An appointment with the U.S. Attorney's Office offers unique and challenging experiences for a highly motivated attorney. Working in the Criminal Division, San Jose Branch, the Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce federal criminal laws.
Applications are considered on a rolling basis, so kindly submit your materials as soon as possible.
This position is located in San Jose, California.
An appointment with the U.S. Attorney's Office offers unique and challenging experiences for a highly motivated attorney. Working in the Criminal Division, San Jose Branch, the Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce federal criminal laws.
Applications are considered on a rolling basis, so kindly submit your materials as soon as possible.
This position is located in San Jose, California.
An appointment with the U.S. Attorney's Office offers unique and challenging experiences for the highly motivated attorney. Working in the Criminal Division, San Jose Branch, the Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) will be primarily responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor cases arising out of the federal enclaves located in Santa Clara and Monterey Counties. The SAUSA will also be given the opportunity to work with other federal prosecutors on felony criminal cases, including those involving violations of immigration, firearms, and/or narcotics statutes. The SAUSA's duties will entail assisting with the progression of these cases at various stages, from the initiation of federal investigation or charges, to disposition and sentencing. The SAUSA will gain experience participating in various in-court proceedings such as guilty pleas, motions hearings, and jury trial.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
The Special Assistant United States Attorney position is an uncompensated position.
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least one year of attorney or post-J.D. judicial law clerk experience.
Preferred Qualifications: Preferred applicants will possess superior oral and written communications skills, strong interpersonal skills; and the capacity to function in a highly demanding environment with minimal guidance. Additionally, it is desired that the successful candidate have a strong academic credential and at least two years of attorney or post-J.D. judicial law clerk experience.
If you currently represent an opposing party in litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice or represent a client under investigation by the U.S., please refer to Rule 1-7 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and / or the relevant conflict of interest Rules of Professional Conduct in the jurisdiction in which you are licensed to practice. The U.S. Attorney's Office considers California Rule 1-7 to be implicated when an attorney licensed in California applies for a position with the U.S. Attorney's office while also representing a client in litigation opposing the U.S. or knowingly under investigation by the U.S.
United States citizenship is required.
Travel: Occasional travel may be required.
Type of Position: This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 1 year. This position may be extended without further competition.
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.
The Residency Requirement ensures an adequate background investigation can be completed. It applies to all DOJ applicants, both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens, whose job location is within the U.S. In addition, for a total of three years (not necessarily consecutive years) of the five years immediately prior to applying for a position, the applicant must have: 1) resided in the U.S.; 2) worked for the U.S. overseas in a Federal or military capacity; or, 3) been a dependent of a Federal or military employee serving overseas.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview.
The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/26/2025 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 California at Wilson.Li@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit and tax checks, and a drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 120 days after the closing date of the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
