How to become an AUSA/work at the USAO for 3Ls Forum

[Anonymous User]

Is the only way that one can work as an AUSA to get into the honors program? Any other way?

[ph14]

School clinic. E.g.: http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/cu ... g/?o=64718

[jbiresq]

Pretty much every USAO accepts interns though the background check is a bitch. Great experience, however.

As to becoming an AUSA it totally depends on the office. I worked at an office in a flyover district and a lot of the people there were state prosecutors. Some others came from a clerkship. Not many from T14s though. In a more "prestigious" district (e.g. NDIL, SDNY, etc.) you're going to see a lot of ex BigLawyers and clerks, usually coming from the T14, especially HYS.

As to getting it out straight of school: more or less impossible. The jobs are too desirable for them to need to hire graduates with no skills.

[RedGiant]

No--I have a friend who joined after several years as a litigator in NY and then Miami. (She's in FL.)

[Crowing]

The two most common routes are (1) through biglaw lit and (2) through a state attorney's office. Clerking helps. Some people also go through a court staff attorney position, but the relevance of that is probably largely dependent on the district and how substantive a role staff attorneys get there. Most USAOs don't hire straight out of school.

[Anonymous User]

The two most common routes are (1) through biglaw lit and (2) through a state attorney's office. Clerking helps. Some people also go through a court staff attorney position, but the relevance of that is probably largely dependent on the district and how substantive a role staff attorneys get there. Most USAOs don't hire straight out of school.

Isn't the most common way through the DOJ honors program?

[Citizen Genet]

No. The honors program doesn't always have USAO slots, and even when it does, it's a pretty small number of offices. This year it's AZ, 3 districts in California, northern district of Ohio, and SDNY, hiring 12 people total.

And this year is incredibly high compared to year's past. Last year there were none (in what was a shrunken year altogether) and the year before that I think there were four or so offices that were participating. In years past it had mainly been limited to two or three offices a year.

[Anonymous User]

Let's say you did an internship with the USAO and did very well in it. The head of a division wrote you a stellar review and stated in it that you were one of the best interns the office ever had, that you were practicing at a high level, and that you had unlimited potential. Would that help down the road if you applied to a USAO somewhere? Common sense would say it would, but I wonder if the process is so bureaucratic that you wouldn't even get that information / a copy of the review in front of any decision-maker early enough in the process to truly help.

[Crowing]

Let's say you did an internship with the USAO and did very well in it. The head of a division wrote you a stellar review and stated in it that you were one of the best interns the office ever had, that you were practicing at a high level, and that you had unlimited potential. Would that help down the road if you applied to a USAO somewhere? Common sense would say it would, but I wonder if the process is so bureaucratic that you wouldn't even get that information / a copy of the review in front of any decision-maker early enough in the process to truly help.

I'm not sure what assistance the review itself would provide. But the fact that you did the internship and have it on your resume is helpful in demonstrating your interest in and commitment to the job.

[Anonymous User]

I'm sure it would be a good thing to have, but even better would be to have that division head call up someone at the office where you're applying and tell them how great you are. You're right in that I don't think the application process usually asks for LORs, so don't know how you'd submit the review. (They do ask for the most recent performance review if you are currently a federal employee, but I don't think you could substitute the intern review for that). Can you list that person as a reference?

Same anon here. Thanks for the reply. I'm not actually applying for a USAO job currently; I'm working at a firm. I am happy here, but I figure having a shot at working for a USAO would be a great option if things go south. That only complicates the question, of course, as I'm likely looking at a few years down the road before applying, if ever. Luckily the guy who wrote the review is fairly young. He'll probably still be alive and maybe even still working for the same office by the time I would apply. Listing him as a reference sounds like a good idea, if there's no other way. I'd just have to call him up and make sure he remembers me.

[Anonymous User]

I think the honors program is the only way straight out of school. I do know a couple of people who got the job after clerking (one for one year, one for 5 - the one-year guy went to an office in the same district that has a hard time keeping people due to location), but otherwise everyone I know of had probably 3 years experience minimum. (Not always in criminal law, but litigation at least.)

Almost every new USAO in the Fraud division of my district has been hired as a Special Assistant US Attorney (SAUSA); usually on loan from the State. Sometimes they get assigned after less than a year working for the DA or AG. I also know this happens on the reg in other districts as well. Something people don't talk about much, but is what appears to me to be an less competitive route.

[Anonymous User]

What components are the most competitive for DOJ Honors?