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Can anyone shed some light on the typical paths people take to becoming AUSAs in competitive districts? On this board I have read vastly differing required qualifications and time-in-biglaw/trial-experience requirements for such a position.

Me currently: T20 grad (top 1-2%) --> d.ct. clerkship (active, competitive district) --> V10 biglaw (~1 yr, competitive city) --> 9th Cir. clerkship (active, non-feeder, competitive city) --> ??? --> AUSA

Am I realistically in a good position to get an AUSA spot in a competitive city/district (like CD/ND Cal) sometime down the road? What would the "???" portion of my career path need to look like? Appreciate any input/constructive criticism. Feel free to be brutally honest.

Anonymous User wrote:Can anyone shed some light on the typical paths people take to becoming AUSAs in competitive districts? On this board I have read vastly differing required qualifications and time-in-biglaw/trial-experience requirements for such a position.

Me currently: T20 grad (top 1-2%) --> d.ct. clerkship (active, competitive district) --> V10 biglaw (~1 yr, competitive city) --> 9th Cir. clerkship (active, non-feeder, competitive city) --> ??? --> AUSA

Am I realistically in a good position to get an AUSA spot in a competitive city/district (like CD/ND Cal) sometime down the road? What would the "???" portion of my career path need to look like? Appreciate any input/constructive criticism. Feel free to be brutally honest.

Yes, you could become an AUSA, but there's no guarantee of CDcal or NDcal obviously because they have similar candidates applying. But as long as you get some good litigation experience and have a coherent narrative for why you want to be an AUSA, then you should be a very competitive candidate to become an AUSA somewhere in the country and have a good shot at an elite district.

For NDCA specifically, and many USAOs generally, it's helpful if you've interned at the office during school. Your ??? is probably best served by spending some time at MTO Hueston or Keker.