Description
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
Southern District of Indiana
Indianapolis Division
Vacancy Announcement # 26-01
Position Title: Temporary Staff Attorney
Terms of Employment: Full-time, 12 weeks beginning on May 18, 2026
Classification Level: JSP 12 -14 (depending on qualifications and experience)
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
JSP 13 $107,428 – Salary for qualified applicant with 2 full-time years'
legal experience plus Bar Membership
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
Remote work will also be considered
Application Deadline: 4:00 pm (Eastern), February 13, 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 12-week period
beginning on May 18, 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), 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, February 13, 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.
