PARALEGAL SPECIALIST (OA)

Full Job Description

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The primary purpose of this position is to assist commanders, first sergeants, and staff judge advocate by providing legal and administrative services that facilitate the administrative discharge of Air Force personnel In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Administrative and Management Positions SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 (or higher) grade level or equivalent pay systems (may have been obtained in the federal service, military, public or private sector) which includes Knowledge of the organization responsibilities, priorities, policies, and programs and knowledge of an extensive body of legal rules and procedures, including both federal and state laws, to process unusually difficult and complicated support assignments, A Knowledge of interrelated and nonstandard complex legal support services and terminology to assist the legal staff and provide legal support services to clients, A Knowledge of guidelines, precedent case actions, legal research techniques, and the programs of the organization, equal to that acquired through extended work experience or training, to assist the legal staff in locating and identifying precedent cases, legal citations, and statutory references, a knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and required legal formats to produce legal documents and communications, and a Knowledge of the nature and capability of word processing software procedures and functions to perform a substantial range of functions, such as generating tables of contents, importing graphs or databases, creating glossaries, aligning multiple columns, automatically printing document identification or other notations at the top or bottom of each page, and creating form letters and automatically merging these with mailing lists.

Knowledge of the Internet capabilities adequate to perform legal research. A qualified typist is required.

OR EDUCATION: Successfully completed 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.

This education must have been in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position. NOTE: You must submit copies of your college transcripts.

OR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%.

NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in­-grade requirements to be considered eligible.

One year at the GS-07 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks.

NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Knowledge of rules, procedures, policies, and programs of the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate to perform the procedural and administrative work of the organization.

Knowledge of office functions to screen telephone calls and visitors, prepare and review correspondence, and perform other administrative work as required.

Knowledge of various office automation software programs, tools, and techniques to support office-operations and produce a variety of documents.

Ability to research, interpret and apply regulatory and procedural requirements using a military legal library, file repository, and/or internet resources to perform appropriate research.

Skill in typing; a qualified typist is required. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work.

You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that 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:

Manages and oversees the daily operation of the administrative actions (discharge) division Serves as the Victim and Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) Coordinator, responsible for carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Local Responsible Officer, a wing commander duty which has been delegated from the 7 BW/CC Maintains adverse action docket, to include administrative involuntary board-entitled and non-board entitled discharges.

Manages and oversees the daily operation of the administrative actions (demotion and progressive discipline) division Provides training to paralegals, newly assigned personnel, commanders, and first sergeants AND Provides legal assistance with the Staff Judge Advocate and other staff attorneys