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

Reports to: Deputy Chief of the Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau

Grade/Step: AY2/101 - AY2/104

Salary: $124,878 - $134,519 Salary range 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 Courthouse, 2650 S California

Bureau: Multi-Jurisdiction

Division: Criminal

Application Deadline: September 23, 2025

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

Position Description: The Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau is seeking an Assistant State’s Attorney (ASA) to vertically prosecute serious hate crime cases. A unique opportunity to work with federal, state and local law enforcement while leading a team and building relationships with community groups. This includes working with law enforcement pre-indictment through sentencing. The ASA will collaborate, develop intelligence, and build relationships with numerous law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorist Task Force, US Secret Service, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Chicago Police and suburban departments as well as forge strong relationships with community groups affected by this crime. The ASAs will also collaborate with the US Attorney’s Office, the US Department of Justice, the Illinois Attorney General and collar counties. ASAs are expected to support, advise and educate law enforcement on long-term, complex investigations. The ASA will lead, triage and manage cases for designated hate crime ASA specialists throughout the SAO Office.

Working Environment & Reporting Structure: The Assistant State’s Attorney assigned to the
Hate Crime Unit will report directly to the Deputy Chief of the Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau and work closely with other members of the Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau. The Hate Crimes ASA is part of the Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau.

Duties/Requirements: The Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau is seeking an Assistant State’s Attorney (ASA) to vertically prosecute serious hate crime cases. This includes working with law enforcement pre-indictment through sentencing. A unique opportunity to work with federal, state and local law enforcement while leading a team and building relationships with community groups. The ASA will collaborate, develop intelligence, and build relationships with numerous law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorist Task Force, US Secret Service, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Chicago Police and suburban departments as well as forge strong relationships with community groups affected by this crime. The ASAs will also collaborate with the US Attorney’s Office, the US Department of Justice, the Illinois Attorney General and collar counties. ASAs are expected to support, advise and educate law enforcement on long-term, complex investigations. The ASA will lead, triage and manage cases for designated hate crime ASA specialists throughout the SAO Office.

The Multi-Jurisdiction Bureau is seeking an ASA to implement intelligence-driven prosecution strategies and vertically prosecute serious hate crimes cases. We are seeking an experienced -*third chair or second chair ASA in the CCSAO to be assigned to the Unit. The primary responsibility of the ASA is to prosecute individuals that are involved in hate crimes in Cook County, and to help develop and implement strategies to address these priority crime problems. In carrying out its mission, the ASA works closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorist Task Force, US Secret Service, Chicago Police Department, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and suburban police departments. In working with law enforcement, the ASA will support and advise law enforcement in long-term investigations including identifying patterns and any additional threats associated with such offenders. The ASA will also work to build partnerships with community stakeholders and ASAs throughout the Office. The ASA will assist in building and supervising a cadre of hate crime specialist ASA’s throughout the office. Triaging, assigning and managing hate crime prosecutions. In this role, the ASA will build a knowledge of the people affected by this crime and work to gain a deep understanding of the crime situation and develop contacts with community members in that area.

Minimum Qualifications:

? The candidate must possess significant investigative support and litigation experience as an attorney;
? Knowledge of multiple languages is a plus;
? Strong organizational skills and great attention to detail; Strong research, writing, and oral advocacy skills;
? Excellent communication skills and willingness to coordinate with multiple law enforcement agencies;
? Sound judgment, critical thinking, analytical, and effective time management skills;
? Must uphold the mission and values of the Office at all times and support attorneys in
doing the same;
? Commitment to applying a vertical prosecution model including long-term investigations
and complex trials with multiple crimes and defendants;
? ASA must show a strong desire to work closely with impacted community groups and forge strong relationships with those groups. As well as a willingness to work and educate law enforcement and community groups
? Must be highly motivated and have strong leadership skills and the ability to promote
team building.

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

1. Why are you interested in this role?
2. What in your professional experience has prepared you to succeed in a unit focused on
proactive investigative review and support?
3. What experience do you have with vertical prosecution? What do you believe are the benefits
of vertical prosecution?
4. Interest in working with ad forging relationships with community groups?
5. Experience in teaching and/or training law enforcement?
6. Ability to triage cases and lead other ASA’s

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 well-being 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.