Paralegal Specialist

Full Job Description

The Paralegal Specialist position is located in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in various offices throughout the Office of General Counsel (OGC).

The mission is to provide legal advice and services to the SECVA and all organizational components of the Department. The General Counsel is, by statute, the Department's Chief Legal Officer.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/03/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9 level.

The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement.

In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-9 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Compiling and forwarding the necessary correspondence advising of decision or recommendation and preparing documentation according to the program guidelines and other applicable authority; Investigating and becoming thoroughly familiar with subject matter details involved in a case or legal matter, including but not limited to, interviewing claimants and witnesses; Coordinating and managing the administrative portions of assigned programs and/or work units within the organization.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B.

OR J.D., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond the first full year.

GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Participating in providing direct legal services to clients on case and/or program assignments; Researching legislative history, as well as precedent cases, decisions and opinions relevant to assigned work; Assisting Senior Specialists in preparing memoranda, briefs, draft legal opinions, and/or written documents needed to deliver accurate, timely and effective legal services.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 2 full years of graduate education.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Client Engagement/Change Management Critical Thinking Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Information Management Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Writing 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.

Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.

Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The work is predominantly sedentary, requiring some walking, standing, bending, lifting and carrying light to moderate weight and size items such as laptops, books, files and paper.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy.

To be found well qualified, applicants must meet the following demonstrated specialized experience and qualifications: Providing direct legal services to clients by handling cases from start to finish Independently establishing milestones and deadlines from completion of tasks and assessing projects against this timeline/plan Serving as a point person for incoming assignments, delegating tasks to others, monitoring team's progress on group projects or goals Developing facts in complex legal claims and applying relevant case law Negotiating settlements/ compromises within authority Authoring concise, technically accurate, original written work product that directly impacted the outcome of a case or project Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from, Phoenix, AZ, Washington, DC, Saint Petersburg, FL, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, Houston, TX, or Nashville, TN.

This includes all locations that fall within a 50-mile driving distance from the local VA offices in these locations. Major Duties:

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Provides advocacy, advisory and negotiation services for the Torts Law Group of the VA's Office of General Counsel.

Primary practice will be investigating administrative tort claims and assisting the U.S. Department of Justice in defending these claims in federal court.

Advises the Department of Veterans Affairs in tort matters (medical malpractice, personal injury and property damage) under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b) and 2671-2680.

Provides direct legal services to clients on case and/or program assignments, including, but not limited to, handling, from start to finish or as otherwise assigned: tort claims, medical cost care recovery cases, personnel and labor complaints, reviews related to loan guaranty, contracts, procurement, fiduciary and guardianship, ethics, research, compensation, pension, ethics, research, disability, privacy, release of information and other legal service areas supported by OGC.

Utilizes all available research systems and resources in conducting extensive legal research and writing on assigned cases and/or programs.

Supports litigation and program needs by performing such tasks as: drafting discovery, dispositive motions and other pleadings; coordinating discovery responses and drafting responses to same; and drafting legal decisions and case communications.

Under the general guidance and direction of OGC managers, coordinates and manages the administrative portions of assigned programs and/or work units within OGC Provides a wide range of legal support and administrative services to support OGC management and operations, including, but not limited to: maintaining complete and accurate time and status entries in OGC's case management systems, scanning/embedding case information, establishing follow ups, and managing systems for sharing information and organizing program work.

Exercises good judgment in consulting with OGC managers and non-supervisory staff when faced with obstacles, novel issues, or complex issues where quality legal service cannot be delivered by following established guidance.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) is available as determined by the agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: PD33069A and PD33068A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required