Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Program Support Branch, Legal Research Center, Office of the General Counsel. The supervisor for the position is Jennifer Borges-Roman, Team Leader. This position is not in the bargaining unit. This position requires travel on rare occasions. Travel expenses associated with an interview will not be paid. Relocation expenses associated with job offer will not be paid.

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Responsibilities

The successful candidate will perform the full range of paralegal specialist duties for OGC divisions, as assigned. Such duties include, but are not limited to:

1. Perform extensive research to supply needed factual information for inclusion in legal memoranda, briefs, and other legal documents.

2. Draft briefs, pleadings, correspondence, and other legal documents reflecting facts and citations discovered during the course of legal research for review and approval by attorneys.

3. Review legal documents using specialized knowledge of particular laws, rules, regulations, and practices to: 1) assemble various portions of the documents; 2) verify citations, footnotes, and textual references for accuracy; and 3) assure completeness of information and conformance to laws, rules, and regulations.

4. Finalize legal documents by: 1) placing in proper format using document processing software (e.g., Office 365, Adobe Acrobat); 2) adding tables of contents, indexes, and tables of authorities; and 3) ensuring compliance with electronic filing and office requirements.

5. Establish and maintain: 1) electronic adjudicatory hearing and mandatory disclosures files; 2) trial briefing files suitable for attorney use during case preparation, hearing, and appeal; and 3) an accounting system for all materials to be used as exhibits in adjudicatory proceedings.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Travel may be on rare occasions.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• This is a Drug Testing position.
• U.S. Citizenship Required
• Background investigation leading to a clearance is required for new hires.

You must meet the qualifications for this position by no later than 30 calendar days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

1. Ability to work collaboratively and collegially as part of a team of professionals that includes attorneys, paralegals, regulations specialists, and administrative staff, effectively sharing responsibility and adjusting work priorities appropriately to complete multiple tasks with overlapping deadlines.

2. Ability to utilize electronic (e.g., Westlaw or similar electronic database libraries used for academic research), web-based, and hard-copy resources to conduct academic or legal research and analysis.

3. Ability to prepare complex documents requiring strict adherence to document and citation formatting rules (e.g., briefs, pleadings, motions, reports, and other legal documents, or other formal work or research products); 2) draft clearly-written content for such documents, prepare research summaries, memoranda, or other written work products to assist attorneys, managers, or professional associates; 3) review complex documents for completeness of information, and conformance to process or procedural requirements; 4) finalize documents by placing them in proper format using document processing software; and 5) ensure compliance with electronic processing, submission, or filing requirements.

4. Ability to establish and maintain systems and files to manage workflow and to track projects involving a high volume of documents or multiple deadlines (e.g., documents related to adjudicatory hearings, such as mandatory disclosure files, exhibits; and documents related to technical evaluations, licensing actions, or similar projects) using technology skills including a variety of Microsoft-based software platforms and other technological tools.

In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the following requirements:

Specialized Experience for the GG-7 is defined as one year of experience at the GG-5 level, or equivalent, which is directly related to the position and has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

A. Work where the applicant has performed the following types of duties: less complex legal research; review and analysis of case material to locate relevant references and supporting documentation; preparation of exhibits; identification, analysis, and preparation of reports on pertinent statutes, court decisions, legal opinions, and other legal documents; and drafting of legal documents such as letters and adjudicatory filings for an attorney's use.

OR

B. Education: 1 full year of graduate-level education OR superior academic achievement (GPA of 2.95 or higher).

OR

C. Have a combination of specialized experience as described in "A" above and graduate-level education as described in "B" above.

Specialized Experience for the GG-9: is defined as one year of experience at the GG-7 level, or equivalent, which is directly related to the position and has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

A. Experience where the applicant has performed a variety of analytical duties such as reviewing reports and surveys; applying statistical techniques sufficient to gather and analyze data and evaluate its usefulness in resolving legal issues; conducting complex legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; checking citations; preparing evidence and exhibits; and developing and justifying recommendations.

OR

B. 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. from an accredited college or university that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

OR

C. Have a combination of specialized experience as described in "A" above and graduate education as described in "B" above. Graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year.

Specialized Experience for the GG-11 is defined as one year of experience at the GG-9 level, or equivalent, which is directly related to the position and has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

A. Work experience where the applicant has performed the following types of duties: extensive and thorough legal research of legislative history, precedent cases, decisions, and opinions that may be applicable by using legal resources such as agency manuals, directives, and issuances, web-based reference sources, judicial and/or administrative decisions and precedents, and commercial legal publications; interpretation, explanation, and presentation, orally or in writing, of relevant findings and conclusions using appropriate language, legal reasoning, and organization of facts and ideas; and assistance in case preparation.

OR

B. Education: Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR LL.M., from an accredited college or university that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

OR

C. Have a combination of specialized experience as described in "A" above and graduate education as described in "B" above. Graduate education must be in excess of 2 full years.

A description of how you possess the specialized experience as well as how you meet the qualifications desired in an ideal candidate should be addressed in your resume and the voluntary additional information question area.

Education

Education: If you are qualifying for this position based on education or through a combination of education and experience, you must include an unofficial copy of your school transcripts with your application.

Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation . All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Individuals with disabilities may contact the Selective Placement Coordinator for assistance with the application or hiring process via Disability.Resource@nrc.gov.

Individuals who are eligible for non-competitive appointment under an OPM special appointing authority may apply for consideration under a comparable NRC non-competitive appointing authority. Veterans, please visit: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to being appointed to determine their suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. False statements or responses on your resume or questionnaire can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.

A transferable security clearance from another agency or a background investigation leading to a clearance is required for all new hires. To begin work at the NRC without a security clearance, you must be granted a temporary waiver of the required clearance, referred to as a 145(b) waiver. To be eligible for a 145(b) waiver you will need a favorable education verification, reference, credit, and criminal history checks. If a wavier is granted, the successful completion of a background investigation and favorable adjudication is required for continued employment. If you have resided outside the U.S. for an extended period of time, the agency may not be able to (1) grant the 145(b) waiver where the required investigation cannot be completed in a timely manner, or (2) achieve timely completion of the background investigation required for a security clearance.

The NRC is a zero-tolerance agency with respect to illegal drug use. Individuals selected for this position will be subject to pre-appointment drug testing unless currently in an NRC position subject to random drug testing AND will be subject to random drug testing upon appointment to the NRC.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

When the application process is complete, your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the job requirements. You will be rated based on the specialized experience relating to this vacancy that is provided in your resume and your response to any additional information space in this vacancy announcement to determine your level of knowledge, skill and ability related to the job requirements. If you are among the top candidates for this position, your application will be referred to the hiring manager.

Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your knowledge, skills, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to submit a thorough resume that directly relates to this position.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
L Access Authorization

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

List of supplemental material that may be applicable:

If you are a NRC employee you are required to submit your most recent Rating of Record (Performance Appraisal) or a statement saying that one is not available. You may do so by uploading it in the system or by sending an email to Lisa Feizollahi, HR Specialist, at Lisa.Feizollahi@nrc.gov.

If you are a current/reinstatement eligible Federal employee with status (Tenure Group 1 or 2), you will be considered under our merit promotion procedures and must submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) to verify competitive status or reinstatement eligibility.

Veterans must submit documentation showing type of discharge/character of service by providing their DD-214 Member Copy 4. Active duty members must submit a DD-214 certifying their expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within 120 days. Provide your SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, if applying as a veteran with a compensable-service connected disability. You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference at http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

All supplemental documents can now be collected electronically and should be submitted before the closing date of this vacancy announcement. You have two choices for submitting your supplemental documents:

1. Use the "USAJOBS" feature to download documents from your USAJOBS portfolio; or
2. Use the "Upload" feature to upload documents directly from your computer. The following types of documents can be uploaded: .gif, .jpeg, .png, .rtf, .pdf, and .doc.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.