Legal Careers
Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal)
Louisville, KY 40202 - United States
The Western District of Kentucky covers 53 western counties in Kentucky. The main office is in Louisville, Kentucky, with staffed offices in Bowling Green and Paducah and an unstaffed office in Owensboro. The office presently has 40 attorneys and 29 support staff. The office seeks to maintain the highest standards of excellence in the enforcement of federal laws and the representation of the United States.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky is seeking applications from experienced litigators for one Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) vacancy in the Criminal Division in the Louisville main office. Assistant United States Attorneys assigned to the Criminal Division prosecute a variety of federal criminal cases involving violent crime, fraud, public corruption, illegal immigration, possession of child pornography, human trafficking, drug violations, firearms violations, terrorism, and asset forfeiture. A successful record of working with law enforcement personnel during the investigation and prosecution of cases is crucial. Responsibilities include grand jury, trial, and appellate practices. The successful applicant will receive extensive Department of Justice training, including trial advocacy courses.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as 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 three (3) years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred qualifications: Outstanding academic record; at least three years of litigation experience; strong legal research and writing ability; strong advocacy skills; superior organizational skills; and computer literacy skills. Applicants will be expected to do independent legal research and writing and shall be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. Preferred applicants will have excellent communication skills and demonstrated team building and leadership skills.
If not a member of the Kentucky Bar, a successful applicant is encouraged to become a member of the Kentucky Bar within a reasonable period of time.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
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.
Interested applicants should apply using the USAJOBS announcement found at the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/850580000. Click “Apply Online” to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the required documentation.
Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. Please reference Vacancy Announcement Number 25-KYW-12838299-AUSA and include an email address and phone number on your cover letter and resume.
Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on Thursday, December 18, 2025, to receive consideration. Any applicant invited for an interview will be required to submit a writing sample.
Questions concerning this vacancy announcement should be directed to Cynthia Hawkins, Human Resources Specialist, at 502-582-5911 or via email at cynthia.hawkins@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.
Assistant United States Attorneys’ pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $73,939 to $193,394, which includes 17.06% 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.