DOJ to Allow Hiring of US Prosecutors Straight Out of Law School [View all]
Source: Bloomberg Law
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DOJ to Allow Hiring of US Prosecutors Straight Out of Law School
March 16, 2026, 5:04 PM EDT
Ben Penn
Senior Reporter
The Justice Department has waived a policy requiring newly hired federal prosecutors to possess at least one year of experience practicing law, as US attorneys’ offices struggle to find qualified replacements following mass departures.
Many offices have previously adopted their own rules mandating at least three years of legal practice, rather than the nationwide baseline threshold of one year. But the reduced standards this month would allow federal districts such as Minnesota and Southern Florida that have experienced significant attrition to put new prosecutors to work straight out of law school.
The move was confirmed by two people familiar with the matter and reflected in newly-posted online vacancy announcements in at least a handful of offices.
The postings for assistant US attorney openings in Minnesota, South Florida, Montana, Alaska, and Louisiana, list a law degree and active state bar membership as required qualifications. They don’t mention a minimum period of service, while other US attorney’s offices still mandate at least one or three years out of law school.
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To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Penn in Washington at bpenn@bloomberglaw.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Seth Stern at sstern@bloomberglaw.com
Read more: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-to-allow-hiring-of-us-prosecutors-straight-out-of-law-school
@kenwhite.bsky.social
It is outrageous to hire people into the incredibly powerful and meaningful position of AUSA right out of law school. They should clerk for a year.
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@nationalsecuritylaw.org
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Call them the Bondi Youth
DOJ to Allow Hiring of US Prosecutors Straight Out of Law School
The Justice Department has waived a policy requiring newly hired federal prosecutors to possess at least one year of experience practicing law, as US attorney’s offices struggle to find qualified repl...
news.bloomberglaw.com
5:44 PM · Mar 16, 2026
It is outrageous to hire people into the incredibly powerful and meaningful position of AUSA right out of law school. They should clerk for a year.
— Lemon Pound Cake Hat (@kenwhite.bsky.social) 2026-03-16T21:44:54.132Z
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