Assistant United States Attorney

Hiring Organization
USAO Western District of Washington
Hiring Office
Criminal Division
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
25-WAW-12807245-AUSA

Location:
700 Stewart Street
Suite 5220
Seattle, WA 98101 - United States

Application Deadline:
Friday, October 10, 2025
About the Office

The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Western District of Washington (WDWA) is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation in Western Washington that involves the United States. A large portion of the work involves investigating and pursuing criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law. The office also handles civil lawsuits by or against a Department or agency of the United States, actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers, and matters to ensure the Civil Rights of Washingtonians are protected. The USAO is divided into two litigating Divisions (Criminal and Civil). The main office is located in Seattle, Washington and a branch office is located in Tacoma, Washington. The office has an authorized strength of approximately 84 Assistant United States Attorneys.

Job Description

The Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Criminal Division pursue prosecutions for violations of federal law that occur within the District. Criminal Division AUSAs advise federal law enforcement agents on criminal investigations, present criminal cases to the grand jury, try criminal cases before the United States District Court, and at times represent the United States in appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This position will be assigned primarily to the investigation and prosecution of criminal immigration offenses. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as training and experience progresses.

The attorney hired for this position may be located in either the Seattle or Tacoma office. Applicants should state their preference of office location in the cover letter. Further, any applicant hired for a position to be located in the Tacoma office should anticipate spending a significant portion of their time working at the Seattle office. Regular travel between Tacoma and Seattle is required for all employees, as needed for casework and additional training.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least one (1) year of post J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience

Preferred Qualifications:
Ideal qualifications include at least three (3) years of litigation experience, with some experience in criminal law and/or immigration law, and a commitment to public service.

Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and an ability to synthesize a wide range of data, help direct an investigation and have the ability to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case. Applicants must demonstrate superior oral and writing skills, strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment. Applicants must possess excellent communication and courtroom skills, and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff and client agencies. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment and in the highest ethical manner.

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 also must demonstrate excellent computer literacy skills to include experience with Internet research, electronic court filing, electronic mail, data management, word processing, electronic discovery, and video-conferencing systems.

Application Process

Applicants are required to apply online to vacancy announcement 25-WAW-12807245-AUSA on USAJobs, by the closing date of October 10, 2025 by 11:59 PM EST.

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Required - Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year). Your resume cannot exceed two pages.
Required - Cover Letter referencing vacancy announcement 25-WAW-12807245-AUSA that states whether you are interested in the Seattle Office, the Tacoma Office, or both.
Required - Writing Sample. Include a sample of your legal writing, such as a portion or all of an appellate brief, memorandum of points and authorities, or opinion letter. The writing sample should be a recent example of your work and demonstrate your ability to analyze legal issues and present that analysis in written form. The sample should be predominantly your own work. If the document was edited by others, include a cover memo that briefly describes the level of editing that occurred. Please limit your writing sample to 10 pages.
Required, if applicable - To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
Current Department of Justice Employees are encouraged to include a copy of their most recent annual performance evaluation (optional).

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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Salary

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 $83,104 to $195,100, which includes 31.57% locality pay.

The Administratively Determined Pay Plan salary structure is based primarily on the number of years of professional attorney experience and can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/usao/career-center/salary-information/administratively-determined-pay-plan-charts