Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal Division, Bakersfield Office)

Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal Division, Bakersfield Office)

Hiring Organization

USAO Eastern District of California

Hiring Office

Criminal Division, Bakersfield Office

Attorney Appointment Type

Attorney Permanent

Job ID

26-CAE-12937982-AUSA

Location:

Bakersfield, CA - United States

Application Deadline:

Thursday, April 30, 2026

About the Office

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California is headquartered in Sacramento. The District includes the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains and encompasses most of the land mass of California-from the Coastal Mountain Range to the Nevada border, and from Bakersfield in the south to the Oregon border. The Fresno office serves the counties of Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Merced, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Inyo. The Bakersfield office serves Kern County and the surrounding areas within the southern part of the Eastern District of California.

Bakersfield, the Southern Gateway to the Central Valley, is the ninth largest city in California and one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. It is the seat of Kern County and enjoys a wide variety of entertainment with the Dignity Health Arena, museums, art galleries, The Bakersfield Condors (ice hockey). Outdoor activities include several private and public golf courses and tennis facilities, three auto racing tracks, as well as whitewater rafting. Bakersfield is approximately 110 miles from Los Angeles, providing entertainment and recreational activities of all types.

Job Description

The United States Attorney is seeking experienced attorneys to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Bakersfield Office. The Assistant U.S. Attorney will be responsible for handling a variety of criminal cases with an emphasis on narcotics and violent crimes, and will also handle immigration matters.

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 in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

Ideal qualifications include at least three to five years of experience litigating cases with substantial responsibility for all aspects of discovery, trial, and appeals. Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case. Applicants must demonstrate superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment. Applicants must possess excellent communication and courtroom skills and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, paralegals, support staff and client agencies. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function in a highly demanding environment.

Applicants will be expected to do their own legal research and writing and will be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. Applicants must also demonstrate excellent computer literacy skills to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic e-mail and word processing systems.

The ideal candidate will have some experience working with multi-agency task forces; will have experience and familiarity with federal grand jury practice; will have experience with the use of a multitude of investigatory techniques, including electronic surveillance, tracking devices, search warrants, telephone toll record analysis and asset seizure and forfeiture; and will demonstrate the ability to handle complex cases from the initial investigative stage through trial.

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