Special AUSA to AUSA - possible? Forum

[Anonymous User]

As a Special AUSA in General Crimes detailed from another agency for one year in a competitive AUSA market (SDNY, NDIL, DDC, etc.), how difficult would it be to convert that to a real AUSA position in the Criminal Division at the same district down the line? Is that typically frowned upon by the detailing agency / likely to burn bridges? Or is it a pretty worn path?

[Anonymous User]

Some USAOs have a policy of not hiring SAUSA as AUSAs at their office. So check on that. I can say anecdotally it appears SAUSA in district A-> AUSA in district B is more common than what you described.

[Anonymous User]

Some USAOs have a policy of not hiring SAUSA as AUSAs at their office. So check on that. I can say anecdotally it appears SAUSA in district A-> AUSA in district B is more common than what you described.

Yeah, I agree with this. The AUSAs I know who had been detailed as SAUSAs from another agency before becoming an AUSA had all moved districts rather than moving into an AUSA position where they were detailed. And I know some SAUSAs who’d applied for such positions and rejected. I think there’s little incentive for the USAO where someone is detailed to hire that person when they already have them there in the office on another agency’s dime. I don’t know if the home agency frowns on it at all and if that’s also taken into consideration.

But I certainly can’t say it never happens.

[Anonymous User]

Edit: Agree with the above posters.

[Anonymous User]

I worked at an agency that had a relationship with the local USAO where we sent our attorneys to work as SAUSAs. Our SAUSA agreements had a clause where the USAO explicitly agreed not to hire our attorneys for a period of two-years after the SAUSA detail ended. I think the idea is our agency didn’t want the USAO getting free work then poaching our lawyers. Nevertheless, it happened sometimes after the two years.

[Anonymous User]

I worked at an agency that had a relationship with the local USAO where we sent our attorneys to work as SAUSAs. Our SAUSA agreements had a clause where the USAO explicitly agreed not to hire our attorneys for a period of two-years after the SAUSA detail ended. I think the idea is our agency didn’t want the USAO getting free work then poaching our lawyers. Nevertheless, it happened sometimes after the two years.

Was that frowned upon? Do you think the offering agency would write a letter of rec, for example?

[Anonymous User]

I worked at an agency that had a relationship with the local USAO where we sent our attorneys to work as SAUSAs. Our SAUSA agreements had a clause where the USAO explicitly agreed not to hire our attorneys for a period of two-years after the SAUSA detail ended. I think the idea is our agency didn’t want the USAO getting free work then poaching our lawyers. Nevertheless, it happened sometimes after the two years.

Was that frowned upon? Do you think the offering agency would write a letter of rec, for example?

Different anon than who you’re responding to, but if you get a detail to a USAO, you’d be much better off getting a reference from the USAO for future apps than from your home agency - in part because the people at your home agency may not have much experience in what a USAO will want to to do, so may not provide a great letter.

[Anonymous User]

there are two different types of SAUSAs -- (1) ones that come from a different agency or from main DOJ on a special detail or (2) uncompensated who are hired full time. i think either experiences can only help a candidate obtain a full time AUSA or main DOJ gig at a later time. previous poster is correct though, some offices have a policy not to hire directly from SAUSA to AUSA, so you want to check with the specific district you are interested in.