Duties

Summary

The Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking a paralegal specialist to work directly with attorneys on fast-paced, high-profile litigation. The successful candidate will work side-by-side with a team of attorneys and paralegals on headline-making cases.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a GS-0950-07/09 Paralegal Specialist, your typical work assignments may include the following:

• Performs basic and legal research into assigned cases.
• Selects, assembles, summarizes, and compiles substantive information on statutes, legislation, and specific subjects.
• Confers with the case attorney as to trial preparation needs.
• Prepares draft reports and memoranda, which provide preliminary options and recommendations for use by attorneys.
• Participates in pre-trial witness conference in order to note additional matters to investigate prior to trial.
• Handles correspondence between client agencies, U.S. Attorneys, and opposing counsel.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Must complete a Background Investigation to include drug testing
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable
• May require completion of one year probationary period
• Must meet eligibility and qualification requirements by closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS-07 level, if you fulfill one of the following qualification requirements:

Have at least one full year of specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as (1) verifying citations and legal references; (2) performing basic and legal research; (3) indexing legal materials; (4) reviewing and analyzing case materials; and (5) responding to clients on case statuses.

Have either (1) one full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement (S.A.A.).

S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of:

3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or

3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.

Have an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education to meet the requirements of the GS-07 grade level. To combine education and experience, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the GS-07. Then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the GS-07. Finally, add your two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the GS-07 grade level.

You may qualify at the GS-09 level, if you fulfill one of the following qualification requirements:

Have at least one full year of specialized experience that is equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as (1) organizing evidentiary materials and maintaining litigation files; (2) utilizing legal research tools; (3) interviewing potential witnesses and recommending witness validity; and (4) assisting attorneys with preparing legal documents.

Have either (1) a master's or equivalent graduate degree; (2) two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or (3) an LL.B. or J.D.

Have an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education to meet the requirements of the GS-09 grade level. To combine education and experience, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the GS-09. Then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the GS-09. Finally, add your two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for the GS-09 grade level.

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; religious; 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.

• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements.
• You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
• YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov
OR
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Programs:
http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .
DOJ EEO Statement/Policy:
http://www.justice.gov/jmd/eeos/08-eeo-policy.pdf
Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
All applicants' qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):

• Interpersonal Skills
• Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
• Written Communication

Please Note: The Selecting Official may select additional candidates if more positions become available within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

• Resume showing relevant experience. Your resume must show relevant experience and list the month and year the experience was obtained. 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; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. (cover letter optional).
• SF-50 (most recent career/career conditional, if applicable); or for reinstatement to Federal service purposes, the SF-50 that shows you have acquired competitive status.
• CTAP/ICTAP documentation, (if applicable)
• An unofficial college transcript (Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcript(s) will be required prior to your first day.)
• Your Responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.

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.