Assistant United States Attorney- Civil
About This Position
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Southern District of Georgia is seeking attorneys experienced in civil litigation to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys in its Civil Division. This will be a two-year term position. This is an open announcement that will remain open until filled. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applicants will be March 6, 2026. Qualified applicants will be referred to selecting official at 1-week intervals.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications: Preferred applicants will possess at least 2 years of substantial experience in handling a variety of complex civil litigation. The preferred applicant will have substantial experience in complex civil litigation, including motions practice, serving and responding to discovery, settlement negotiations, trials, and appeals. Preferred applicants will demonstrate superior oral and written communications skills and possess the ability to work as part of a team, with an emphasis on working well with client agencies.
Applicants should have strong character and interpersonal skills and demonstrate the capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment.
Applicants will conduct 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, electronic e-mail, and word processing systems.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Major Duties
The USAO serves as the Government's law firm for all aspects of federal litigation, including defending the U.S. Government's interests in civil cases, recovery of fraudulently obtained government funds, civil fraud, collection and enforcement actions, and the prosecution of federal crimes. The work of the Civil Division mirrors the varied activities of the federal government and offers a challenging and diverse caseload.
Attorneys selected through this announcement will be assigned to the Civil Division's defensive section, where they will represent the United States and its agency clients in tort, employment discrimination, constitutional, and other civil litigation filed against the United States, including immigration-related matters concerning immigration detention or visa adjudications. AUSAs in the Civil Division's defensive section manage a high-volume docket of cases involving the federal government. Day-to-day responsibilities include working with government agencies to gather information and evidence, engaging in motion practice and oral argument, taking and defending depositions, preparing and responding to written discovery, negotiating settlements, preparing cases for trial, trying cases, and briefing and arguing appeals.
Given the breadth of the Civil Division's work, flexibility and a willingness to learn new subject areas are mandatory for successful applicants. AUSAs handle their matters with high levels of independence. Responsibilities are assigned commensurate with experience and will increase in complexity as the AUSA progresses.
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. 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.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
How You Will Be Evaluated
Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview.
You will be notified if selected for an interview. The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring.
Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s).
Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more). Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency.
Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
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 basic pay is $65,563 to $171,487.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/06/2026 to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account.
Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2.
Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.) 3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application.
Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement.
You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete. You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Erica Large at 912-201-2577 or email at [email protected], prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Required - Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process). Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year). Required - Cover letter that explains your interest in the position.
Required - Recent writing sample that reflects legal analysis and writing abilities. Required, if applicable - To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation.
It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.