Assistant United States Attorney

Assistant United States Attorney

Department: Department of Justice

Location(s): Fairview Heights, Illinois

Salary Range: $78695 - $184647 Per Year

Job 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.

Major Duties:

• 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.

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.

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 09/30/2026 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 Southern District of Illinois at 6186283700 or email at Nanette.Lallish@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.

Application Deadline: 2026-09-30