Legal Careers
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.
The Northern District of Georgia is currently seeking applicants for a permanent Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) opening in our Civil Division. All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month
(temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Civil AUSAs have the privilege of standing in Court and stating that they represent the United States of America. The selected Civil AUSA will be handling a wide range of civil litigation, including defensive litigation and affirmative civil enforcement on behalf of government agencies located in the district. The selected Civil AUSA will exercise a high degree of autonomy and enjoy firsthand litigation experience in representing the United States including handling depositions, motion practice, hearings, mediations, trials and appeals. Civil AUSAs develop litigation strategies for their own cases with support from supervisors and experienced Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
- Defensive Litigation involves defending an array of civil cases brought against the United States, its agencies, and its employees. Cases include employment discrimination; personal injury/tort; medical malpractice claims arising out of Veterans' hospitals or other federally funded health facilities; Bivens actions; Freedom of Information Act challenges; and claims related to decisions by immigration authorities as to legal status, deportation or detention of aliens.
- Affirmative Civil Enforcement Litigation ACE cases are most often brought for the United States under the False Claims Act and involve allegations of health care fraud, procurement fraud, grant fraud and financial fraud. The cases are frequently associated with parallel criminal proceedings, requiring coordination between the ACE AUSA and the criminal AUSA. ACE AUSAs also represent the United States in the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act as well civil rights laws (see below). The successful applicant will be part of a team investigating and litigating complex federal cases for the United States.
- Civil Rights Litigation involves enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, and other protected characteristics, involving a number of areas, including education, housing, employment, and police practices. These matters require investigation, negotiation, community outreach, and traditional litigation work.
- Asset Investigation and Recovery Litigation involves enforcement and collection of criminal restitution judgments and civil judgments in favor of the United States.
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 two years of post-J.D. experience. United States citizenship is required.
Preferred qualifications: Hiring preferences include significant civil litigation experience, although we consider applicants with a variety of litigation backgrounds that demonstrate analytical ability, judgment, and advocacy skills. Candidates must possess a strong academic background, superior legal writing and research ability, and a commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility, and public service. Finally, preferred candidates must possess the ability to manage large, complex cases and investigations.
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:
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
Please provide any prior interviews you have had with our office by date.
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 $69,878 to $176,200 which includes a 22.63% 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.