Hiring Organization
USAO Southern District of California
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Term
Job ID
26-SDCA-12983823-AUSA11
Location:
880 Front Street, Suite 6293
San Diego, CA 91910 - United States
Application Deadline:
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
About the Office
The Southern District of California (SDCA) is one of the largest U.S. Attorney's offices in the country with one of the largest caseloads. This office prosecutes federal crimes and defends the interests of the United States government in civil cases. SDCA encompasses San Diego and Imperial Counties and includes a branch office in Imperial, California.
Job Description
The U.S. Attorney's office is seeking one or more qualified candidates to join the office as Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Civil Division. Civil Division Assistant U.S. Attorneys represent the United States, federal agencies, and federal employees in a wide variety of civil cases. Defensive practice areas include immigration as well as personal injury and wrongful death, constitutional torts, and medical malpractice. Affirmative practice areas include the investigation and prosecution of civil actions under statutes such as the False Claims Act and Controlled Substances Act. Our Civil Division represents the United States, its agencies, officers, and employees in civil actions in the Southern District of California and at the Ninth Circuit.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Qualifications
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.
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree (or equivalent) and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) by their entry on duty date. Law school graduates and current law students taking a July 2026 bar examination may be considered.
This is a term position not-to-exceed September 30, 2029. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.
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 (or equivalent) and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) by their entry on duty date. Law school graduates and current law students taking a July 2026 bar examination may be considered, subject to the foregoing requirements.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and an aptitude for accurately articulating 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, support staff, and client agencies. Applicants must also have demonstrated excellent computer literacy skills, to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic e-mail and word processing systems. AUSAs receive training by the U.S. Department of Justice and by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Appointment is subject to an FBI background investigation, including credit, arrest, and drug use inquiries. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree by Enter on Duty (EOD) date.
Application Process
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 06/30/2026 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 Southern District of California at (619) 546-9474 or email at
[email protected], prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Southern District of California who can be reached at (619) 546-9474 or
[email protected]
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
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 $87,671 to $197,100 per annum which includes a 33.72% locality pay.
