Assistant United States Attorney - Appellate Division

In all matters, it is our mission to represent the people of the United States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness and integrity of our office and the judicial system and to conduct our work with the highest integrity. We strive to perform our mission in the most efficient and effective manner. This position is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Duties

The Appellate Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma offers a unique, challenging, and rewarding experience for a highly motivated, experienced attorney interested in criminal appellate and trial advocacy. This United States Attorney's Office serves as the chief federal law enforcement office in the Northern District of Oklahoma and, in that capacity, pursues justice, ensures public safety, and enforces federal laws on behalf of the citizens of the Northern District. The Northern District encompasses 11 counties in the northeastern corner of the state, including Tulsa County, the second most populous county in the state of Oklahoma. After the 2020 Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, most of the Northern District qualifies as Indian Country; therefore, in addition to its typical federal criminal jurisdiction, the Northern District USAO is responsible for prosecuting major crimes committed by or against members of federally recognized Indian tribes, and for coordinating among state, federal, and tribal law enforcement authorities.

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.

Salary

• $76,748 - $197,100/year

Conditions of Employment

You must be a United States Citizen or National.

J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.

You must be registered for the Selective Service, if applicable.

Occasional travel: In the District, the state of Oklahoma, and throughout the nation is likely to be necessary. Travel requirements typically entail no more than 1-5 days per month.

Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

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 3 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:
Ideal candidates will have three or more years of post-J.D. experience, including criminal prosecution experience. An appellate or district court clerkship, an outstanding academic record, and prior AUSA experience are preferred but not required.

Applicants must demonstrate an ability to identify, articulate, and analyze critical legal issues quickly and accurately. They should also exhibit outstanding oral and written advocacy, good judgment, superior communication and courtroom skills, and the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with our attorneys, support staff, and opposing counsel. Applicants must demonstrate a capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment, while conducting their own legal research and independently preparing and filing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. This position also requires excellent computer literacy, including electronic legal research, electronic court filing, e-mail, and word-processing systems. Ideal candidates will also have experience arguing before trial and appellate courts, as well as a strong background in issues commonly arising in federal criminal cases and collateral proceedings, such as constitutional challenges arising under the Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendments, 28 U.S.C. § 2255; applicable rules of evidence and criminal procedure; sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines; and U.S. Supreme Court and Tenth Circuit precedent in these areas. Appellate AUSAs are expected to have superior organizational and public presentation abilities, to be motivated by a strong commitment to public service, and to contribute to the training and professional development of other AUSAs.

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

Applications received by February 18, 2026, will receive first consideration. Applicants will then be reviewed on a rolling basis. (The filling of this position is subject to the availability of funds.)

Education Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree Other 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 basic pay range is $76,748 to $197,100, including locality pay. (The filling of this position is subject to the availability of funds.) As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. 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: 1 to 5 nights of travel required per month. Applicants should familiarize themselves with 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 pre-employment 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. Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

- Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
- Required: You must submit a Writing Sample
- 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. 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.

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, 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 targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.

Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.

Current or Former Political Appointees: 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, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/04/2026 to receive consideration.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.)

3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log in to your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account, or your application will be incomplete.

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track your application status. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Wynette Irving at 918-382-2772 or email Wynette.Irving@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement, to request an alternate method of applying.