Assistant United States Attorney

Hiring Organization
USAO Western District of Washington
Hiring Office
Appellate Division
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
26-WAW-12849114-AUSA

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

Application Deadline:
Friday, January 2, 2026
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 United States Attorney is seeking an experienced appellate lawyer to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA). The AUSA's main responsibility will be briefing and arguing direct criminal appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The AUSA may also handle civil appeals, will litigate habeas cases in district court and the court of appeals, and will assist trial prosecutors throughout the district including handling district court briefing and hearings on emerging legal issues. Although the practice will be primarily appellate, the AUSA may also be called upon in certain cases to join a trial team and assist in trying cases in the district court. The district's appellate caseload is extremely heavy; the AUSA can expect to be responsible for a variety of matters at any one time.

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 one (1) year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:
Ideal qualifications include at least three (3) years of post-J.D. litigation experience and passion for appellate work. Interest and experience in federal criminal law is also preferred.

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 and data management, word processing, and video-conferencing systems.

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

Application Process

Applicants are required to apply online to vacancy announcement 26-WAW-12849114-AUSA on USAJobs, by the closing date of January 2, 2026 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 cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:

Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
Employer name & contact information,
Start & end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

• Required: Cover Letter referencing announcement 26-WAW-12849114-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 (VP), 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 VP documentation. It is also recommended that you include VP information in your cover letter or resume.
• Optional: Current DOJ Employees are encouraged to include a copy of their most recent performance evaluation.

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.