Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

About the role

The United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Civil Division are responsible for representing the federal government and its agencies and employees in civil litigation pending in the Western District of Texas and the Fifth Circuit. The civil division is divided into two sections: Defensive and Affirmative. Typical defensive practice areas include immigration, employment disputes, tort actions, judicial review of agency decisions, and cases challenging the constitutionality of federal statutes and regulatory schemes. AUSAs in the Affirmative section generally bring cases aimed at recovering money procured via fraud against the government or collecting debts.

Responsibilities

• Handle a wide range of immigration matters including civil defensive litigation resulting from the enforcement of immigration laws.
• Take depositions, prepare and answer interrogatories, negotiate for settlement, engage in motions practice, try cases, and write and argue appeals.
• Assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

• Required Qualifications:
• Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
• United States citizenship is required.

Benefits

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 for AD-21 through AD-29 is as follows:

• Austin: $78,905 to $197,100 which includes 20.35% locality pay.
• El Paso: $76,748 to $197,100 which includes 17.06% locality pay.
• San Antonio: $77,876 to $197,100 which includes 18.78% locality pay.

Additional information

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The closing date for this announcement may be extended.

Application Process

• Complete Application Package which includes:
• Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
• Your cover letter MUST indicate which specific location(s) you are applying to and rank them in order of preference. If you are unwilling to go to a specific location, do not list it as a location you are applying to.
• 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. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
• Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade), 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.