Paralegal Specialist

Full Job Description

As a Paralegal Specialist at the GS-0950-9/11, you will be part of the Office of General Counsel, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

If selected, you will be responsible for providing litigation and administrative support to the Legal Unit staff of attorneys.

For the GS-9: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 in the federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as experience which has equipped you with the ability to support a legal program in the pursuit of complex administrative adjudications through logistical support, analysis, and organization of significant amounts of documents and evidence and legal research and advanced writing skills.

OR Successful completion of a master's, or equivalent graduate degree, directly related to the position, OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.B.

or J.D., if related. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

Merit promotion applicants must meet time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. One year at the GS-7 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-9 level.

For the GS-11: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 in the federal service.

Specialized experience is defined as experience that demonstrates the ability to support a federal-sector hearings program through legal research; drafting memoranda, orders, and simple or unopposed summary judgment decisions; managing case files; scheduling and calendaring; communicating with parties; and providing administrative support to administrative judges.

OR Successful completion of a Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree, directly related to the position, OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.M., if related.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. Merit promotion applicants must meet time-in-grade requirement as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

One year at the GS-9 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level.

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements (e.g., time-in-grade and qualification requirements) within 30 days of the closing date specified in the vacancy announcement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Major Duties:

• Locating witnesses and potential claimants (including use of computer software search tools) and conducting interviews to obtain information and coordinating for deposition, trial, settlements, and claims processing.
• Utilizing computer software skills for word processing and generation of spreadsheets; utilizing litigation support software for organizing evidence, analyzing discovery, and creating exhibits.
• Communicating with vendors; working with process servers, messengers, and copy service businesses' and filing court documents through electronic processes, by mail, or in person.
• Compiling reports of litigation data to inform management in decision-making.
• Assisting in legal research and analysis of factual and legal issues, laws, agency decisions, precedent; cases, rules, regulations, guidelines, and policies to determine their bearing on legal issues.