Closing Date: 12th February, 2026
Description:
Summary:We seek only the best. 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 enforcing Federal criminal laws to protect life, liberty, and the property of citizens.
This position is located in Detroit, Michigan.
As needed, additional selections may be made from this announcement.
Duties:
- An appointment with the U.S. Attorney's Office offers unique and challenging experiences for the highly motivated attorney. Serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and assigned to the Criminal Division, you will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce federal criminal laws that protect life, liberty, and property of citizens.The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan is seeking to hire many AUSAs for our Criminal Division. Assignments in the Criminal Division include, but are not limited to, the investigation and prosecution of federal criminal laws involving guns, violence, immigration, terrorism, drug trafficking, crimes against children, government program fraud, health care fraud, other white collar offenses, public corruption, and organized crime.
- Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
- 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.
- 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:
Preferred Qualifications:
The
attorney must have litigation experience, a very 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
fairly and 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.
- Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 3 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
- Proof of active bar membership is required.
- United States citizenship is required. For additional information regarding citizenship, refer to the "Suitability and Citizenship" requirements in the "Required Documents" section below.
- Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all considered. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or as a judicial clerk are also considered.
- 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 $90,955 to $197,100, which includes the 29.12% Detroit 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: Occasional travel outside the district may be required. Travel within the district will 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.
- 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.
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 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 10-Point Veteran
Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the
specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website,
http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which
lists the types of 10-point preferences and the
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