Assistant United States Attorney

Closing Date: 14th August, 2026

Description:

Job Description:
The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee is seeking applications from attorneys with strong written and oral advocacy skills to join the Appellate Unit. The successful applicant will be expected to research legal issues, write appellate briefs and responses to post‑conviction motions, review and edit pleadings drafted by other attorneys and paralegals, argue before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, prepare recommendations regarding adverse decisions, provide legal advice regarding ongoing criminal prosecutions, and complete other duties as assigned.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications:
Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree from an accredited law school, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least three (3) years post-J.D. legal experience and exceptional computer literacy skills to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic email and word processing systems. Applicants must have significant legal writing experience.

Preferred qualifications: Applicants should be characterized by sound judgment and succinct, persuasive writing. Applicants should also be adept at legal research; attentive to detail; capable of digesting and synthesizing large quantities of information; and receptive to constructive criticism. Applicants will need strong analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills and a strong work ethic to manage a significant workload. The ideal applicant will have prior appellate experience or a federal appellate clerkship, as well as an excellent academic record.

United States citizenship is required.

Salary:
An Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of pay is $82,459 to $197,100 which includes 17.06% locality pay.

Number of Positions
One or more positions may be filled from this vacancy announcement.

Travel:

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