Assistant United States Attorney - Civil Division

Hiring Organization
United States Attorney's Office (USAO)
Hiring Office
Middle District of Tennessee
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
26-TNM-12857603-CIV AUSA

Location:
719 Church Street
Suite 3300
Nashville, TN 37203 - United States

Application Deadline:
Friday, May 22, 2026
About the Office

The U.S Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee is seeking an experienced and motivated attorney to serve in the Civil Division handling various civil matters. This is a continuous announcement with multiple cut-off dates. First cut off is Friday January 9, 2026 and as needed until position is filled.

More information about the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee can be found at: http://www.justice.gov/usao/tnm/

Job Description

The United States Attorney's Office for the MDTN is currently seeking highly qualified Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) candidates for the Civil Division. The selected applicant will have the opportunity to perform an important public service by representing the interests of the United States of America in civil actions involving the United States. AUSAs in the Civil Division are responsible for conducting a wide range of civil litigation including defensive litigation involving the Federal Torts Claims Act, the Administrative Procedures Act, Title VII, constitutional torts, habeas corpus claims in immigration matters, and other areas of the law. AUSAs also work on Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) which seeks to enforce federal law through affirmative legal action on behalf of the United States. The specific assignments and responsibilities of an AUSA in the Civil Division are subject to the needs of the office and the mission of the Department of Justice.

The responsibilities of this position include representing the United States as primary counsel in judicial proceedings, such as hearings, oral arguments, and trials, in United States District Court and appeals in the United States Court of Appeals. Civil Division AUSAs are responsible for substantial legal research and writing, both at trial and appellate levels.

Individuals applying for the position must have strong leadership skills, possess a strong work ethic, exhibit good organizational skills, exercise fair and sound judgment, pay careful attention to facts and details, work well both independently and on a team, be ready and willing to volunteer to help other attorneys, possess excellent negotiation skills, have strong ability to analyze complex legal and factual issues, write clearly and persuasively, and represent the Government's interests at hearings and trials before the United States District Court.

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 3 years post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications:
Hiring for Assistant U.S. Attorney positions is highly competitive. The USAO seeks a diverse complement of lawyers with a wide range of exceptional skills and experience, unified by keen intelligence and sincere commitment to public interest. Superior academic credentials, excellent research and writing skills, a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility, and public service. Successful candidates must be computer proficient, capable of doing their own legal research and writing, and self-sufficient in preparing day to day correspondence and pleadings.

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

Application Process

Applicants must apply online at https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/853123800 : Please be sure to read the announcement through it’s entirety prior to applying.

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: Resume and cover letter. 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.

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.

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment 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. 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 $79,454 to $115,000 which includes a 17.06% locality for the Nashville area.