Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney
Suite 600
Atlanta, GA 30303 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office prosecutes federal criminal offenses, seeks recovery of government funds fraudulently obtained, litigates affirmative civil fraud and enforcement actions, and defends the U.S. Government's interest in civil cases. The United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, is located in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to the main office in downtown Atlanta, we maintain three intermittently staffed offices located in Rome, Newnan, and Gainesville. More information about the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is available at http//www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
Responsibilities and Opportunity Offered: The Northern District of Georgia is currently seeking applicants for a permanent Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) opening in our Criminal Division, to be assigned to the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS). All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Criminal Division The selected Criminal AUSA will initially be assigned to the Training Section. The AUSA will remain in the Training Section for a year or longer as they develop criminal case experience and trial skills. While the selected Criminal AUSA is in the Training Section, they also will spend a portion of their time on assignments and training from MLARS on forfeiture law and practice. After successfully completing this training period, the AUSA will be permanently assigned to MLARS, which is described more fully below:
The Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section focuses on, among other things, investigating and prosecuting high-stakes, large-scale money laundering matters, including matters with complex financial components and nationwide and international implications. This section also has primary responsibility in the office for seizing and forfeiting property--both in civil judicial and criminal proceedings. AUSAs in this section have some of the most varied caseloads in the office. AUSAs in this section may draft a civil forfeiture complaint, apply for a seizure warrant from a magistrate judge and appear before a district court judge at a change of plea all in the same week. MLARS AUSAs are among some of the only attorneys in the office who handle matters across all sections of the Criminal Division.
Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree from a law school approved by the American Bar Association, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least three years of post-JD experience. United States citizenship is required.
Preferred qualifications: Although not required, applicants with a strong interest in complex financial fraud investigations and prosecutions are preferred. In addition, applicants with significant civil litigation and/or complex criminal prosecutorial backgrounds are preferred. Candidates must possess a strong academic background, superior legal writing and research ability, organizational skills, ability to handle and manage voluminous documents and electronic data, handle challenging witnesses, handle pressing deadlines, and show a commitment to professionalism, ethics and integrity, civility, and public service.
(*Note: You must become a member of the Georgia bar within 18 months of appointment as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. If you are a member of the bar in any jurisdiction other than Georgia, you may apply for admission on motion without examination to membership in the bar must have comity for bar admission purposes with the State of Georgia Reciprocity Order, eligibility criteria, and instructions for admission on motion without examination are available at http://www.gabaradmissions.org).
If you are interested in relocating to a great United States Attorney's Office in the beautiful, rapidly growing, and still relatively affordable Atlanta area, please email a resume (one page preferred), cover letter (pdf file preferred), and writing sample to USAGAN.Resumes@usdoj.gov.
Or, materials may be mailed to:
Nicole Overton
Human Resources Specialist
United States Attorney's Office Northern District of Georgia
75 Ted Turner Drive, S.W. Suite 600
Atlanta, GA 30303
If you previously applied or interviewed with our office, please state in your cover letter the position you previously applied for and whether you interviewed for that position.
Assistant United States Attorneys' pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of pay is $76,674 to $191,800 which includes a 23.45% locality pay supplement.
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Department Policies
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.
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.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department’s Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee’s Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.
Veterans: 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 include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. 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, 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 their 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).
USAO Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.
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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.