About the Office:

United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Western District of Washington is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation in the Western District of Washington (WDWA) that involves the United States in some way. A large portion of the work involves criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law. The office also handles civil lawsuits by or against a Department or agency of the United States, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers.  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 74 Assistant United States Attorneys.

Our office places a high value on diversity of experiences and perspectives and encourages applications from all qualified individuals from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, veterans, LGBT individuals, and persons with disabilities.

Job Description:

The Assistant United States Attorneys in the Criminal Division pursue prosecutions for violations of federal law that occur within the District. Criminal Division Assistant United States Attorneys 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 criminal appeals before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The attorneys hired for these positions will be assigned to criminal matters involving various areas of federal criminal law.  These positions may be located in either the Seattle or Tacoma Offices.  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 the first several months in the position working at the Seattle office for training.  Work in the Tacoma office also requires periodic travel to Seattle as needed for casework and additional training.

Qualifications:

The applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three years post-J.D. experience. Ideal qualifications include at least five years of post-J.D. litigation experience, with some experience in criminal law.

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.

Salary:

Assistant United States Attorneys' pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number years of professional attorney experience. The range of pay, including locality, is $70,821 to $172,400.

Travel:

Occasional travel within and outside the District will be required.

Application Process:

Interested persons must email the following items in pdf format to the email address listed below:

1.  A cover letter referencing Vacancy Announcement: 21-WDWA-AUSA-02 (Criminal- Seattle/Tacoma).  Applicants should state their preference of office location in the cover letter;

2.  A detailed resume that includes the month/year start and end dates for each position held;

3.  A law school transcript for any applicant with less than five years of experience as an attorney; and

4.  A writing sample meeting the criteria set forth below:

Writing Sample: Include a sample of your legal writing, such as a portion or all of an appellate brief,    motion and 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.