Assistant United States Attorney

About the role

The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is accepting applications for two permanent Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) positions in the Criminal Division.

Responsibilities

AUSAs in the Criminal Division have the opportunity to represent the interests of the United States in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in a wide variety of complex cases involving drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms and other violent offenses, cyber-crimes, public corruption, terrorism, financial fraud, crimes against children, human trafficking, and environmental crimes, among others.

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

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.
• 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.
• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Your 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, subject to the foregoing requirements.
• Conditions of employment include living in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

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 applicants will possess substantial experience in handling a variety of complex criminal litigation including but not limited to major economic crimes, public corruption, drug trafficking, violent crimes, child exploitation cases, and grand jury practices. Additionally, the preferred applicant will have substantial experience prosecuting, and handling all phases of prosecution to include pre-trial litigation, trials, sentencing, post-sentencing proceedings and appeals.
• Preferred applicants will also demonstrate superior oral and written communications skills, possess the ability to work as part of a team, with an emphasis on working well with client agencies. Applicants should have strong character and interpersonal skills and demonstrate the capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
• Applicants will conduct 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.

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.

Schedule

Travel will be required, primarily within the Middle District of Pennsylvania (33-county area) with occasional trips to other districts, as well as to the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina for training and conferences.

Equal Opportunity

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.