Paralegal Specialist

Full Job Description

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 26-MSS-12897442-MS.

GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of Education and Experience.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level.

Specialized experience is defined as one year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in Federal service performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions.

Examples of qualifying experience involve performing the following types of duties: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; documenting findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel.

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law, or a closely related field that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LLB.

or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Combining Education and Experience: A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements.

To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study).

To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together.

The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.

(Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation.) Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria.

You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form.

Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria.

You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application.

Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Major Duties:

Serving as a Paralegal Specialist in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi you will provide a wide range of legal support service to Assistant United States Attorney's involved in criminal prosecutions and grand jury investigations for federally cognizable cases.

If selected for this position, you will receive formal and/or on-the-job training, as needed.

Typical duties will include: Preparing a variety of substantive legal documents for criminal cases; Conducting interviews of agents and potential witnesses; Researching, analyzing and summarizing relevant legal precedents for applicability to assigned cases; Reviewing, preparing and maintaining documents and other materials produced during criminal trial; Providing a variety of legal assistance and technical work requiring specialized knowledge; Providing litigative case management and organizes cases for court presentation; Monitoring the progress of pending cases; Serving as the contact person for assigned cases; Compiling, organizing and indexing various discovery and evidence exhibits for trial; Providing advice to attorney's and other legal support staff; and Using one or more types of personal computer based software.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with full performance level of GS-11.

You may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work.

Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied.