Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney
Springfield, IL 62701 - United States
If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! The mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens.
This announcement will be used to fill one position within the Central District of Illinois.
These positions are open until filled; however, first round consideration will be given to applications submitted by June 17, 2024, 11:59pm Central Time. Applicant lists will be reviewed approximately every 30 days.
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 Civil Division of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois is seeking an attorney with at least one year (three years is preferred) of post-J.D. legal experience, primarily for its Peoria Division, to assist with civil litigation, including our District-Wide bankruptcy practice.
The annual salary range for this selected Assistant United States Attorney is $66,729.00 - $145,725.00, plus benefits and locality. Also, this person must reside within our District or within 25 miles thereof, may reside outside of our Peoria Division, and must also be available to assist with our District-Wide civil litigation. Location will be determined at a later date and salary may be adjusted to include the locality of the position.
Although this position primarily is focused on civil litigation in our Peoria Division, our Civil Division represents the United States, its agencies and employees at the state and federal trial and appellate levels, including the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in a wide variety of both defensive and affirmative civil actions throughout the forty-six counties comprising the Central District of Illinois.
Each year, thousands of lawsuits against the government are filed as a result of its programs, policies, laws, and domestic and foreign operations, as well as law enforcement initiatives, military actions, and counterterrorism efforts, including complaints alleging various torts and constitutional violations by federal employees.
In our affirmative litigation, we bring suits on behalf of the United States, primarily to recoup money lost through fraud, loan defaults, and the abuse of federal funds. Annually, hundreds of millions – and often billions – of dollars are returned to the Treasury, Medicare, and other programs as a result of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division’s litigation efforts. This includes our vigorous enforcement of federal environmental laws and securing environmental justice for the communities and people throughout our District.
We also have a very active civil rights practice that upholds the civil rights of all people within the Central District of Illinois. This includes enforcing federal laws that protect people from discrimination based on their race, color, national origin, disability status, sex, religion, familial status, or loss of other constitutional rights.
Please review the materials accompanying this summary, and contact our Human Resource Specialist, Fabiola LaPorte, at 217/492-4483, with any questions that you may have regarding this position.
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must have at least one year (three years is preferred) of post-J.D. legal experience or other relevant experience, and possess superior oral and written communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment and function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
Proof of active bar membership (any U.S. jurisdiction) and J.D. degree is required.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
Strong advocacy skills, academic credentials, superior legal research and writing skills, quick analytical ability to accurately and precisely articulate critical case related issues, good interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a supportive and professional team environment with client agencies, support staff, and other attorneys, and sound legal and ethical judgment.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
• Required - Cover Letter and Resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include
day/month/year).
• Required - List of references.
• Required - A legal writing sample (5 -10 pages).
• Required - Copy of bar membership, in good standing.
• Required - Official transcripts, both Undergraduate and Law School, confirming J.D.
degree.
Salary Information: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $66,729 to $145,725, plus locality.
(Locality Pay Percentage for Rock Island: 18.66%).
(Locality Pay Percentage for RUS: 16.82%).
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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.
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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.