Assistant United States Attorney

Summary The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California (USAO) is one of the most impactful in the nation, serving nearly 20 million people in seven counties. The USAO's Civil Rights Section in the Civil Division promotes presidential priorities, including protecting religious freedom, defending free speech, and combating unlawful discrimination. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit Summary The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California (USAO) is one of the most impactful in the nation, serving nearly 20 million people in seven counties. The USAO's Civil Rights Section in the Civil Division promotes presidential priorities, including protecting religious freedom, defending free speech, and combating unlawful discrimination. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit Overview Help Accepting applications Open & closing dates 06/06/2025 to 12/31/2025 Salary $110,333 to - $195,100 per year Pay scale & grade AD 21 - 29 Location Los Angeles, CA 1 vacancy Remote job No Telework eligible No Travel Required Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position. Relocation expenses reimbursed No Appointment type Permanent Work schedule Full-time Service Competitive Promotion potential 29 Job family (Series) * 0905 Attorney Supervisory status No Security clearance Other Drug test Yes Position sensitivity and risk Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk Trust determination process * Suitability/Fitness Financial disclosure No Bargaining unit status No Announcement number 25-CAC-12746005-AUSA Control number 838308500 This job is open to Help The public U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. Clarification from the agency All United States Citizens and Nationals Duties Help The U.S. Attorney's Office for Central District of California is seeking to hire exceptional attorneys to serve as Civil Rights AUSAs, handling important civil rights cases that reflect the President's civil rights priorities. An ideal candidate will have a strong work ethic, a solution-oriented mindset, excellent research and writing skills, as well as strong oral advocacy skills to represent the DOJ in a variety of contexts including, but not limited to, court hearings, depositions/interviews, and settlement conferences. A Civil Rights AUSA candidate should also have a strong and demonstrated commitment to public service, attention to detail, and exercise sound judgment and show integrity and honesty in following Department of Justice and United States Attorney's Office policies. If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you. With a diverse and talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens. The USAO is divided into three litigating Divisions (Criminal, National Security, and Civil). The USAO's main offices are in Los Angeles. The USAO's Criminal Division has branch offices in Santa Ana and Riverside. Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis. 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. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. This is an open continuous announcement that is intended to continually solicit applications in order to fill immediate and future vacancies. Vacant positions may or may not be available at the time of application. Applications will be reviewed and referred as vacancies occur and will only remain active for seven (7) months from the date of submission. Applicants will be notified when their applications have been reviewed/referred for further consideration 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. Residency Requirements: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See Requirements Help 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. * Type of Position: This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 14 months. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition. * Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information. Qualifications Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least one years post-J.D. experience. If not already an active member of the California bar, any applicant hired will be required to take (prior to their entry on duty date) and subsequently pass the California bar exam. AUSAs must become active members of the California bar and maintain California bar membership. Preferred qualifications: Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a diverse complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all taken into account. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or as a judicial clerk are also considered. Ties to the Central District of California will be considered. All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation. United States citizenship is required. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. Education Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree Additional information Salary Information: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $110,333 to $195,100 per year which includes 36.47% locality pay. Travel: Travel may be required between 1-5 nights per month or more depending on the needs of any particular case assignment, both within and outside the district. Benefits: This is a temporary position which offers limited benefits such as paid vacation, sick leave, telework, and holidays. Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized. 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. Type of Position: All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14 month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation. 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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances. Type of Position: This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 14 months. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition. Political Appointees (Current and Former): 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. 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. EEO Statement: 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. Expand Hide additional information Benefits Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered. How you will be evaluated 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. Veterans' Preference: 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 indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. 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, 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 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). 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. Benefits Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered. Required documents Required Documents Help 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). (cover letter optional). * 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 Central District of California who can be reached at 213-894-8306 or 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 targeted/severe 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, 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 who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-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. Current or Former Political Appointees: 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, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: * Position title; * Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); * Agency; and * Beginning and ending dates of appointment. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Created: 2025-09-22