After law school, Schiff spent one year as a law clerk for Judge William Matthew Byrne Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. From 1987 to 1993, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Central District. While in this position, Schiff came to public attention when he prosecuted the case against Richard Miller, a former FBI agent who was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. The first trial resulted in a hung jury; the second trial resulted in a conviction that was overturned on appeal. Miller was convicted in a third trial.