Cook County State'S Attorney Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Assistant State’s Attorney, Sex Crimes Unit

Reports to: Supervisor, Sex Crimes Unit

Grade/Step: AY2/101 to AY1/108L

Salary: $129,924 -$174,718 Salary (range if appropriate). Salary is provided by law; however, individual compensation is based on various factors unique to each candidate, including skill set, years and quality of experience. Any salary offered is determined by the Chief of Staff and is non-negotiable.

Location: Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Municipal District Courthouse

Bureau: Special Victims Bureau

Division: Sexual Assault Division

Application Deadline: July 13, 2026

Note: This post is for an open position as well as for forming a pool for future open positions.

Note: The Cook County State's Attorney's Office does not sponsor H1-B work visa petitions.

Position Description: The Special Victims Bureau of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is seeking experienced Assistant State’s Attorneys at a 2nd chair or higher level, with felony review and felony jury trial experience to vertically prosecute Sexual Assault cases assigned to courthouses throughout Cook County. This is a full-time bargaining unit exempt position.

Working Environment & Reporting Structure: The Assistant State’s Attorney will be prosecuting under the Criminal Code of the State of Illinois. The Assistant State’s Attorney will be required to manage a complex caseload of various types of sexual assault cases. The Assistant State’s Attorney will be expected to work closely with victim-witness specialists, advocates, and law enforcement agencies and represent the People of the State of Illinois in hearings and trials. The Assistant State’s Attorney must be able to work well with people from diverse communities, work independently, have excellent time management skills and be self-initiating. The Assistant State’s Attorney must be able to effectively communicate the mission and values of the CCSAO to members of the community. The Assistant State’s Attorney will report directly to a Deputy Supervisory of the Sexual Assault Division.

Duties/Requirements: The ASA will: Prepare sexual assault cases for disposition either by plea or trial; Research legal issues, draft pretrial motions or other relevant legal documents, and respond to defense pretrial motions and post-trial motions appropriately; Litigate pretrial motions, bench trials, and/or jury trials; Prepare and obtain protective orders; Conduct detention and conditions of pretrial release hearings; Serve as a on call notifier for felony review involving sexual assault cases; Communicate with and support victims using a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach; Keep victims and witnesses informed of court proceedings; Work closely with victim-witness specialists and advocates; Commitment to applying a vertical prosecution model.

The ASA shall be an effective advocate and emissary of the mission, vision and values of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office both with ASAs as well as criminal justice stakeholders and partners.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Possess a J.D. degree from an accredited law school.
• Felony Second Chair or higher equivalent experience.
• Successfully completed a rotation as a line ASA in the Felony Review Unit.
• Desire to work with victims of sexual assault.
• Knowledge of and experience with DNA evidence in a trial or investigative setting;
• Must uphold the mission and values of the CCSAO at all times and support fellow ASA in doing the same.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience prosecuting sexual assault cases is preferred but not required.
• Prior experience as a Felony Review Unit Trial Supervisor

Cover Letter: In your cover letter please address the following questions:

1. Why are you interested in this particular role?
2. What in your professional experience has prepared you to succeed in this role?
3. How will you work to foster and maintain public trust in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office while upholding the mission, vision and values of the Office in your dealings with the ASAs, law enforcement partners, the judiciary, and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system?

Physical Requirements: Light work. Light work involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may be very little, a job is in this category when it requires a good deal of walking or standing, or when it involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. To be considered capable of performing a full or wide range of light work, you must have the ability to do substantially all these activities. If someone can do light work, we determine that he or she can also do sedentary work, unless there are additional limiting factors such as loss of fine dexterity or inability to sit for long periods of time.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is an equal opportunity employer, which seeks to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The CCSAO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical and mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Upon request, the CCSAO will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals due to a disability or pregnancy. The EEOP report can be found on our website at www.cookcountystatesattorney.org.

Benefits

At Cook County, we believe in investing in you, our valued employee. We understand that your wellbeing directly impacts the quality of service we provide to our community. That's why we offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support your health, financial stability, and work-life balance. Here's a snapshot of what we offer:

Choose from a variety of medical, dental, and vision plans to best suit your lifestyle and needs. We provide a robust Paid Time Off (PTO) program, including vacation, personal, and sick leave, as well as 13 paid holidays. As a public service employer, our employees may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Our Employee Assistance Program offers confidential counseling and referral services to help you navigate life's challenges. And of course, a pension plan through Cook County.

Follow this link to the Cook County Benefits and this link to Cook County Pension Fund if you want to learn more about our amazing benefit coverage. The CCSAO does not provide relocation assistance.