Assistant United States Attorney

Hiring Organization
USAO Eastern District of Louisiana
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent

Location:
650 Poydras St., Suite 1600
New Orleans, LA 70130 - United States

Application Deadline:
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
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.

The Eastern District of Louisiana, located in the City of New Orleans, is responsible for prosecuting all federal offenses committed within 13 parishes (counties) of southeastern Louisiana. The Criminal Division prosecutes a wide range of federal cases involving violent crime, narcotics, public corruption, white collar and fraud crimes. The Civil Division, responsible for a wide range of affirmative and defensive litigation, handles matters involving environmental violations, health care, civil rights, employment discrimination, tax, immigration, and challenges to federal agency actions.

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html

Job Description

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana seeks an experienced appellate prosecutor to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the New Orleans office. The incumbent will brief and argue direct criminal appeals before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The incumbent will also litigate habeas cases in district and appellate courts and will provide real-time assistance to trial prosecutors throughout the district. The district's appellate caseload is extremely heavy; the incumbent will file multiple appellate briefs each month.

Additional duties include:
Conducts legal research and writing
Develops appellate litigation strategy
Presents oral arguments

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.

Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in federal criminal appellate practice is preferred. Hiring preferences include superior legal writing and research ability, outstanding organizational and time management skills, strong academics, and a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility, and public service.

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

Application Process

To apply for this position, please use the USAJobs website.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/851120900

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/10/2025 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 Eastern District of Louisiana at 504-680-3000 or email at carlie.kempf@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.

The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Eastern District of Louisiana who can be reached at 504-680-3000 or carlie.kempf@usdoj.gov

Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Required-Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
Required-Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
Required, if applicable- To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.

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.

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 range of basic pay is $73,939 to $193,394 which includes 17.06% locality pay.