Assistant United States Attorney Criminal

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) by their entry on duty date. Law school graduates and current law students taking a July 2026 bar examination may be considered, subject to the foregoing requirements. United States citizenship is required.

01Preferred Qualifications

Hiring for AUSA positions is highly competitive.

The ideal candidate will have: Superior oral and written communication skills; Excellent research and analytical skills; High EQ and interpersonal skills, and good judgment; Excellent advocacy and courtroom skills; The ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, and client agencies; A demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment; Excellent organizational capabilities, including the ability to track and meet deadlines across multiple active cases; Excellent computer literacy including experience and competence with automated electronic court filing.

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

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana is seeking experienced, motivated, and prosecution-oriented attorneys to join its Criminal Division. The office seeks to hire an Assistant U.S. Attorney who will be assigned to the Criminal Division in the Billings branch office and an Assistant U.S. Attorney who will be assigned to the Criminal Division in either the Helena or Great Falls branch office.

The casework for the Billings position will focus on investigating and prosecuting drug trafficking; crimes related to immigration matters such as gang-related crimes involving aliens, child trafficking and smuggling involving aliens, unlawful voting, firearms trafficking and smuggling involving aliens, and fraud committed by aliens; and similar areas of responsibility as determined by the needs of the district.

The casework for the Helena/Great Falls position will focus on investigating and prosecuting violent crime, drug distribution, and fraud committed in Indian Country and on reservations. The successful candidate may be assigned to act as a liaison between a reservation and the United States Attorney's Office.

Additional casework may involve drug trafficking, criminal immigration, illegal firearm possession, organized crime, human trafficking, child exploitation/child pornography, and other areas of responsibility as determined by the needs of the district.

The qualified applicants would be expected to (a) assist federal law enforcement agents in structuring and implementing criminal investigative plans and strategies; (b) actively participate in grand jury proceedings, including the presentation of witnesses before the grand jury; (c) litigate cases of moderate to high complexity from start to finish with limited supervision; (d) write and argue appeals; (e) handle additional point of contact assignments based on the office's needs; and (f) handle ancillary coordinator assignments within the office as assigned.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Some travel may be required. 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.