Paralegal Specialist (Civil)

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 All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 26-MN-12895095-DE.

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-7 level of this position, you must meet ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, or a Combination of Specialized Experience and Education.

Specialized Experience: Possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in Federal service.

Examples of qualifying experience include performing the following types of duties: experience drafting a variety of legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; reviewing legal documents to extract information related to specific issues; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; and utilizing various computerized database programs to organize extensive documents.

Education: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g.

Criminal Justice, Law): 1 year of graduate-level education leading to a Master's degree or higher; OR a completed Bachelor's degree or equivalent with superior academic achievement as defined by the Office of Personnel Management's Qualification Standards.

For details on S.A.A., please refer to https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=General-Policies.

Combination Specialized Experience and Education: A combination of specialized experience and education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements.

GS-09: 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 Specialized Experience and Education.

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

Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and the ability to interpret legal decisions.

Examples of specialized experience may include the following: 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, or other legal documents and correspondence; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; document 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: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.B.

or J.D.

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 a Paralegal Specialist.

Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements.

In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of one full year.

Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.

See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you.

You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

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/.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce.

To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service.

If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

Special Employment Consideration - Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments.

For further information, click on the links provided below .

You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments Major Duties:

As a Paralegal Specialist in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Typical work assignments will include: Review and organize complex factual material and other documentary data for investigations and trials.

Provide advice on the most efficient method for preparing legal documents. Use tables and citation checking with efficiency.

Prepare a variety of substantive legal documents to include extradition requests, grand jury and trial subpoenas, interrogatory requests, and documentation relevant to acquiring evidence or testimony.

Develop and enter various case material into a computer database. Prepare, develop, compile, or maintain jury instructions in preparing for trial.

Prepare exhibits for trial which typically involve a wide range of visual materials. Provide litigation case management and organize cases for court presentation.

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

This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-09.

If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon 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.