ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY (Civil)

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana is seeking to fill an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) position within the Civil Division. If you are interested in upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights, we encourage you to apply.

Duties

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana is currently soliciting applications for a general Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) position in its Civil Division.

The Civil Division represents the United States, and its agencies and employees, in a wide variety of matters, including federal tort, employment discrimination, immigration, constitutional, bankruptcy, and administrative challenges. The Division also represents the United States as the plaintiff in affirmative civil enforcement cases involving health care fraud, procurement fraud, diversion of controlled substances, and civil rights violations. As an AUSA in the Civil Division, you will be responsible for all aspects of litigation, including, investigating cases, conducting legal research, preparing briefs, interviewing and deposing witnesses, appearing in court, and negotiating settlements. Civil AUSAs are given significant autonomy to use their judgment and professional skill to pursue justice and do the right thing under the law and Department policies.

The successful candidate will be responsible for a wide variety of civil matters, including, but not limited to, defensive litigation (such as personal injury, medical malpractice, and employment discrimination), constitutional claims against federal employees, and affirmative civil enforcement (including healthcare fraud, procurement fraud, financial fraud, and pharmaceutical diversion). The selected candidate will also defend immigration cases, including cases brought by detainees challenging their continued detention, cases challenging the government's denial of immigration benefits applications, and other casework related to illegal immigration. And the selected candidate will bring, or assist the Civil Rights Division in bringing, actions to protect civil rights. Day-to-day responsibilities include working with client agencies to gather information, engaging in motions practice, preparing and answering discovery requests, conducting investigations, defending and taking depositions, retaining and working with experts, negotiating settlements, trying cases, and briefing and arguing appeals.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

The open position could be located in Hammond, South Bend or Fort Wayne.

Location Information:

Hammond, Indiana is located in Northwest Indiana. Minutes away from Chicago, Northwest Indiana offers low-cost, high-quality living and highly competitive salaries at the Chicago locality rate. The proximity of Chicago also offers a strong legal community, art and cultural institutions, world-class entertainment, and dining. The area boasts a variety of living options - from urban living and suburbs to small towns and rural communities. Northwest Indiana is also home to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park and the Indiana Dunes State Park - both offering trails, camping and beaches along Lake Michigan. For more information about the area, visit www.nwiforum.org

South Bend is located in the heart of the Great Lakes region between Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, and Indianapolis. The home of the University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Law School, South Bend has a flourishing legal community and provides unique experiences through sports, arts and cultural heritage events, vibrant downtown riverfront communities, and extensive outdoor recreation and shopping venues, all just 90 miles east of Chicago. For more information about the area, visit www.visitsouthbend.com.

Fort Wayne is the second-largest city in the state of Indiana, and the hub of Northeast Indiana. Northeast Indiana is in the middle of it all, located just three hours or less by car from Midwest cities including Chicago, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis - but with its own unique vibe and easygoing lifestyle. Fort Wayne consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the U.S. and boasts some of the nation's lowest cost of living. The Northeast Indiana region fits all kinds of lifestyles for those who want to stay busy in Fort Wayne's vibrant downtown, relax in the laid-back small communities, or seek outdoor adventure in the northern lake counties.
For more information about the area, visit www.neindiana.com and www.visitfortwayne.com.

To learn more about the state of Indiana, visit www.visitindiana.com.

Salary

• $82,655 - $195,100/year

Conditions of Employment

To be eligible for this position, you must meet the following requirements:

• U.S. Citizenship: You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• 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 for additional information.
• 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.
• Licensure Requirement: You must possess a J.D. degree and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction). You will be required to maintain an active bar membership in "good standing" in order to retain employment.
• 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 specific information.

All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis. (See Qualifications Section of this announcement).

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT INFORMATION: This is an open continuous announcement that is intended to continually solicit applications in order to fill immediate and future vacancies. Applicants should timely submit their applications by the deadlines listed below for consideration. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications by the earliest feasible deadline. Applicant lists will be pulled on the dates below.

• September 11, 2025
• October 9, 2025
• November 6, 2025

Additional application reviews will be conducted every 30 days after November 6, 2025 until the vacancy is filled or closing of this announcement whichever comes first.

Applicants will remain on file for 6 months.You must apply online and submit a complete application by the closing date/or pull date of your application submission in order to be considered for this position (See Required Documents Section of this announcement).

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date/or pull date of the application submission to this announcement (See Qualifications Section of this announcement).

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

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) one year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications: Ideal qualifications include at least 3 or more years of post-J.D. experience litigating cases in federal or state courts, with substantial responsibility for all aspects of discovery and trial in civil matters. The ideal candidate also will have substantial experience conducting discovery, legal writing and oral advocacy experience, legal practice in federal court (or a federal court clerkship), and/or experience handling settlement negotiations.

Applicants should have a strong work ethic, 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.

Applicants will be expected to do their own legal research and writing and will be substantially self-sufficient in preparing day-to-day correspondence and pleadings. Applicants must also demonstrate excellent computer literacy skills to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic e-mail and word processing systems.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Education Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree from an accredited law school in the United States or U.S. Territories. All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criterion, see www.ed.gov. Department of Justice Policies 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 $63,163.00 to $165,209.00 plus locality pay. To view the current Administratively Determined Pay Scale, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao/career-center/salary-information/administratively-determined-pay-plan-charts Locality Pay: This form of pay is added to basic pay and is determined based on the location of the assigned duty station. For Hammond, Indiana, this is set at a rate of 30.86%. For South Bend and Fort Wayne, Indiana, this is set at a rate of 17.06%. Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; 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. Incentive Pay: May be considered for superiorly qualified applicants and in accordance with 5 CFR Part 575. Relocation Expenses: Permanent Change in Station (PCS) 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. Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package by the closing date of this announcement, which includes the following documents:

• Occupational Questionnaire (Required) - This is completed automatically during the "Apply Online" process. Your responses from the online questionnaire while be used to help determine your eligibility to apply, identify any preferences or special considerations for employment, and if you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the position.
• Resume (Required) (should not exceed 5 pages) - Must show relevant experience with names/locations of employers, position titles, dates of employment, and duties performed; education history that lists the names/locations of the academic institutions attended, degrees acquired with graduation dates, G.P.A.; and any bar association memberships with dates of admittance and expiration. All dates listed should include at least the month and year (MM/YYYY).
• Cover Letter (Required) (should not exceed 2 pages) - Should be tailored to the position that you are applying for and clearly summarize any specific qualifications and/or achievements that make you a preferred candidate for the position.
• Legal Writing Sample (Required) (should not exceed 25 pages) - Must clearly convey your ability to develop and compose a legal document. Examples may include legal briefs, pleadings, original motions, or other legal writings for scholarly publications.
• Proof of Active Bar Membership (Required) - Any documentation that demonstrates that you are an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) and in good standing at the time of your application.
• Veterans Preference Documentation (Optional, if applicable) - To receive 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.

Incomplete or late applications will NOT be considered. All application materials must be submitted via the USAJOBS website by the closing date of the announcement. No hard copy or emailed documents will be accepted.

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 08/27/2026 or pull date of your submission 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.

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 The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees. For more information visit OPM's site for Federal Employee Compensation Package.