Description
Position Title: Staff Attorney
Terms of Employment: Full-time, Excepted Service or
Part-time, Excepted Service
Classification Level: JSP 12 -14 (depending on qualifications and experience)
Salary Range: $89,447 - $125,690
JSP Grade Level:
JSP 12 $89,447 - Maximum starting salary for first-time federal
employees with 1 full-time year experience plus Bar Membership
JSP 13 $106,365 – Salary for qualified applicant with 2 full-time years'
legal experience plus Bar Membership
JSP 14 $125,690 – Salary for qualified current/former federal
employees with 2 years' federal experience plus Bar Membership
Position Location: United States District Court, 46 East Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN
Application Deadline: 4:00 pm (Eastern), October 24, 2025, or until filled
Applications received after this deadline may be considered only if
position remains unfilled.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is
accepting applications for one full-time and one half-time Staff Attorney positions. Staff
Attorneys work within the Staff Attorney Office, which assists the Court in managing its prisoner
civil rights and habeas corpus docket. The Staff Attorney is appointed by the Chief Judge, but
performs duties and responsibilities for all District Judges, including legal research, substantial
drafting of proposed entries; screening of prisoner civil rights complaints and habeas petitions;
reviewing motions to determine issues involved and bases for relief; assisting judicial officers in
conducting hearings, conferences, and trials; providing information regarding court proceedings
to the public, the bar, and pro se litigants; providing case management of prisoner litigation;
preparing periodic reports reflecting the status and flow of cases; and providing information to
other court personnel regarding prisoner cases. The staff attorney may also have an opportunity
to work on death penalty habeas cases. This position is dependent on available funding,
dependent upon annual court filings.
Although the Court prefers that the Staff Attorney be based in Indianapolis, the position is eligible
for telework if the applicant has highly relevant professional experience.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, résumé, writing sample (no more than 10
pages), a law school transcript, 3 references, and a completed AO 78 Application for Judicial
Branch Federal Employment (application form is on the court website www.insd.uscourts.gov) in
a single PDF to: StaffAttorneyApp@insd.uscourts.gov and ensure that your name and the words
“Staff Attorney” appear in the subject line of your email. Applications must be emailed before
4:00 pm (Eastern), Friday October 24, 2025. Applications will be reviewed as they are received,
and the position may be filled before the Application Deadline.
BENEFITS:
Employees of the United States District Court are Excepted Appointments and considered At
Will judicial employees. Federal Government Civil Service classifications or regulations do not
apply. Part-time employees' benefits may be pro-rated based on coverage and/or cost-sharing
of premium. Some of the available benefits are:
- Participation in the federal health, dental and vision programs of the employee's choice
- Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift
Savings Plan – similar to a 401(k) - Participation in a group life insurance program
- Participation in a group long-term disability insurance program.
- Participation in a long-term care insurance program
- Participation in a flexible spending account for medical and/or dependent care expenses
on a pre-tax basis - Credit for prior government service
- Paid annual and sick leave and applicable paid holidays per year pro-rated for part time
employment
The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are subject to a complete FBI
fingerprint check and background investigation. Employment will be provisional and
contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the required background investigation. The
Federal Financial Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages for court employees.
The United States District Court is a smoke-free environment. All judicial employees are
required to adhere to the Code of Conduct. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible to
work in the United States.
