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Legal Careers

Assistant United States Attorney

Hiring Organization
USAO Northern District of Georgia
Hiring Office
Criminal Division-Appellate Section
Job ID
21-GAN-AUSA-04
Location:
75 Ted Turner Drive SW
Suite 600
Atlanta, GA 30303 - United States
Application Deadline:
About the Office

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.

Job Description

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, Appellate Section. All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

The selected AUSA will be assigned to our Appellate & Legal Advice Section where the attorney will be responsible for researching and drafting briefs and motions for filing in the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, arguing appeals, reviewing and editing briefs and motions for colleagues, participating in moot courts to prepare for oral argument, and providing research support for AUSAs in the Criminal and Civil Divisions. Briefs will involve a wide variety of constitutional, statutory, and other claims arising under substantive and procedural federal criminal law and primarily respond to defense claims of error in convictions and/or sentences, while at times, the government will file an appeal challenging district court decisions or orders.

Qualifications

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-J.D. experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications: Hiring preferences include significant legal writing and oral advocacy experience that demonstrates strong writing skills, legal practice in federal court (or a federal court clerkship), and/or practice in criminal matters. Candidates must demonstrate the ability and willingness to be self-reliant and motivated in order to: review and distill voluminous records involving complex fact patterns; understand and articulate complex legal doctrines; routinely prepare high-quality and persuasive briefs on strict time deadlines; make persuasive oral arguments; and to assist other attorneys in all divisions. Finally, preferred candidates must possess advanced computer literacy skills, including experience with automated legal research, electronic court filing, and electronic email and word processing systems.

(*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).

Application Process

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) and cover letter (pdf file preferred) to USAGAN.Resumes@usdoj.gov.

Or, resumes may be mailed to:

Denise Baker

Human Resources Specialist

United States Attorney's Office Northern District of Georgia

75 Ted Turner Drive, S.W. Suite 600

Atlanta, GA 30303

Please submit only one application via email or postal mail and reference the vacancy posting.

Resumes should include complete dates (beginning month and year and ending month and year) for all periods of employment.

If you have previously applied to a prior announcement, please reapply referencing this vacancy posting number for consideration.

Applicants selected for an interview may be subject to a short writing test separate and apart from a writing sample.

No telephone calls please.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Salary

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 $68,112 to $172,400 which includes a 22.16% locality pay supplement.

Number of Positions
We are currently seeking to fill one or more positions.
Travel
Occasional travel, both within and outside the District, may be required.
Relocation Expenses
Relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Department Policies

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.

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.

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.   

Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement.

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.

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).

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.

 

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.

Updated June 1, 2021