Closing Date: 27th February, 2026
Description:
Summary:Assistant United States Attorneys prosecute all criminal and civil cases brought by the federal government and defend the United States in civil cases.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Duties:
Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Defensive Litigation Unit (DLU) represent the United States when it is sued in the District of Massachusetts. AUSAs in the DLU are general civil litigators because they defend the United States in a wide variety of cases that can include employment discrimination and retaliation claims, tort actions including complex medical malpractice cases, lawsuits filed under the Administrative Procedures Act, FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) litigation, Bivens and other constitutional claims, and various immigration and prisoner habeas petitions.
AUSAs within the DLU are responsible for defending government agencies and their employees when authorized within the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. AUSAs are expected to conduct general discovery including, but not limited to, responding to complaints, petitions, appearing in court for all aspects of litigation, conducting depositions, drafting dispositive motions, counseling agencies regarding general litigation strategy, preparing for and trying both bench and jury trials, and drafting appellate briefs and arguing before the First Circuit. The work in this unit will include practice before both the Massachusetts District Court and the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
Qualifications:
Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar in good standing (in any jurisdiction), and have at least three years post-J.D. legal experience.
Preferred qualifications: Five years of experience as a civil attorney, superior academic credentials, and excellent writing and oral advocacy skills. In court experience and substantive immigration experience preferred.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of 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 $86,923 to $197,100.
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 (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:Travel within the district and outside of the district may be required.
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.
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.
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:
AUSAs within the DLU are responsible for defending government agencies and their employees when authorized within the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. AUSAs are expected to conduct general discovery including, but not limited to, responding to complaints, petitions, appearing in court for all aspects of litigation, conducting depositions, drafting dispositive motions, counseling agencies regarding general litigation strategy, preparing for and trying both bench and jury trials, and drafting appellate briefs and arguing before the First Circuit. The work in this unit will include practice before both the Massachusetts District Court and the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
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:
Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar in good standing (in any jurisdiction), and have at least three years post-J.D. legal experience.
Preferred qualifications: Five years of experience as a civil attorney, superior academic credentials, and excellent writing and oral advocacy skills. In court experience and substantive immigration experience preferred.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of 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 $86,923 to $197,100.
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 (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:Travel within the district and outside of the district may be required.
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.
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.
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)
Review our benefits (https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits.)
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.
Required Documents:
Review our benefits (https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits.)
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.
Required Documents:
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targ
- Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
- Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements (https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include#what-file-type-should-i-use). Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
- Official position title,
- Employer name and contact information,
- Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
- Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
- A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
- Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
- Required: Cover letter
- Required: Writing sample
- Required: Application Addendum: (https://www.justice.gov/archives/usao-ma/media/1356841/dl).
- 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.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targ
