U.S. Department
of Justice
Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)
Our mission is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States, provide Federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime, seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to administer and enforce the Nation's laws to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. We strive to build a stronger office through recruitment efforts and maintain the high standards of the office by promoting professional development. We seek to build a legacy of excellence. In all matters, it is our mission to represent the people of the United States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness and integrity of our office and the judicial system, and to conduct our work with the highest integrity.
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) is the chief law enforcement office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District. This includes criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.
The USAO for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is responsible for one of the nation's largest districts covering about 4,700 square miles with over 5 million people residing within its nine counties. The district is unique in its diversity, evident not only in its environment but also in its population. From a large metropolitan city to country farm to mountain town, the district represents a microcosm of the nation. Cultures from all parts of the world have migrated to this region and have established themselves as members of a Pennsylvania community. The district’s principal office is in Philadelphia, with a staffed branch office in Allentown. Please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice (DOJ) 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.
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 district is accepting applications from attorneys with litigation experience in Healthcare Fraud Abuse for the position of Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) to serve in the Civil Division.
All initial AUSA appointments to the DOJ are made on a temporary basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Civil Division attorneys represent the United States in affirmative civil enforcement (ACE) and defensive civil litigation in the district. Primary ACE areas of practice include False Claims Act cases and investigations, including whistleblower actions brought by qui tam relators, civil violations of the Controlled Substances Act, and enforcement of civil rights statutes. Defensive civil litigation includes defense of the government in tort actions, discrimination cases, suits brought under the Administrative Procedures Act, Bivens cases, immigration, and other civil matters.
Civil Division attorneys’ responsibilities include working with law enforcement partners, gathering evidence, taking testimony, writing briefs, participating in negotiations, representing the United States in court including at trial, as well as researching legal issues, drafting legal pleadings and memoranda, drafting, and responding to discovery requests, reviewing, and organizing documents, and taking and defending depositions.
The attorney must have a strong ability to analyze complex legal and factual issues, write clearly and persuasively, possess a strong work ethic, exhibit good organizational skills, exercise fair and sound judgment, pay careful attention to facts and details, work well both independently and on a team, be ready and willing to volunteer to help other attorneys, be able to negotiate effectively with opposing counsel, handle matters in court persuasively on behalf of the United States of America, and be devoted to justice, excellence, and representing the public.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Required Qualifications
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have at least one (1) year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. You will be required to maintain an active bar membership in good standing in order to retain employment (annual recertification will be reviewed).
Preferred Qualifications
Ideal qualifications include at least 3+ years of post-J.D. experience litigating cases in federal or state courts, with substantial responsibility for all aspects of discovery, trials, and appeals. Please refer to the job announcement link for more specific characteristics and skills.
Applicants must be able to independently plan and manage all aspects of their assigned cases.
To apply for this position, you must create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Applicants must submit a resume and all required documents through USAJobs.gov. Log into www.usajobs.gov and search for announcement number 24-PAE-12559657-AUSA or click on the link to view: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/811538600
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 day/month/year). (cover letter optional). Please include on your resume months, days, and years of all periods of education and employment, as well as month and year of your earliest U.S. state bar admission.
Required, if applicable - To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your 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 veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
This announcement allows us to fill positions on an ongoing basis as they become available.
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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
The salary range for this position is $78,838 to $191,800 annually. The maximum salary accounts for locality pay for the Philadelphia area and thus will not be increased further.
Relocation expenses are not ordinarily authorized.
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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.
Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: 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.
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.