Closing Date: 3rd June, 2026
Description:
Summary:The mission of the United States Attorney's Office, District of Hawaii, 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.
Duties:
The Civil Division is looking for a well-rounded civil litigator who is experienced in both affirmative and defensive cases. Civil Assistant United States Attorneys ("AUSAs") defend the federal government, its agencies, and employees in a wide variety of cases, including personal injury, employment discrimination, constitutional violations, and immigration matters. Civil AUSAs also bring claims on behalf of the United States for fraud, breach of contract, civil rights violations, and other matters. AUSAs appear in the District of Hawaii, Bankruptcy Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The attorney selected for this position will primarily be assigned to the Affirmative Civil Enforcement ("ACE") unit, representing the United States' interests by investigating and bringing affirmative civil actions, including under the False Claims Act, Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Controlled Substances Act, and other statutes and common law causes of action.
Cases are assigned based on workload, interest, and the needs of the office, thus the AUSA may have a mix of affirmative and defensive cases.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
The ideal AUSA is comfortable with being flexible, can manage cases independently, works well with others, learns quickly, and has strong research, writing, and advocacy skills. Trial experience is a plus.
Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) by their entry on duty date. Law school graduates and current law students taking a July 2026 bar examination may be considered, subject to the foregoing requirements.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
The District seeks attorneys who have outstanding legal ability, excellent writing skills, strong communication and interpersonal skills, high moral character, and mature judgment. Litigation experience, including trial experience, is strongly preferred. Experience in federal court also is preferred.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Education:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree by Enter on Duty (EOD) date.
Additional Information:
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 $79,469.00 to $197,100.00 which includes 21.21% locality pay.
Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies (http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies) and Volunteer Legal Internships (http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/volunteer-internship-opportunities). 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.
Travel: Occasional travel both within and outside the district as necessary
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.
Political Appointees (Current and Former): Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
EEO Statement/Policy: 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. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Additional Information:
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits:
The attorney selected for this position will primarily be assigned to the Affirmative Civil Enforcement ("ACE") unit, representing the United States' interests by investigating and bringing affirmative civil actions, including under the False Claims Act, Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Controlled Substances Act, and other statutes and common law causes of action.
Cases are assigned based on workload, interest, and the needs of the office, thus the AUSA may have a mix of affirmative and defensive cases.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
The ideal AUSA is comfortable with being flexible, can manage cases independently, works well with others, learns quickly, and has strong research, writing, and advocacy skills. Trial experience is a plus.
Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
- You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
- You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
- Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) by their entry on duty date. Law school graduates and current law students taking a July 2026 bar examination may be considered.
- Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) by their entry on duty date. Law school graduates and current law students taking a July 2026 bar examination may be considered, subject to the foregoing requirements.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
The District seeks attorneys who have outstanding legal ability, excellent writing skills, strong communication and interpersonal skills, high moral character, and mature judgment. Litigation experience, including trial experience, is strongly preferred. Experience in federal court also is preferred.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Education:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree by Enter on Duty (EOD) date.
Additional Information:
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 $79,469.00 to $197,100.00 which includes 21.21% locality pay.
Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies (http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/attorneys-vacancies) and Volunteer Legal Internships (http://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/volunteer-internship-opportunities). 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.
Travel: Occasional travel both within and outside the district as necessary
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.
Political Appointees (Current and Former): Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
EEO Statement/Policy: 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. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.
Additional Information:
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits:
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits. (https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/benefits?_gl=1*1lm01g4*_ga*NjQ0MjQ5MzQ5LjE3MjU1OTI5OTA.*_ga_CLZB1LJ1VZ*czE3NzkzNDUwNTMkbzE0JGcxJHQxNzc5MzQ3OTQ0JGo1MCRsMCRoMA..)
Review our benefits (https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits.?_gl=1*1lm01g4*_ga*NjQ0MjQ5MzQ5LjE3MjU1OTI5OTA.*_ga_CLZB1LJ1VZ*czE3NzkzNDUwNTMkbzE0JGcxJHQxNzc5MzQ3OTQ0JGo1MCRsMCRoMA..)
Review our benefits (https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits.?_gl=1*1lm01g4*_ga*NjQ0MjQ5MzQ5LjE3MjU1OTI5OTA.*_ga_CLZB1LJ1VZ*czE3NzkzNDUwNTMkbzE0JGcxJHQxNzc5MzQ3OTQ0JGo1MCRsMCRoMA..)
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview.
The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Veterans' Preference: 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 indicate their preference in response to the appr
