Temporary Staff Attorney

US District Court - Southern District of Indiana; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in Indianapolis invites applications for a Temporary Staff Attorney for a 15-week term beginning December 21, 2026. The attorney will perform legal research, draft proposed entries, screen prisoner civil rights complaints, review motions, and assist judges with hearings, conferences, and docket management.

Remote work will be considered for qualified candidates, with priority given to those with prisoner/con constitution law

Qualifications

• Law school graduation in the top quartile (top 25% preferred).
• Law review/journal experience.
• Good character and maturity.
• Excellent skills in research, writing, proofreading, and Bluebook citation.
• Proficiency in computer-assisted legal research, Windows, and MS Word.
• Minimum of one year’s legal experience (five preferred) in practice or clerkship.
• Ability and willingness to work collegially with others.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal research and draft substantial entries for the Court.
• Screen prisoner civil rights complaints and review motions.
• Assist judicial officers in hearings, conferences, and trials.
• Provide case management for prisoner litigation and related information.

Skills

Legal research

Writing & editing

Case management

Bluebook proficiency

Communication

Clerkship experience

Team collaboration

Education

Top-quartile law school

Tools

Windows

MS Word

Westlaw/Lexis

Bluebook

Job description

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

Southern District of Indiana Indianapolis Division

Vacancy Announcement # 26-22

Position Title: Temporary Staff Attorney

Terms of Employment: Full-time, 15 weeks beginning on or about December 21, 2026

Classification Level: JSP 12 -14 (depending on qualifications and experience)

Salary Range: $90,341- $126,947

JSP Grade Level: JSP 12 $90,341 - Maximum starting salary for first-time federal employees with 1 full-time year experience plus Bar Membership

JSP 13 $107,428 – Salary for qualified applicant with 2 full-time years' legal experience plus Bar Membership

JSP 14 $126,947 – Salary for qualified current/former federal employees with 2 years' federal experience plus Bar Membership

Position Location: United States District Court, 46 East Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN

Remote work will also be considered.

Application Deadline: 4:00 pm (Eastern), October 2, 2026, or until filled

Applications received after this deadline may be considered only if position remains unfilled.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is accepting applications for a temporary Staff Attorney to assist the Court for a 15-week period beginning on December 21, 2026. Staff Attorneys work within the Staff Attorney Office, which assists the Court in managing its prisoner civil rights and habeas corpus docket. For this position, the Temporary Staff Attorney will be managing a prisoner civil rights caseload. The Temporary Staff Attorney is appointed by the Chief Judge, but performs duties and responsibilities for all District Judges, including legal research, substantial drafting of proposed entries; screening of prisoner civil rights complaints; reviewing motions to determine issues involved and bases for relief; assisting judicial officers in conducting hearings, conferences, and trials; providingcase management of prisoner litigation; and providing information to other court personnel regarding prisoner cases.

Given the limited duration of this position, the Court will give priority to candidates with working knowledge of prisoner and constitutional law or federal clerkship experience. Remote applicants with relevant experience are encouraged to apply.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates must have the following minimum qualifications: (1) law school graduation in the top quarter of the graduating class (top 25% preferred); (2) law review/journal experience; (3) good character and maturity; (4) excellent skills in research, case management, writing, proofreading, communication, and source and cite checking (including use of proper Bluebook form); (5) proficiency in computer-assisted legal research, Windows, andMS Word; (6) minimum of one year's experience(five preferred)in the practice of law, in a judicial clerkship, or other comparable position demanding high quality legal writing and management of a heavy volume of cases; and (7) ability and willingness to work collegially with others.

The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are subject to a complete FBI fingerprint check and background investigation. Employment will be provisional and contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the required background investigation. The Federal Financial Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages for court employees. The United States District Court is a smoke-free environment.All judicial employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible to work in the United States.