Hiring Organization
USAO Eastern District of Michigan
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
26-MIE-12970796-AUSA
Location:
Detroit, MI - United States
Application Deadline:
Monday, November 30, 2026
About the Office
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) has jurisdiction and responsibility in a broad range of areas, all of which involve representing the legal interests of the Federal government in a court of law. The Eastern District of Michigan consists of 34 counties in the eastern half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and employees approximately 130 Assistant United States Attorneys. For attorney positions, the office has a Criminal Division, Civil Division, and Appellate Division.
This is an open-continuous vacancy announcement that will remain open until November 30, 2026, or until the positions have been filled. Completed applications will be reviewed on a weekly basis.
Job Description
An appointment with the U.S. Attorney's Office offers unique and challenging experiences for the highly motivated attorney. Serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) and assigned to the Criminal, Civil, or Appellate Division, you will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce federal criminal laws that protect life, liberty, and property of citizens. The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan is seeking to hire many AUSAs for our Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions.
Assignments in the Criminal Division include, but are not limited to:
The investigation and prosecution of federal criminal laws involving guns, violence, immigration, terrorism, drug trafficking, crimes against children, government program fraud, health care fraud, other white collar offenses, public corruption, and organized crime. Attorneys are responsible for handling all aspects of investigations and cases, including gathering evidence, researching the law, and appearing in court at hearings and trials.
Assignments in the Civil Division include, but are not limited to:
Affirmative Litigation: pursuing civil enforcement actions against the public and private entities, and individuals that engage in fraud, violate federal laws, divert controlled substances, or damage federal lands or resources. Attorneys are responsible for handling all aspects of investigations and cases, including gathering evidence, taking testimony, researching the law, drafting pleadings, and appearing in court at hearings and trials.
Defensive Litigation: defending the United States, its agencies, and employees in a wide variety of defensive civil matters in federal court, involving tort, employment discrimination, constitutional, Administrative Procedures Act, immigration, and numerous other claims. Attorneys handle all aspects of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, arguments, alternative dispute resolution, pre-trial matters, trials and appeals.
Civil Rights: enforcing federal civil rights statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status, and national origin. Attorneys are responsible for handling all aspects of investigations and litigation, including gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, researching the law, drafting memoranda and pleadings, and appearing in court at hearings and trials.
Assignments in the Appellate Division include, but are not limited to:
Appeals arise from diverse crimes, such as health care fraud, mortgage fraud, other complex fraud, organized drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, alien smuggling and other immigration offenses. Attorneys are responsible for researching, writing appellate briefs and postconviction responses, presenting oral arguments on a variety of complex and novel issues involving the constitution, statutory construction, evidentiary and procedural matters, and sentencing issues. Attorneys also provide real-time trial assistance to our Criminal Division attorneys.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree AND be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).
Proof of active bar membership is required.
United States citizenship is required. For additional information regarding citizenship, refer to the "Suitability and Citizenship" requirements in the "Required Documents" section of the USAJobs vacancy announcement.
Preferred Qualifications:
The attorney must have a very strong ability to analyze complex legal and factual issues, write clearly and persuasively, possess a strong work ethic, exhibit good organizational skills, exercise fair and sound judgment, pay careful attention to facts and details, work well both independently and on a team, be ready and willing to volunteer to help other attorneys, be able to negotiate fairly and effectively with opposing counsel, handle matters in court persuasively on behalf of the United States of America, and be devoted to justice, excellence, and representing the public.
Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all considered. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or as a judicial clerk are also considered.
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 on the USAJobs vacancy announcement Required Documents section.
This is an open-continuous vacancy announcement that will remain open until November 30, 2026, or until the positions have been filled. Completed applications will be reviewed on a weekly basis.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/30/2026.
1. To begin, click https://www.usajobs.gov/job/870897500 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.
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 $84,655 to $197,100, which includes the 29.12% Detroit/Flint locality pay.
