The United States Attorney's office serves the 40 northern counties of Ohio. Our office is responsible for enforcing federal criminal law, which includes a wide range of crimes dealing with national security, public corruption, civil rights, drug trafficking and firearms offenses, among others. Our office is actively engaged in the community, ensuring the rights of victims, working with schools, numerous law enforcement agencies to prevent crime and keep Northern Ohio safe.
Duties
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio is seeking a highly skilled and motivated attorney to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division with responsibility for Filter and Special Projects (FSP) matters. This is a unique opportunity to serve in a specialized role at the center of some of the district's most sensitive and complex investigations. The AUSA assigned to Filter and Special Projects (FSP) matters will serve as the district's lead attorney for legal-privilege issues, ensuring that investigative teams meet all ethical and legal obligations when handling materials that may implicate attorney-client or other protected communications. The selected AUSA will manage legal-privilege issues, oversee filter procedures, and litigate privilege-related matters arising from complex financial and government fraud, corporate crime, and national security investigations throughout the district. The FSP function supports the Criminal Division in some of the Office's most complex and high-impact matters. In this role, the AUSA will manage and oversee privilege-review processes, including leading filter teams and coordinating with federal investigative agencies to prevent prosecutors and agents from being exposed to protected communications. The attorney will supervise reviews of potentially privileged materials, ensure compliance with Departmental policies, and implement effective, investigation-specific filter procedures. The AUSA will also advise investigative agents and AUSAs on privilege issues, evidence-handling protocols, and best practices throughout every phase of complex investigations. The position includes litigating privilege matters in federal court as required. The attorney will develop and maintain district-wide programs, guidance, and training to promote consistent and legally sound handling of potentially privileged materials across the Criminal Division. This role contributes directly to the Office's broader enforcement mission by providing specialized expertise on privilege issues arising in significant and sensitive investigations. While FSP responsibilities will constitute the primary focus of the position, the AUSA may also handle a limited number of criminal cases, including violent crime, fraud, firearms offenses, immigration crimes, and narcotics violations. Responsibilities may involve briefing the Court on filter issues and providing advice and support for investigative teams relating to such matters. The selected candidate will be an attorney advisor, who will be fully dedicated to coordinating and engaging in filter reviews. The AUSA will be located in the Cleveland Office of the Northern District of Ohio. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as training and experience progress. 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
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. Preferred Qualifications: Applicants should have strong academic credentials, superior legal research and writing skills, quick analytical ability to accurately and precisely articulate critical case-related issues, courtroom experience, good interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a supportive and professional team environment with client agencies, support staff and other attorneys, and a demonstrated commitment to public service. Applicants must possess excellent computer skills. Experience with automated research, electronic court filing, and various word-processing systems, including strong proficiency in Microsoft Word, is required. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
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: 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 09/29/2026 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 into 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 the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Northern District of Ohio at 2166223615 or email at dana.smith2@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying. The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Northern District of Ohio who can be reached at 2166223615 or dana.smith2@usdoj.gov
