Summary If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! With a diverse and talented workforce of over 100,000 men and women, the Department of Justice leads the nation in ensuring the protection of all Americans while preserving their constitutional freedoms. You can be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty, and the property of citizens. Responsibilities This is an open-continuous announcement for an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of our Fairview Heights, IL office. First-round consideration will be given to applications submitted by April 20, 2026, 11:59 pm EDT. Thereafter, review of applications received from this announcement will be conducted periodically to fill additional positions as they become available within the district. The United States Attorneys Office (USAO), Southern District of Illinois is a fast-paced, collegial, and energetic office which seeks to maintain the highest standards of excellence in the enforcement of federal laws and the representation of the United States. Our headquarters is located in Fairview Heights, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, MO. Our branch offices are located in Benton, Illinois and East St. Louis, Illinois, in or near the federal courthouse. The office presently employs 30 attorneys and 22 support staff. The Southern District of Illinois is comprised of the lower 38 counties of the state of Illinois and has a population of approximately 1.2 million. Our most populous counties, Madison and St. Clair, are adjacent to the Mississippi River and are within the St. Louis, MO metropolitan area. The home page for the USAO-SDIL may be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil. Job Description: The USAO-SDIL is seeking experienced, highly qualified attorneys for litigation and trial advocacy, with the intellect and proven ability to handle federal criminal prosecutions as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in our Fairview Heights, IL office. Our Criminal Division is divided into three units: Fraud and Corruption, Violent Crimes, and Dangerous Drugs. Our criminal caseload consists of white-collar crimes, immigration crimes, drug-trafficking crimes, and crimes of violence, including child exploitation offenses. AUSAs may be rotated through the various units, to include our Civil Division, depending upon the district's staffing needs. As needed additional positions may be filled using this announcement. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction). United States citizenship is required. Preferred Qualifications: Admission to the Illinois bar is not required but is preferred. Three years of post-J.D. litigation experience is preferred. Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability, good judgment, and superior communication and courtroom skills. Applicants must be team players who exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, and client agencies. Applicants must have demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment. Applicants will be expected to do 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 mail and word processing systems. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. The AD-905-21 is the minimum grade level for which applicants may be selected; applicants may be selected up to the AD-0905-29 level, based upon years of experience and qualifications. Type of position: Permanent. Education Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree Additional 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 basic pay is $78,695.00 to $184,647.00 which includes 20.03% locality pay. 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. 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. 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.
