Assistant United States Attorney - Civil

Closing Date: 22nd December, 2026

Description:

About the Office:
If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! With a talented workforce of over 100,000 people, 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.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois has a motivated, friendly, and talented staff who is dedicated to serving the interests of justice. The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecutes federal offenses, defends the United States Government's interests, and affirmatively pursues claims on behalf of the government, representing the United States in all criminal prosecutions, as well as civil and appellate litigation. The District enjoys four seasons and is rich in history. It is comprised of 46 counties with offices in Springfield, Urbana, Peoria, and Moline. The U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to ethically and thoroughly prosecuting federal criminal cases, defending the legal interests of the United States, protecting public funds, ensuring our national security; and working cooperatively with other federal, state and local law enforcement and community agencies to protect the citizens of central Illinois.

For more information about the district, please visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html and https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil

Job Description:
AUSAs in the Civil Division work on a diverse range of defensive matters, including personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and other tort actions; employment discrimination actions; immigration matters; prisoner litigation; and actions challenging governmental policies, activities, and decisions. Civil AUSAs also handle affirmative investigations and cases involving fraud, immigration, forfeiture, and other areas. Day to day responsibilities include working with client agencies and investigators to gather information, conducting legal research, engaging in motion practice, preparing and answering discovery requests, defending and taking depositions, retaining and working with experts, negotiating settlements, trying cases, and briefing and arguing appeals.

The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for representing the United States of America, Federal agencies, and Federal employees in a wide variety of civil defensive litigation. The caseload may include defending immigration cases; employment discrimination cases; medical malpractice, premises liability, and other tort litigation; statutory and constitutional challenges to government programs; Administrative Procedure Act cases; FOIA and Privacy Act cases; and Bivens civil rights suits.

Although this position is primarily focused on civil defensive litigation, the successful candidate may also be assigned affirmative civil cases. This area includes False Claims Act actions involving healthcare fraud and fraud on pandemic-era programs.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications:
Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent), be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have a minimum of 2 years post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience is required 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.

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 meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Salary:
Salary Information: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The annual base salary range for the selected Assistant United States Attorney is $63,163 to $123,868, plus benefits. The 17.06% locality applies to Springfield, Peoria, and Urbana. The 18.93% locality applies to Moline.

While the position is based in the Springfield office, candidates interested in working at the Peoria, Urbana, and Moline offices are encouraged to apply and will be considered.

Number of Positions
1 or more

Travel:

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