Legal Careers
Civil Assistant US Attorney (AUSA)
Fargo, ND 58102 - United States
Our mission is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law, to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic, to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime, to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. We strive to continually strengthen our outstanding office through rigorous recruitment efforts and to maintain the high standards of the Department of Justice by promoting professional development. We are committed to building on our legacy of excellence.
Please visit the United States Attorney's Office for the District of North Dakota's web site at https://www.justice.gov/usao-nd for more information.
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's Office for the District of North Dakota is seeking an experienced attorney with a strong background in civil litigation for the position of Assistant United States Attorney, with a focus on defensive litigation. This position announcement has been extended, applicants who previously applied will be considered and need not reapply. The candidate selected for this position will work in the Office’s Civil Division at either the Main Office in Fargo ND or the Branch Office in Bismarck ND. Areas of practice will include complex defensive litigation matters, including personal injury and medical malpractice, constitutional torts, actions seeking review of federal agency decisions, employment discrimination, natural resource and land use, and bankruptcy and foreclosure matters. Other areas of practice may include affirmative litigation matters such as health care fraud, federal program fraud, and civil rights. Attorneys in the Civil Division perform tasks related to all stages of litigation, and the successful candidate should have substantial experience in motion practice, drafting pleadings, conducting interviews and taking depositions, negotiating settlement, and preparing civil cases for trial.
Employment with the United States Attorney's Office offers a unique and challenging experience for the highly motivated and talented attorney who is devoted to excellence and committed to serving justice. Moreover, this opportunity to serve the public would empower the attorney to do the work she or he went to law school to do–not to feel like a billable hour generator, but a trial attorney, who makes decisions on her or his own cases and seeks justice during all stages of litigation.
Applicants must have a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three to five years of post-J.D. legal experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have significant complex civil litigation experience, superior academic records, strong analytical abilities and judgment, excellent oral advocacy and writing skills, and demonstrated interest in public service. Successful candidates must be able to work in a highly professional manner with other attorneys, professional support staff, client agency representatives, law enforcement officers and investigators, opposing counsel, and court staff.
Applications may be submitted via email (preferred method) to the following address USAND.HR@USDOJ.GOV . Reference the vacancy announcement number "19USAND-AUSA-04-SRE" in subject line of email, along with your Last Name in parenthesis.
Applications submitted via email must be in "pdf" format.
OR
Applications may be mailed to:
U.S. Attorneys Office
Attn: Stu Eidenschink, Administrative Officer
655 First Ave N, Suite 250
Fargo, ND 58102
You must include current resume, bar membership information, unofficial copy of law school transcripts, a writing sample, and three professional references in your application package to be considered.
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 Attorneys' pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional experience. The range of pay for this position is $53,805 - $126,246 (Pluse 15.67% locality pay)
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.