Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

Hiring Organization
USAO District of Oregon
Hiring Office
Civil Division
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
25-OR-12797017-AUSA-Civil

Location:
United States

Application Deadline:
Friday, September 26, 2025
About the Office

If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! 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 United States Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon serves the entire State of Oregon, with the District's headquarters located in Portland and two branch offices located in Eugene and Medford. The state has a population of almost 3.5 million people, almost half of whom live in the tri-county Portland metropolitan area. These two vacancies are located in the Portland Main Office. Further details pertaining to the District may be found at the following link: www.justice.gov/usao-or. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, www.justice.gov/usao/eousa.

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.

All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis.

Job Description

These positions will be located in the Civil Division of the District of Oregon.

Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) within the Civil Division of our Portland offices represent the United States and its departments, agencies, and employees in civil actions at both the trial and appellate levels. The attorney should be experienced with handling litigation from initial case filing through discovery and have strong writing skills. Trial experience is preferred.
The attorney may be assigned to civil defensive and affirmative civil enforcement (ACE), affirmative civil rights and bankruptcy cases.
The Civil Division's defensive cases include suits alleging negligence under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), including medical malpractice; allegations of unlawful discrimination in federal employment; challenges to agency actions under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA); suits seeking release of records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); the defense of government officials sued in their individual capacities for constitutional violations (Bivens actions); and responses to habeas corpus petitions. Primary ACE areas of practice include False Claims Act cases and investigations, including whistleblower actions, and enforcement of civil rights statutes. Bankruptcy cases include creditor representation in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 cases.

Responsibilities will increase, and assignments will become more complex as an AUSA is trained and gains experience.

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

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications: AUSAs should be capable of managing numerous ongoing matters; juggling court appearances, depositions and deadlines for discovery and pleadings in a collegial, supportive environment. Applicants should have experience appearing in court, arbitrations, and/or depositions. Applicant should possess superior research and writing abilities, with the ability to prepare high-quality, persuasive pleadings.

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

Application Process

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

To be considered for a position, applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on September 26, 2025. Applications will only be accepted through the USAJobs website at:

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/845338000

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 Oregon at Sarah.Fischer@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.

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).
Required - Your cover letter.
Required - Your writing sample.
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.

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

$79,667 to $195,100 which includes 26.13% locality pay.