Assistant United States Attorney

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).If not already an active member of the California bar, any applicant hired will be required to take and subsequently pass the California bar exam. AUSAs must become active members of the California bar and maintain California bar membership.United States citizenship is required. Preferred Qualifications: Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a diverse complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all taken into account. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or as a judicial clerk are also considered. Ties to the Central District of California will be considered. All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.United States citizenship is required. You must meet all qualification requirements upon time of applying.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Central District of California (USAO) is one of the largest and most impactful in the nation, serving nearly 20 million people in seven counties. The Office enforces the laws and defends the interests of the United States through three primary litigating Divisions: Criminal, National Security, and Civil. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/

The U.S. Attorneys Office for Central District of California is seeking to hire exceptional attorneys to serve as AUSAs in the Civil Division. Civil Division AUSAs represent the United States at both the trial and appellate levels. The Civil Division is divided into five sections: Complex and Defensive Litigation, Civil Fraud, Civil Rights, Tax and Bankruptcy, and Civil Appeals. An ideal candidate will have a strong work ethic, a solution-oriented mindset, excellent research and writing skills, as well as strong oral advocacy skills to represent the DOJ in a variety of contexts including, but not limited to, court hearings, depositions/interviews, and settlement conferences. A Civil AUSA candidate should also have a strong and demonstrated commitment to public service, attention to detail, exercise sound judgment and show integrity and honesty in following Department of Justice and United States Attorney's Office policies. If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you. With a diverse and talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens.The USAO is divided into three litigating Divisions (Criminal, National Security, and Civil). The USAO's main offices are in Los Angeles. The USAO's Criminal Division has branch offices in Santa Ana and Riverside.Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication.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.For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.htmlAs needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This is an open continuous announcement that is intended to continually solicit applications in order to fill immediate and future vacancies. Vacant positions may or may not be available at the time of application. Applications will be reviewed and referred as vacancies occur and will only remain active for seven (5) months from the date of submission. Applicants will be notified when their applications have been reviewed/referred for further consideration. 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.

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.

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 09/30/2026 to receive consideration. 1. 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 Central District of California at [phone removed] or email at [contact via application link], prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying. The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Central District of California who can be reached at [phone removed] or [contact via application link]