Freelance Remote Civil Rights Attorney Jobs in Illinois

Summary
The Civil Division of the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois is seeking an attorney, ideally with at least one year of legal experience, to assist primarily with civil defensive litigation.
Additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
This position is open until filled. However, first round consideration will be given to applications submitted by April 6, 2026, 11:59 pm, EST. Applicant lists will be reviewed approximately every 30 days.
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Duties
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AUSAs in the Civil Division work on a diverse range of defensive matters, including personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and other tort actions; employment discrimination actions; immigration matters; prisoner litigation; and actions challenging governmental policies, activities, and decisions. Civil AUSAs also handle affirmative investigations and cases involving fraud, immigration, forfeiture, and other areas. Day to day responsibilities include working with client agencies and investigators to gather information, conducting legal research, engaging in motion practice, preparing and answering discovery requests, defending and taking depositions, retaining and working with experts, negotiating settlements, trying cases, and briefing and arguing appeals.
The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for representing the United States of America, Federal agencies, and Federal employees in a wide variety of civil defensive litigation. The caseload may include defending immigration cases; employment discrimination cases; medical malpractice, premises liability, and other tort litigation; statutory and constitutional challenges to government programs; Administrative Procedure Act cases; FOIA and Privacy Act cases; and Bivens civil rights suits.
Although this position is primarily focused on civil defensive litigation, the successful candidate may also be assigned affirmative civil cases. This area includes False Claims Act actions involving healthcare fraud and fraud on pandemic-era programs.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
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.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
• Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent), be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have a minimum of one year of post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience is required and possess superior oral and written communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
Strong advocacy skills, academic credentials, superior legal research and writing skills, quick analytical ability to accurately and precisely articulate critical case related issues, good interpersonal skills, the ability to work in a supportive and professional team environment with client agencies, support staff, and other attorneys, and sound legal and ethical judgment.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
Additional information
Salary Information: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of pay for Springfield, Peoria, and Urbana is $80,000 to $150,000, which includes 17.06% locality, plus benefits. The range of pay for Moline is $80,000 to $150,000 which includes 18.93% locality, plus benefits.
Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
Travel: Some. Not on a regular basis.
Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
EEO Statement: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.
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This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.