Assistant United States Attorney (Defense Litigation)

The United States Department of Justice; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 77,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Department of Justice is seeking Assistant United States Attorneys for the Defense Litigation Unit in the Eastern District of California. Positions are based in the Sacramento or Fresno offices, with collaboration across civil and criminal teams and a staff of paralegals, investigators, and other professionals.

Qualified applicants will defend the United States, federal agencies, and federal employees in diverse actions, including employment discrimination, personal injury, and

Qualifications

• J.D. degree and active bar admission in any U.S. jurisdiction.
• At least one year post-J.D. legal or relevant experience.
• U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Defend the United States and federal agencies in lawsuits.
• Handle employment discrimination, torts, APA, and environmental actions.
• Collaborate with civil and criminal colleagues; support staff and clients.
• May handle some immigration matters.

Skills

Oral advocacy

Legal research

Legal writing

Interpersonal skills

Education

J.D. degree

Tools

ECF

Word processing

Email

Job description

Assistant United States Attorney (Defense Litigation)

Hiring Organization

USAO Eastern District of California

Hiring Office

Civil Division-Defense Litigation Unit, Sacramento and Fresno Offices

Attorney Appointment Type

Attorney Permanent

Job ID

26-CAE-13040032-AUSA

Location: Sacramento and Fresno, CA - United States

Location: Sacramento and Fresno, CA - United States Application Deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2026

About the Office

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California is headquartered in Sacramento. The District includes the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains and encompasses most of the land mass of California-from the Coastal Mountain Range to the Nevada border, and from Bakersfield in the south to the Oregon border. The Fresno office serves the counties of Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Merced, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Inyo. The Bakersfield office serves Kern County and the surrounding areas within the southern part of the Eastern District of California.

Sacramento is located in the heart of California. Sacramento is home to professional ballet and opera theatrecompanies, providing a wide range of cultural activities and events. Professional sports are represented by the Sacramento Kings, the Sacramento River Cats, and the Sacramento Republic FC. Bound by two rivers and in close proximity to several lakes, water recreation tops the list for outdoor activities such as salmon fishing, river rafting, and boating. Sacramento is located 90 miles northeast of San Francisco and approximately 90 miles west of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, providing numerous recreational opportunities for skiing and boating enthusiasts.
Fresno is one of the fastest growing cities in California, due in part to its central location to major tourist areas in California. Fresno is located in the middle of the fertile San Joaquin Valley, also known as the Central Valley, which is a major supplier of food and agricultural products for the United States and the world. This area also includes national treasures such as Yosemite National Park and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks.

Job Description

The United States Attorney is seeking attorneys to serve as Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Defense Litigation Unit. Responsibilities include defending the United States, federal agencies, and federal employees in all manner of lawsuits, including employment-discrimination actions; medical malpractice, personal injury, and other tort actions; Administrative Procedure Act cases; challenges to land management decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental statutes; Social Security, Medicare, and other federal programs; "Bivens" civil rights actions, among other duties. This may include handling some immigration matters.
The selected applicant(s) will be based in our Sacramento or Fresno office and will collaborate with other criminal and civil Assistant U.S. Attorneys based in both Sacramento and Fresno, and will be supported by a staff of paralegals, investigators, auditors, and other professionals.
Your application will be considered for the location(s) that you indicate in your preferences.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Required Qualifications

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree (or equivalent), be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least one year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. Applicants must be active members in good standing of the bar (any jurisdiction).
United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications

Ideal qualifications include at least three to five years of experience litigating cases with substantial responsibility for all aspects of discovery, trial, and appeals. Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case. Applicants must demonstrate superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment. Applicants must possess excellent communication and courtroom skills and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, paralegals, support staff and client agencies. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function in a highly demanding environment.
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.
The ideal candidate will have some experience litigating civil cases in federal court, managing cases, handling written discovery and document production, writing and arguing motions, and examining witnesses in depositions and court proceedings and will demonstrate the ability to handle complex cases from the initial investigative stage through trial.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Further application requirements and information can be found on the vacancy announcement link indicated above.

This is an open continuous announcement that will remain open until filled or September 30, 2026. This is a job opportunity announcement that will be used to fill vacancies in the Sacramento or Fresno offices. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applicants will be 08/21/2026. Qualified applicants will be referred to selecting official at 1-week intervals from then.

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

Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The recruiting range of basic pay for AD-21 through AD-29 is as follows:
Sacramento: $85,075 to $197,100 which includes 29.76% locality pay.
Fresno: $77,135.00 to $180,986.00 which includes 17.65% locality pay.

Number of Positions

A few, however, depending on the needs of the office, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Travel

Travel will occasionally be required.

Relocation Expenses

Relocation expenses will not 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.