Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Civil ACE & Defense)
Miami, FL 33132 - United States
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Southern District of Florida (SDFL) is seeking several experienced attorneys to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Civil Division either (1) primarily handling affirmative civil enforcement (ACE) investigations and litigation in connection with federal health care benefit programs or (2) defending the United States and its agency clients in connection with defensive litigation (Civil Defensive).
If selected for an ACE position, you would be part of a dedicated team handling a wide variety of whistleblower actions and direct referrals from the Department of HHS, the FDA, and the DEA. These matters implicate potential health care fraud and other frauds, including cases involving the medical necessity of health care services, the payment of kickbacks to secure health care referrals, and fraud in the provisions of managed care. AUSAs handing ACE cases will work closely with agents, medical experts, auditors, forensic accountants, and nurses to analyze the complex factual and legal issues these cases raise and must exercise sound judgment during the investigation and resolution of these cases. Because most cases are resolved through settlement, these AUSAs spend substantial amounts of time in formal and informal settlement negotiations. Other cases are litigated if the government decides to file a complaint in intervention. In those cases, the assigned AUSA becomes engaged in written discovery, depositions, motions practice, hearings, and trials in federal court. Some cases are handled jointly with attorneys in other U.S. Attorney's Offices and/or attorneys in the Civil Frauds Section, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, DOJ.
If selected for a Civil Defensive position, you would represent the interests of the United States and its agencies and employees in a wide variety of civil defensive litigation, including a diverse caseload of personal injury, premises liability and other common law tort litigation, Bivens civil rights suits, statutory and constitutional challenges to government programs, Administrative Procedures Act actions, and employment discrimination cases. Civil Defensive AUSAs spend substantial time analyzing factual and legal issues and engaging in written discovery, working with fact and expert witnesses, taking and defending depositions, engaging in motions practice, mediation and settlement conferences. Civil Defensive AUSAs also handle dispositive hearings in federal and state courts, trials in federal court and may occasionally practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Both ACE and Civil Defensive AUSAs will also be assigned immigration cases and various other litigation matters.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
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:
For both the ACE and Civil Defensive position, preferred applicants will possess clerkship experience, strong academic credentials, and superior oral and written communication, legal research and writing, and interpersonal skills. Fair and sound judgment and the capacity to function in a highly demanding environment with minimal guidance are also strongly preferred.
For the ACE position, preferred applicants will have at least six years of post J.D. complex litigation and investigatory experience.
For the Civil Defensive position, preferred applicants will have at least 2 years of post J.D. litigation experience and the organizational ability to handle a large caseload.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
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.
Applicants are required to apply online via the website link USAJOBS to this vacancy announcement 26-FLS AUSA-12833432-02, by closing date, November 30, 2025.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.https://www.usajobs.gov/job/840594000
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on November 30, 2025 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 Melissa Innocent at (305) 961-9026 or email at Melissa.Innocent@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
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 with months and years of employment (not to exceed two pages, cover letter is optional, but preferred, and should be addressed to the hiring committee).
- Required - a legal writing sample (5-10 pages).
- Required - proof of bar membership.
- Required, if applicable - A recent copy of an SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), showing title, series, grade and current salary.
- 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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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.
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.
Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of total pay is $120,086 to $195,100 which includes 24.67% locality pay.
Department Policies
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. To learn more, please visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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.
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.