The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Southern District of Georgia is seeking 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.
Duties
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. 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 www.sss.gov.
Salary
Qualifications
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.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree
Other 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 $63,163 to $165,209. Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees. 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. Travel: Occassional travel is required. 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. 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.
Required Documents
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. 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. ยง 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, 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 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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/11/25 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 Katy Gilluly at katy.gilluly@usodj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
