Description
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
Southern District of Indiana Indianapolis Division
Vacancy Announcement # 26-22
| Position Title:
| Temporary Staff Attorney |
| Terms of Employment:
| Full-time, 15 weeks beginning on or about December 21, 2026 |
| Classification Level: | JSP 12 -14 (depending on qualifications and experience) |
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| Salary Range:
| $90,341- $126,947 |
| JSP Grade Level: | JSP 12 $90,341 - Maximum starting salary for first-time federal employees with 1 full-time year experience plus Bar Membership |
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| JSP 13 $107,428 – Salary for qualified applicant with 2 full-time years' legal experience plus Bar Membership |
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| JSP 14 $126,947 – 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 |
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| Remote work will also be considered. |
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| Application Deadline: | 4:00 pm (Eastern), October 2, 2026, 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 a temporary Staff Attorney to assist the Court for a 15-week period beginning on December 21, 2026. Staff Attorneys work within the Staff Attorney Office, which assists the Court in managing its prisoner civil rights and habeas corpus docket. For this position, the Temporary Staff Attorney will be managing a prisoner civil rights caseload. The Temporary 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; reviewing motions to determine issues involved and bases for relief; assisting judicial officers in conducting hearings, conferences, and trials; providing case management of prisoner litigation; and providing information to other court personnel regarding prisoner cases.
Given the limited duration of this position, the Court will give priority to candidates with working knowledge of prisoner and constitutional law or federal clerkship experience. Remote applicants with relevant experience are encouraged to apply.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Candidates must have the following minimum qualifications: (1) law school graduation in the top quarter of the graduating class (top 25% preferred); (2) law review/journal experience; (3) good character and maturity; (4) excellent skills in research, case management, writing, proofreading, communication, and source and cite checking (including use of proper Bluebook form); (5) proficiency in computer-assisted legal research, Windows, and MS Word; (6) minimum of one year's experience (five preferred) in the practice of law, in a judicial clerkship, or other comparable position demanding high quality legal writing and management of a heavy volume of cases; and (7) ability and willingness to work collegially with others.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, résumé, writing sample (no more than 10 pages), 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 “Temporary Staff Attorney” appear in the subject line of your email. Applications must be emailed before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern), Friday, October 2, 2026. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the position may be filled before the Application Deadline.
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.
