Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal_Rockford)

Summary

This announcement has been extended to 09/30/2026. This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will close no later than September 30, 2026. Initial cutoff day for referral of eligible applications will be 07/30/2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred every two weeks. This announcement is to fill one position. However, depending on the need of the office, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Duties

• The Northern District of Illinois, Rockford Branch Office is accepting applications for Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) openings in its Criminal Section in Rockford, Illinois. The applicant selected will represent the U.S. Government as an AUSA in a wide range of unique and complex cases and trials. The applicant must be committed to working on the full range of federal criminal cases that the Office handles. That includes the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes; firearms offenses; drug crimes; human trafficking; criminal immigration matters; public corruption; money laundering violations; national security cases; general crimes; and all varieties of white-collar crime and frauds, including federal program frauds and frauds in areas such as healthcare, trade and customs, mortgage, tax, Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP"), among others. Depending on mission needs in Rockford, criminal AUSAs may be asked to assist with civil matters. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction) and have at least 2 years post-J.D. experience. Preferred Qualifications: Your application materials should demonstrate excellent academics, significant litigation experience, criminal law experience, strong legal writing skills, and a commitment to public service. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of the announcement. United States citizenship is required. Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree

How to apply

Application information for AUSA-NDIL-26-11 is available at the following site: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/job-listing. To apply, please provide a complete application package, which consists of the following 5 items: Item 1 must be submitted through the USAJobs portal AND sent via email, in PDF format, to [email protected]. Resume and cover letter; Items 2-5 should ONLY be submitted via email, in PDF format, to [email protected]. PLEASE DO NOT submit items 2-5 through the USAJobs portal. Law school transcript; Writing sample written by you within the last year Three letters of professional recommendation from people who are in a position to assess your legal skills; and AUSA Questionnaire and Personal Statement indicating why you think you would be a good trial lawyer and why you want to work in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois Applicants who fail to follow the steps above will not be considered. Your application package will not be considered complete, and will not be reviewed for consideration, until all 5 items have been received. No telephone calls please. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2026 to receive consideration. 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 Northern District of Illinois at 312-353-0518 or email at [email protected], prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.