Assistant United States Attorney

United States Attorneys' Offices; Scranton (Lackawanna County); On-site; USD 76,748 - 197,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Telework

Job summary

United States Attorneys' Offices in the Middle District of Pennsylvania invites applications for two permanent Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) positions in the Criminal Division. AUSAs will represent the United States in federal courts across a range of complex offenses, including drug trafficking, public corruption, financial crime, and cyber offenses.

Applicants must have a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar, and meet residency requirements.

Qualifications

• Must possess a J.D. degree and be an active member of the bar by entry on duty date.
• United States citizenship is required.
• Residence within district or within 25 miles is required.

Responsibilities

• Represent the United States in the District Court and Court of Appeals in a wide variety of complex cases.
• Handle all phases of prosecution including pre-trial, trial, sentencing, and appeals.
• Conduct legal research and prepare day-to-day pleadings and correspondence.

Skills

Oral communication

Written communication

Teamwork

Integrity

Education

J.D. degree

Tools

Electronic filing

Legal research (Internet)

Word processing

Email

Job description

Summary

The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes federal criminal offenses, seeks recovery of government funds fraudulently obtained, litigates affirmative civil fraud and enforcement actions, and defends the U.S. Government's interest in civil cases. The United States Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania has staff in three offices: Harrisburg, Scranton, and Williamsport, and maintains an unstaffed office in Wilkes-Barre.

The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes federal criminal offenses, seeks recovery of government funds fraudulently obtained, litigates affirmative civil fraud and enforcement actions, and defends the U.S. Government's interest in civil cases. The United States Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania has staff in three offices: Harrisburg, Scranton, and Williamsport, and maintains an unstaffed office in Wilkes-Barre.

Duties

Help

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

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.

Requirements

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.
• 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.
• 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 (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 Qualifications

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.

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

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree by Enter on Duty (EOD) date.

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 is $76,748 to $197,100, which includes locality pay.

Other Benefits

• paid vacation
• sick leave
• holidays
• telework
• life insurance
• health benefits
• participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System

Relocation Expenses

Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

* * *

Travel

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.

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 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.

EEO Statement/Policy

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. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.