest in the position as well as your interest in relocating to Montana, if not currently a resident.
- Required, if applicable – To get Veteran’s Preference, you must indicate you 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 a veterans’ preference information in you cover letter or resume.
Candidates should submit their applications through USAJOBS at:
Job Announcement Number
25-MT-12772906-AUSA
Control Number
841839800
USAJOBS URL
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/841839800
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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
AUSA pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of annual pay is $73,939 to $173,485, which includes 17.06% 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.