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: with its attorneys regularly appearing in court and practicing at the highest 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 in court on a wide range of unique and complex cases in the District of Montana. This position will focus on defensive civil litigation, including all contested case hearings (motions to dismiss and for summary judgment), trials (bench and jury), and Ninth Circuit appellate arguments in the typesof 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 fi led, through pre-trial planning, discovery, pretrial motions, trial, and appeal. The position may be located in the Missoula, Helena, or Billings offices. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree and must currently be an active member of a state bar in order to be considered. Proof of an active bar membership and copy of Diploma or transcripts are highly encouraged.
United States citizenship is required.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
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 cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages -see USAJOBS for formatting
requirements. Include 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
2026-MT-13029128-AUSA
Control Number
879432900
Applicants without access to e-mail may mail their application materials to the following address:
United States Attorney's Office
Attn: Lindsey Piotrowski
901 Front Street, Suite 1100
Helena, MT 59626
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 $76,748 to $200,743, which includes 17.06%locality pay.
Department Policies
The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to equal employment opportunity (EEO) and treating employees with fairness, dignity and compassion. We must ensure that no applicant for employment or employee of our Department is denied equal opportunity because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex – including pregnancy – or because of age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor and that all have the freedom to compete on a fair and level playing field. To learn more, please view the Department’s full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy 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://help.usajobs.gov/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.