Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

Closing Date: 20th February, 2026

Description:

Summary:
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. We strive to perform our mission in the most efficient and effective manner.

This position is located in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, Fort Worth, or Lubbock, TX

Duties:

• Assistant United States Attorneys in the Civil Division are responsible for representing the United States in affirmative and defensive litigation in the Northern District of Texas, as well as in civil appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In affirmative litigation involving the False Claims Act, healthcare fraud, immigration, the Controlled Substances Act, and other statues, AUSAs in the Northern District of Texas pursue civil penalties, recovery of taxpayer funds, and injunctive relief. In defensive matters, AUSAs in the Northern District vigorously defend the United States, its agencies, and its officers in various matters implicating immigration, employment, tort matters, regulatory, administrative, and constitutional issues. The positions advertised will work primarily on affirmative or civil defensive casework that relates to illegal immigration, illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings, fraud on the public fisc, and any other matters targeting the Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
• Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• 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.
• J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
• Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

Qualifications:
The U.S. Attorney's Office is seeking qualified, experienced AUSAs to:

• Work on affirmative or civil defensive casework that relates to illegal immigration, illegal trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings, and targeting the Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists
• Partner with federal agencies and law enforcement to manage civil investigations and litigation brought in the federal courts in the Northern District of Texas.
• Advise federal agencies on questions of law and Departmental policy.
• Research and draft all legal pleadings and be prepared to try cases in federal court.
• Oversee and coordinate the preparation of litigation assignments for legal support staff.

Required Qualifications:

• Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and Must have at least 1 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
• United States citizenship is required.
• Be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction)
• Preferred Qualifications:Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues involved with a case; superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment; excellent communication and courtroom skills and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff and client agencies, and must have a demonstrated capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment. Applicants will be expected to do their own legal research and writing and will be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. Applicants must also demonstrate excellent computer literacy skills to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic e-mail and word processing systems.
• Hiring preference will be given to applicants with prior trial experience and those who have demonstrated the ability to handle complex cases from the initial investigative stage through trial.
• 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.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Education:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree

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 $83,435.00 to $195,769.00 which includes 27.26% locality pay.
• Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; 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 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.
• Travel:1-5 nights of travel required per month.
• Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• EEO Statement: 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.
• 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.

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 appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for

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