Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Southern District of Georgia is seeking two attorneys experienced in civil litigation to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys in its Civil Division. 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.
This is an open announcement that will remain open until filled or 09/01/25. This announcement will be used to fill multiple vacancies. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applicants will be 08/11/25. Qualified applicants will be referred to selecting official at 1-week intervals.
Attorneys selected through this announcement will be assigned to either (1) affirmatively enforce federal laws through civil means or (2) defend the United States and its agency clients in defensive litigation. The work of the Civil Division mirrors the varied activities of the federal government and offers a challenging and diverse caseload.
Primary affirmative areas of practice include False Claims Act cases and investigations, often brought by qui tam relators; civil violations of the Controlled Substances Act; and enforcement of civil rights statutes. These matters may involve the medical necessity of health care services, the payment of kickbacks to secure health care referrals, fraud in the provisions of managed care, duty evasion, or misrepresentations in obtaining or performing government contracts. Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) handing affirmative cases will work closely with agents, investigators, medical experts, auditors, and forensic accountants 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 time in formal and informal settlement negotiations. Other cases are litigated if the government decides to file a complaint following an investigation. In those cases, the assigned AUSAs engage 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 at Main Justice.
Defensive AUSAs will represent the U.S. Government and its agencies, components, and employees in defensive matters such as medical malpractice and other types of tort cases, employment discrimination actions, constitutional challenges to governmental activities and decisions, Bivens suits alleging constitutional violations by individual employees, and civil litigation filed by prisoners and immigration detainees in District Court. These AUSAs will also work with multiple federal agencies defending the United States' financial interests in the Bankruptcy Court and in various state court matters. 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; and engaging in motions practice, mediation, and settlement conferences. Defensive AUSAs also represent the government in hearings and at trial.
Both affirmative and defensive AUSAs will be assigned immigration cases and various other litigation matters. 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 in taking depositions, preparing and answering interrogatories and other discovery requests, negotiating settlements, engaging in motion practice, trying cases, writing briefs, and arguing motions. Responsibilities are assigned commensurate with experience and will increase in complexity as the AUSA progresses.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
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:
Ideal qualifications include at least 3+ years of post-J.D. The candidate should possess superior legal writing and research ability and demonstrate excellent organization and public presentation abilities. Experience working collaboratively with a wide variety of attorneys and non-attorney professionals is also preferred.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/01/2025 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click https://www.usajobs.gov/job/841772600 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 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 includes indication of whether you are seeking an affirmative or defensive 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.
The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Katy Gilluly who can be reached at katy.gilluly@usdoj.gov.
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.
Base Salary: $63,163 to - $165,209 per year
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.