Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

United States Department of Justice; Arbolada Addition (LA); Hybrid; USD 66,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Louisiana, seeks an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Civil Division.

The role handles civil cases across a broad practice range, including tort, civil rights, employment, and environmental matters, and represents the United States in federal district court. Initial appointment is permanent with competitive pay; 1 position available, travel may be required.

Qualifications

• J.D. Degree is required and admission to the bar in good standing.
• Strong legal research and writing abilities are essential.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and professional demeanor.

Responsibilities

• Represent the United States in civil cases across diverse practice areas.
• Manage case development, discovery, and trial preparation with minimal supervision.
• Collaborate with division managers to set litigation priorities and policy recommendations.

Skills

Legal writing

Courtroom skills

Communication

Education

J.D. Degree

Job description

Assistant United States Attorney (Civil)

Hiring Organization

USAO Western District of Louisiana

Attorney Appointment Type

Attorney Permanent

Job ID

27-LAW-13101450-AUSA

Location: 800 Lafayette Street

Application Deadline:

Friday, November 13, 2026

About the Office

The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana is committed to ensuring the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. The goal every day is to do justice in each and every case handled by the district.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States, provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime, seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to administer and enforce the Nation's laws to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.

We embrace the goals and priorities of the Attorney General and seek to achieve and effect those goals and objectives.

We will strive to build a stronger office through recruitment efforts and maintain the high standards of the office by promoting professional development.

We seek to build a legacy of excellence.

In all matters, it is our mission to represent the people of the United States in a manner that will instill confidence in the fairness and integrity of our office and the judicial system, and to conduct our work with the highest integrity. We strive to perform our mission in the most efficient and effective manner.

Job Description

The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana, is seeking applicants from qualified attorneys to fill a vacancy in our Civil Division as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA). AUSAs located in the Civil Division will be responsible for representing the United States in civil cases across a broad variety of practice areas including financial litigation, immigration litigation, prisoner litigation, personal injury and other torts, civil rights, employment discrimination, medical malpractice, environmental protection, asset forfeiture, social security, bankruptcy and other civil matters.

Generally, as a Civil AUSA, the incumbent:

• Handles case development and management of all phases of investigation and litigation, including, but not limited to, researching legal issues, drafting motions and legal memoranda, drafting and responding to discovery request, document review and organization of case materials, taking or defending depositions, representing the United States as primary counsel in federal district court including litigating motions and conducting trials in U.S. District Court;
• Efficiently and defensibly manage incoming and outgoing case materials through all phases of discovery; and litigate cases of moderate to high complexity from start to finish with limited supervision.
• In collaboration with Division managers, develop and maintain the Section's program to foster effective district civil litigation where the United States is a defendant or respondent, including advising on strategy and legal complexities, and developing litigation priorities, policy, and legislative recommendations.

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 duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, have at least 1 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.

Preferred Qualifications: Ideal applicants should demonstrate superior communication and courtroom skills, possess superior legal research and writing skills, implement exceptional research and writing ability, perform thorough legal and factual analysis, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, exercise good judgment, demonstrate the ability to work in a supportive and professional team environment with agencies, support staff and other attorney, and exemplify commitment to public service. Applicants should have a strong work ethic and demonstrated capacity to function, with minimum guidance, in a highly demanding environment while balancing a heavy case load.

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

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 .

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.

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

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government;
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

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 $65,563 to $153,834 plus locality pay currently set at 17.06%.

Other Benefits

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, situational 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.

Number of Positions

1

Travel

Occasional travel may be expected for this position, both within and outside the district. 1 to 5 nights of travel may be required per month.

Relocation Expenses

Relocation expenses may be authorized.

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.