Legal Careers
Civil Assistant United States Attorney
Madison, WI 53703 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office both defends and prosecutes the interests of the United States in civil cases and prosecutes criminal offenses. The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin is in Madison, Wisconsin.
The United States Attorney’s Office is seeking candidates to fill a full-time Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) position in its Civil Division. The position offers the opportunity to perform public service, and to investigate and litigate a broad range of complex and challenging affirmative and defensive cases.
AUSAs in the Civil Division are responsible for representing the United States as primary or secondary counsel in federal, state, and bankruptcy court proceedings. This AUSA will primarily handle bankruptcy and commercial lien cases, as well as investigate and prosecute affirmative civil matters, including suits brought under the False Claims Act, the Controlled Substances Act, and other civil penalty actions. Assignments will include all aspects of civil litigation, including researching legal issues, drafting and responding to discovery requests, conducting document review and organization, taking and defending depositions, preparing dispositive and procedural motions, and handling trials and appeals.
This AUSA may also be assigned additional duties at the discretion of the United States Attorney. Such case assignments may include, but are not limited to, defensive litigation involving torts or employment discrimination, immigration matters, habeas corpus cases, actions brought under the Freedom of Information Act, actions seeking federal court review of the administrative actions of federal agencies, actions to defend and/or enforce subpoenas, and the collection of debts owed to the government, including foreclosure, and student loan cases.
For all Civil Division AUSAs, responsibilities will increase, and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
We may use this vacancy to fill other vacant AUSA positions.
Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Required qualifications: Applicants must have a J.D. degree, be U.S. citizens, be active members of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and not have received any disciplinary action within the past five years from the date of the application. A minimum of two (2) years of post J.D. litigation or other relevant experience is required.
Applicants must be devoted to justice, excellence, and public service; have a very strong ability to research and analyze complex legal and factual issues; write clearly and persuasively; communicate effectively; possess a strong work ethic; exhibit good organizational skills; exercise fair and sound judgment; pay careful attention to facts and details; possess computer and electronic discovery knowledge; work well both independently and on a team; be willing to volunteer to help other attorneys; be able to negotiate effectively with opposing counsel; and be capable of trial work and appellate advocacy.
Preferred qualifications: Significant litigation experience and bankruptcy law experience. Because the AUSA will represent the United States’ interests in state court proceedings, preferred qualifications will include candidates who are members of the Wisconsin Bar or who are eligible for immediate Admission on Proof of Practice into the Wisconsin Bar.
Interested persons should address a cover letter, writing sample (10 pages or less), and resume (not to exceed two pages), all in pdf format, to the attention of Acting United States Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma. Applicants should apply for the position at: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/850398400
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.
Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of total pay is $73,939 to $193,394 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.