Assistant U.S. Attorney (Civil)

The United States Department of Justice; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 80,000 - 197,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Recruitment incentive

Job summary

The United States Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, seeks one or more attorneys experienced in civil litigation to serve as a defensive Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the Phoenix office. The USAO represents the federal government in a wide range of civil matters in federal court.

AUSA hires involve personal injury, employment discrimination, immigration, prisoner litigation, and challenges to government policies.

Qualifications

• Must have a J.D. degree and be an active member of the bar.
• At least 1 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
• United States citizenship is required.
• Familiarity with conflicts of interest rules and professional conduct.

Responsibilities

• Work with client agencies to gather information and engage in motions practice.
• Prepare and answer discovery requests, defend and take depositions.
• Retain and work with experts, negotiate settlements, and try cases.
• Brief and argue appeals in federal courts.

Education

J.D. Degree

Job description

Location: 40 N. Central St. 1800
Phoenix, AZ 85004 - United States

Application Deadline:

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

About the Office

If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! With a 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.
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html

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.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
This position is located in Phoenix, AZ

Recruitment incentive may be offered.

Job Description

The United States Attorney's Office (USAO), District of Arizona, is seeking to hire one or more attorneys experienced in civil litigation to serve as a defensive Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Civil Division of the Phoenix office. The USAO is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving violations of federal law, civil lawsuits against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. Employment with the USAO offers a unique and challenging experience for the highly motivated attorney: an opportunity to litigate a broad range of cases involving significant and complex issues on behalf of the United States in federal court.
AUSAs in the Civil Division work on a wide range of matters, including personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death and other tort actions; employment discrimination actions; immigration matters; prisoner litigation; and actions challenging governmental policies, activities and decisions. AUSAs in the Civil Division also have the unique opportunity to brief and argue cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Working in the Civil Division, you will be part of a dedicated and collegial team representing the United States, its agencies and its employees in a variety of cases in the federal district courts and federal appellate courts. The AUSA(s) hired into this position will defend a variety of civil immigration cases, including cases brought by detainees challenging their continued detention by immigration authorities, cases challenging the Government's alleged failure to adjudicate immigration benefits applications, cases challenging the Government's denial of immigration benefits applications, and other casework related to illegal immigration. Day-to-day responsibilities include working with client agencies to gather information, engaging in motions practice, preparing and answering discovery requests, 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.

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

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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

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 $80,282.00 to $197,100.00 Per Year.

Number of Positions

2

Travel

occasional travel

Relocation Expenses

This and othervacancy 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.