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Attorneys/Lawyers

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California seeks to hire exceptionally talented attorneys from diverse backgrounds who wish to serve the public and the cause of justice by becoming Assistant United States Attorneys. This position is open until filled, but applications will be considered on a rolling basis. We have the following positions available:

Assistant United States Attorney - Civil Division

Assistant United States Attorney - Criminal and National Security

Assistant United States Attorney - Riverside Branch

Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree and be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction). If not already an active member of the California bar, any applicant hired will be required to take (prior to their entry on duty date) and subsequently pass the California bar exam. AUSAs must become active members of the California bar and maintain California bar membership.

Preferred qualifications: Hiring for AUSA positions within the USAO 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. Litigation experience, superior academic record, excellent writing skills, impeccable character, demonstrated interest in public service, courtroom presence, and the ability to work with and relate to a wide variety of people are all taken into account. Most attorneys hired have several years of experience, although highly qualified recent graduates with some experience in practice or as a judicial clerk are also considered. Ties to the Central District of California will be considered.

Application Submission Information:

Attorneys seeking a position as an AUSA should complete TWO documents:

            (1) The application in native .pdf form – either for

                    a. the AUSA position (click here to reach application): APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AS AN ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA; or

                    b. the unpaid SAUSA position (click here to reach application): APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT AS AN UNCOMPENSATED SPECIAL ASSISTANT UNITED STATES ATTORNEY CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA; and

            (2) A second .pdf containing, in the following order, a cover letter to the attention of First Assistant United States Attorney Tracy Wilkison, resume, law school transcript, and brief writing sample which demonstrates an ability to write persuasively.

The two PDFs should be e-mailed to USACAC.AUSAHiring@usdoj.gov (link sends e-mail).

NOTE: The application must be submitted in a particular way in order to be uploaded successfully into our system. Specifically, it must remain in native .pdf format with the form fields intact to upload. If it cannot be uploaded, we will ask you to submit again. To submit the application correctly:

  • Use a full version of Adobe Acrobat to fill out the application. Do not use simply the Viewer software.
  • After you open the application, first download or “save as” the blank application to your computer/ desktop. Then, open it fresh into Adobe. You can then enter the data and save the application as a .pdf
  • You do not need to manually or digitally sign the application; your name will fill in
  • Do not save any attachments to the application .pdf
  • Do not print to .pdf, or print, sign and scan the document to .pdf
Updated January 7, 2021