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If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career in public service, this is the position for you! The U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico, is hiring civil litigators to work on affirmative and civil defensive cases relating to immigration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm
The positions advertised are located in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
05/28/2025 to 06/18/2025
$74,741 - $195,200 per year
AD 21
FEW vacancies in the following location:
No
No
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
29
No
Yes
25-NM-12740945-AUSA
837684200
Overview of the United States Attorney's Office - District of New Mexico
With a talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico is one of 94 U.S. Attorney's Offices in the nation. But this U.S. Attorney's Office is unique. New Mexico is home to 23 tribes and pueblos, 4 military bases, and 2 national labs. New Mexico is the fifth biggest state of the union in size, shares a border with Mexico, and is a major international and economic corridor. The U.S. Attorney's Office is primarily responsible for enforcing federal law in criminal and civil cases occurring in the District of New Mexico. The U.S. Attorney's Office partners with tribal, state, county, city, and foreign governments to ensure our communities are safe and prosperous. The Office earns the public trust by following the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor. The Office adheres to the highest standards of excellence and ethical behavior, interested not in winning cases but in ensuring justice is done.
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html
Duties of Civil Assistant United States Attorneys
The Attorneys selected will serve in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Assistant United States Attorneys in the Civil Division are responsible for representing the federal government and its agencies and employees in civil litigation in the District of New Mexico. They are also responsible for providing support to client agencies by providing candid and professional assessments of litigation risks. Civil AUSAs are expected to manage civil cases at all stages of litigation through appeal. Civil AUSAs are expected to work independently and make strategic litigation decisions, take depositions, prepare and answer discovery, negotiate fair and just settlements, engage in motions practice, try cases, draft appellate briefs, and argue cases before appellate court judges.
Presently, there are three (3) practice areas to fill. One position will primarily do defensive litigation to represent the United States in Federal Tort Claims Act and Constitutional rights claims filed in this District. Another position will largely handle the defense of employment discrimination claims brought against federal agencies. The third position will focus on commercial issues including creditor matters on behalf of federal agencies in bankruptcy proceedings and judicial foreclosures initiated by the United States for debts owned.
As public servants, Assistant United States Attorneys must work to earn the trust of, and inspire confidence in, the public we serve. It is our mission to treat everyone with fairness, dignity, and compassion, while providing the highest level of legal service to the American people and to be a responsible steward of the taxpayers' dollars. The Civil Division seeks to be a force for that which is right, uphold the rule of law, and make fairness, equality, and impartiality the hallmarks of its work.
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.
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
Salary Information: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The pay for this position is as follows, including locality pay:
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 retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
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 06/18/2025 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 District of New Mexico at (505) 224-1482 or email at Alexis.Rodarte@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.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/837684200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.