Assistant United States Attorney

Two Assistant United States Attorney positions will be in the Civil Division ( 1 position for Civil Defensive and 1 position for Affirmative Civil Enforcement), both to be located in the Lexington, Kentucky office. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Duties

Our mission is to enforce vigorously the federal criminal laws of the United States, to effectively represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, and to meet fully the public safety needs of the community through an efficient, well-coordinated law enforcement effort.

In all matters, our responsibilities are to promote the fair and impartial administration of justice, adhering to the highest ethical, professional and performance standards; promote effective partnerships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and the community at large in furtherance of law enforcement; protect the rights of citizens, victims of crime and witnesses; enhance community safety by reducing crime and the fear of crime, through outreach and education; and inspire confidence in the criminal justice system..

The USAO for the Eastern District of Kentucky has a staff of approximately 40 attorneys and 38 support personnel. The main office is located in Lexington, with staffed branch offices in Ft. Mitchell and London, Kentucky. Unstaffed offices are located in Ashland, Frankfort, and Pikeville, Kentucky. The United States Attorney's 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 is seeking applications for Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) to represent the United States in affirmative and defensive litigation in the Eastern District of Kentucky. Employment with the United States Attorney's Office offers a unique and challenging experience for the highly motivated attorney to work on some of the most significant, complex and visible cases being litigated today. The selected candidates will be fully dedicated to civil cases, participating in either defensive or affirmative litigation.

Defensive litigation handled by civil AUSAs involves representing the United States and its agencies and employees in cases brought against the government in a wide variety of subject matters. The caseload includes statutory and constitutional challenges to government programs and regulations; immigration matters; Federal Tort Claims Act litigation (premises liability, vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, etc.); employment litigation (Title VII, ADEA, Rehabilitation Act, ADA, etc.); Administrative Procedure Act challenges to agency decisions; constitutional challenges to federal statutes; Bivens civil rights suits against federal officers and employees; challenges to land management decisions under a variety of federal statutes; and actions to impose civil fines, to assert asset forfeiture claims, and to protect the United States' interests pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2410.

Civil AUSAs who handle affirmative civil enforcement matters investigate and pursue individuals and entities that violate the False Claims Act by engaging in fraud against the federal government (including health care fraud, financial fraud, and procurement fraud); violate federal laws such as the Controlled Substances Act and civil rights statutes; and damage federal lands or resources. Affirmative civil enforcement AUSAs regularly collaborate with criminal AUSAs in fraud investigations that involve criminal and civil components.
Whether dedicated to defensive or affirmative civil litigation, responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Whether dedicated to defensive or affirmative civil litigation, responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

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

• $73,939 - $193,394/year

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.
• 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 U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1* year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

Successful candidates should have a strong academic background and the demonstrated ability to produce high quality written work. Successful candidates must work effectively with a team and be able to analyze complex financial transactions. Successful candidates should possess strong oral skills, character, and interpersonal skills, and have demonstrated the capacity to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment. Successful candidates must also possess the knowledge and ability to use computers and computer applications in performing day-to-day work requirements, including the knowledge and ability to effectively use automated litigation support to acquire, organize, analyze, and present evidence, create databases and manage documents.

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.

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 overall range of basic pay for the Lexington, KY office is $73,939 to $193,394. which includes17.06% locality pay, in accordance with Department regulations. 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. 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 cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:

• At the top of your resume, please identify Civil Defensive, ACE or BOTH as preference.
• Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

- 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.

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, 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 above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/21/2026 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 DeShawn Gordon at (859)685-4845 or email at DeShawn.Gordon@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.

The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is DeShawn Gordon who can be reached at (859)685-4845 or DeShawn.Gordon@usdoj.gov