Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon is seeking experienced attorneys to serve as Assistant U.S. Attorneys in our Civil Division. These positions are located in our District's headquarters in Portland, in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We seek motivated individuals who enjoy working on a variety of challenging litigation matters while supported by colleagues of the highest caliber. This post is continuous with initial review of applications beginning January 28.

Duties

Working for the Department of Justice as an AUSA provides tremendous opportunities to develop litigation skills at an accelerated rate. Few litigation positions, whether in private practice, government or military service, offer such rich and varied experiences and responsibilities. Working in the Civil Division, you will be a part of a dedicated team representing the United States and federal agencies in a variety of cases, including employment, tort, medical malpractice, constitutional claims and civil rights, the Freedom of Information Act, the Administrative Procedures Act, the False Claims Act, and financial litigation. Most of our work involves defending government agencies, but we also handle certain affirmative litigation in which the government is the plaintiff.

We are seeking motivated individuals who enjoy working on a wide variety of challenging litigation matters while supported by colleagues of the highest caliber. AUSAs are encouraged to grow professionally through the support of mentors and the Department of Justice's world-class training resources, including by periodically attending seminars at the DOJ's National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina. The complexity of cases assigned will increase as individuals gain valuable experience and confidence.

AUSAs in the Civil Division are active at both the trial and appellate levels. Day-to-day responsibilities include working with government agencies to gather information and evidence, conducting civil investigations of claimed of violations of federal law and applicable Oregon state law, engaging in motion practice and oral argument, taking and defending depositions, preparing and responding to written discovery, negotiating settlements, preparing cases for trial, trying cases, and briefing and arguing appeals.

The AUSAs hired into these positions will litigate a variety of civil defensive cases, as well as affirmative civil enforcement, affirmative civil rights, and bankruptcy cases. Defensive cases may include medical malpractice,personal injury, and wrongful death claims; employment discrimination; immigration and Bureau of Prisons habeas claims; challenges to agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA); suits seeking the release of records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); and defending government officials sued in their individual capacities for alleged constitutional violations (Bivens actions). The primary affirmative civil enforcement area of practice is False Claims Act (Qui Tam) cases and investigations, including whistleblower actions. Bankruptcy cases include creditor representation in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases.

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

• $79,667 - $195,100/year

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

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 be capable of managing numerous ongoing litigation matters - including juggling court appearances, depositions and deadlines for discovery - in a collegial, supportive manner. Applicants should have experience appearing in court, arbitrations, and/or depositions. Trial experience is preferred. Applicants should possess superior research and writing abilities, with the ability to prepare high-quality, persuasive pleadings. Writing is a major aspect of every civil AUSA's portfolio. Applicants should be experienced with handling litigation from initial case filing through discovery and dispositive motions.

Applicants should possess impeccable judgment and the proven ability to work independently, while also being self-aware enough to know when they need supervisory input with difficult or sensitive issues.

Applicants should value teamwork and collegiality, including by being ready to support their colleagues during litigation emergencies. Most importantly, everyone who works for the Department of Justice must recognize that their conduct toward opposing counsel, agency counsel, investigators, colleagues, judges and courthouse staff must always be guided by the highest standards of professionalism, legal ethics and kindness.

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

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 range of pay is $79,667 to $195,100 which includes 26.13% locality pay Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; 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 within and outside 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. 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: Cover Letter referencing announcement 26-OR-12857784-AUSA-CIVIL.

-Required: Writing Sample. Include a sample of your legal writing, such as a portion or all of an appellate brief, memorandum of points and authorities, or opinion letter. The writing sample should be a recent example of your work and demonstrate your ability to analyze legal issues and present that analysis in written form. The sample should be predominantly your own work. Please limit your writing sample to 10 pages.

- 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.

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. This is an open continuous announcement intended to continually solicit applications in order to fill immediate and future vacancies. To receive consideration in our first round of application reviews please submit your complete application by January 28, 2026. Depending on the need of the office, application reviews will occur every three weeks following initial cut-off date until the closing date of this announcement.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/06/2027 to receive consideration.

The general application process is as follows:
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 District of Oregon at 5037271077 or email at sarah.fischer@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 District of Oregon who can be reached at 5037271077 or sarah.fischer@usdoj.gov