Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Legal Division (LD) which is responsible for providing legal advice and legal advisory services to the Chairman, Commissioners, Executive Director, and Divisions with respect to legal issues arising in connection with the administration of the Commodity Exchange Act (Act or CEA), and the functions of the Commission.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As a Paralegal Specialist, the employee works alongside attorneys in all phases of the Legal Division's litigation processes. The employee organizes documents and coordinates electronic document productions, creates and maintains files using document management software, assists attorneys in preparing court pleadings, and electronically files pleadings in federal court.

In this position you will:

• Review and organize complex factual material and other documentary data for various judicial bodies; provide advice on the most efficient method for preparing legal documents; receive and process thousands of pages of electronic documents for uploading into litigation support databases.
• Prepare Tables of Contents and Tables of Authorities, check citations, prepare cover letters and other documentation relevant to preparing and filing Legal Division submissions.
• Provide a full range of litigation support to attorneys in the federal courts as well as in administrative hearings; obtain and organize documents for production in discovery in pending litigation and receive and organize documents produced in discovery (typically these are electronic documents produced via an FTP site); read and prepare summaries and digests of deposition testimony.
• Assist attorneys in identifying documents potentially relevant to issues in litigation by using Relativity software, compile or tag potentially relevant documents according to established evidentiary standards; maintain databases or other information systems to track the production and receipt of potentially relevant documents; prepare privilege logs identifying the documents and any relevant privileges.
• Manage case docketing systems, calendars, and electronic file systems.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background/Security Investigation
• Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered for Selective Service
• One year probationary period is required.

If you are qualifying based on education, you must provide a copy of your official or unofficial transcripts when applying to this position. A copy of your official transcript(s) are also required prior to your first day.

Qualifications

To qualify for CT-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below:

Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the CT/GS-9 level in the Federal service . Specialized experience is defined as experience directly related to the work of this position such as: Providing the full range of litigation support to attorneys in the Federal Courts as well as for Administrative Hearings; Experience in the use of Relativity software to identify documents potentially relevant to issues in litigation; Experience maintaining legal data management and litigation support systems such as Relativity, Legal Files, Case Map, Text Map, and/or PACER. You should have utilized these systems to prepare case plans. Demonstrated experience of U.S. District Court Litigation support experience, with knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and various local court rules to file documents and coordinate the office's activities with the Clerks of the Court. Demonstrated experience analyzing data to develop recommendations and justifications for attorneys in preparation for Court hearings and trial; working with attorneys during the progress of the case, obtaining and developing further evidence and exhibits, providing administrative assistance and maintaining custody of exhibits, documents and files.

Substitution of education for experience: The experience requirements for the CT-11 above may be met by the successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, three (3) full academic years of graduate level education, or completion of all requirements for an LL.M. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be used to meet the qualification requirement at CT-11.

Education

Additional information

Probation Period. Candidates selected under competitive examining procedures will subject to a one-year probationary period.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated and rated under CFTC Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. If you are minimally 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. Your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Names of all candidates in the best qualified category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration. Candidates within the best qualified category who are eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligible.

Quality Ranking Factors: You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency (knowledge, skills, abilities) in the following areas:

• Skill in processing a full range of court and administrative body pleadings.
• Skill in collecting information and documents in the course of discovery or e-discovery.
• Skill in performing document management, including creating and maintaining litigation databases.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

• Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional).
• Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• SF-50, if applicable
• College Transcript, if applicable
• If you are requesting Veterans Preference, you must submit:

Copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty).

Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference.

VA Letter

Veterans Preference. If you are entitled to veteran preference, you should indicate the type of veteran preference you are claiming on your resume.

• In order to verify your veteran preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
• In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower of a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the natural mother of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and the other required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.
• Although veteran preference points are not assigned under the category rating procedures described under "How You Will Be Evaluated," veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-veterans within each category for which they are qualified. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-disconnected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).

CTAP and ICTAP. Candidates will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at: http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp . CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents: 1. A copy of your specific RIF notice, written notice of your expected separation or other documentation of priority consideration status; 2. A copy of your latest SF-50 - noting current position, grade level, and duty location; 3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and 4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential. ICTAP applicants MUST submit the following: 1. A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, or notice of disability annuity termination; 2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", documenting your RIF separation, noting your position, grade level, and duty location; 3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and 4. Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential. The following links provide information on how you may be eligible for various hiring authorities: 1. VRA - http://federaljobs.net/veterans.htm 2. VEOA - http://opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp 3. 30% or more disabled veteran - http://opm.gov/staffingPortal/Vetguide.asp 4. Persons with disabilities - http://www.opm.gov/DISABILITY/ 5. CTAP - http://www.opm.gov/ctap/ 6. ICTAP - http://www.opm.gov/ctap/

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.