Assistant United States Attorney (Appellate)

Hiring Organization
USAO Southern District of Florida
Hiring Office
Appellate Division
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
26-FLS AUSA-12863781-07

Location:
99 NE 4th Street
Miami, FL 33132 - United States
About the Office

The United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Southern District of Florida (SDFL) is seeking experienced attorneys to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) in our Appellate Division. AUSAs may be hired for a position in any of our offices throughout the District, located in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce, Florida.

Job Description

Appellate Division. AUSAs in the Appellate Division represents the USAO in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, preparing briefs and participating in oral arguments before the Court. The Division provides advice and handles all appeals to the Eleventh Circuit from both the civil and criminal cases prosecuted by the Office. In addition to defending the criminal convictions and civil judgments obtained by the Office, the Appellate Division also brings affirmative appeals to the Eleventh Circuit from rulings adverse to the United States, after consultation with the Solicitor General's Office and Criminal or Civil Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Members of the Appellate Division also give advice and consult on legal matters with the United States Attorney and other attorneys in the Office. Appellate attorneys are assigned as liaisons to each branch office and each trial section in the Miami Office.

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. Required: Proof of active bar membership must be submitted along with your application.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:
Applicants should have demonstrated an interest in appellate work, excellent writing and analytical skills, and an exceptional academic background. Federal judicial clerkship experience is highly desirable. Applicants should also possess strong interpersonal skills, and the capacity to function in a highly demanding environment with minimal guidance

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

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

Application Process

Applicants are required to apply online via the website link USAJOBS to this vacancy announcement 26-FLS AUSA-12863781-07 by the closing date of January 20, 2026.

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: Proof of bar membership
• Required: Cover letter. When applying, please note in your cover letter which division and office location you are interested in.
• Required: Writing Sample

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

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 January 20, 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 Florida at 305-961-9026 or email at Melissa.Innocent@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 Southern District of Florida who can be reached at 305-961-9026 or Melissa.Innocent@usdoj.gov. You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview.

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.

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

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 $120,086.00 to $195,100.00 which includes 24.67% locality pay.

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