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Summary

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey is comprised of 166 attorneys located in three offices: Newark, Trenton, and Camden. The USAO has jurisdiction and responsibility over a broad range of subject matter areas, all of which involve advancing the criminal and civil legal interests of the federal government.

Positions are located in Newark, Trenton, or Camden.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
07/08/2025 to 12/31/2025
Salary
$81,474 to - $195,100 per year
Pay scale & grade
AD 21
Locations
5 vacancies in the following locations:
Camden, NJ
Newark, NJ
Trenton, NJ
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
29
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
25-NJ-12760023-AUSA
Control number
840284800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All United States Citizens and Nationals

Duties

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The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey is seeking an experienced attorney to serve in the Civil Division handling primarily defensive cases. The selected AUSA will defend the United States, its agencies and employees in a wide variety of defensive civil matters in federal court, involving immigration, tort, employment discrimination, constitutional, Administrative Procedures Act, and numerous other claims. The selected AUSA will handle all aspects of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, arguments, alternative dispute resolution, pre-trial matters, trials and appeals. The position is primarily dedicated to handling defensive civil litigation in federal court. The selected AUSA may also handle, among other matters, state and municipal court matters, affirmative cases involving the False Claims Act, civil rights enforcement actions, and collection actions. Civil AUSAs must serve as effective and dedicated advocates for the government's interests, timely and efficiently pursue the just resolution of their assigned cases and make sound and legally supportable decisions toward those ends. They must possess the foresight and organizational and legal skills needed to manage a large and diverse caseload that involves lengthy and difficult litigation. They must be able to identify the relevant legal and factual issues in their assigned cases, and to develop and implement effective strategies for all proceedings in those cases, including motions practice, discovery, alternative dispute resolution, trial, and appeal. They must be able to work well with their colleagues, supervisors, support staff, and witnesses. They must have strong legal research skills, be able to produce high quality written work even under short deadlines, and be persuasive oral advocates. Newly-hired civil AUSAs are expected to quickly develop subject matter expertise in all areas in which the Civil Division regularly practices, and to possess or rapidly acquire expert-level knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and the Federal Rules of Evidence.

This is an open continuous announcement that is intended to solicit applications in order to fill immediate and future vacancies. Applications will be reviewed and referred as vacancies occur and will only remain active until December 31, 2025. Applicants will be notified when their applications have been reviewed/referred for further consideration. Hiring will occur on a rolling basis.

Requirements

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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.
  • J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
  • You must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
  • All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 2 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:
Hiring preferences include strong academic records, outstanding organizational skills, superior written and oral advocacy skills, demonstrated analytical ability, and good judgment, and a commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility, and public service.

The ideal candidate will have three or more years of post-J.D. experience litigating cases with substantial responsibility for all aspects of discovery and trial.

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

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 $63,163 to $165,209 and $81,474 to $195,100 which includes 28.99% locality pay for Camden NJ or 37.95% locality pay for Newark/Trenton NJ.

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.

Travel: Occasional travel may be expected for this position.

Type of Position: All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

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 and 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.

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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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. Senior management 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.

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