Paralegal Specialist

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit .

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 24-ALS-12441392-ST.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

Duties

As a Paralegal Specialist in the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Southern District of Alabama, Civil Division, you will provide paralegal support on federal investigations and affirmative and defensive civil litigation, including Bankruptcy, Tax, and Defense Litigation. Your duties will include (but are not limited to):

Performing legal research on controlling law (statutory, policy, and regulation); case authority; the Federal Rules of Civil, Bankruptcy, and Appellate Procedure; local court rules; legal texts and treatises; and other authorities on legal issues.

Preparing and maintaining hearing- and trial-related documents including exhibits books, exhibit lists, and jury instructions.

Performing tasks associated with organization, preparation, delivery, and tracking of discovery in cases involving large volumes of documentary evidence and electronically stored information, including organizing, managing, summarizing, and presenting documents and other evidence utilizing a variety of completing programs including: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Eclipse SE, Relatively, iPro, Case Map, Text Map, and Trial Director.

Verifying citations and references contained in legal documents using sources or databases such as Lexis-Nexis, Westlaw, Blue Book, or Federal regulations.

Interacting and liaising with agency attorneys and case agents to ensure timely implementation of litigation holds, to verify complete case file transfer, and to commence preliminary motion practice; and interacting with opposing counsel to coordinate discovery production and receipt and case calendaring and scheduling.

Effectively reviewing and analyzing pleadings and agency information to support defense litigation case development.

Preparing first drafts of a variety of substantive legal documents including pleadings and motions, discovery requests and responses, subpoenas, and exhibit lists.

Developing case referrals by ensuring referrals meet agency and United States Attorney's Office (USAO) standards for litigation.

Advising the attorney(s) regarding the merits and weaknesses of applicable referrals based upon applicable law, evidence of liability and damages, and potential defenses.

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

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen or National

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation

You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable

If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

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 Education and Experience.

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 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 requests; drafting legal documents and correspondence; using automated legal research tools as well as public information databases to research case-specific legal matters; managing discovery; and using automated litigation support technology to organize case information for retrieval, prepare computerized trial presentations, and index digital evidence.

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. 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 the position.

Combining Education and Experience: 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 1 full year. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 18 semester hours, then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18. To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.

GS-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 GS-9 level. Specialized Experience is defined as experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Examples of specialized experiences may include the following: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis, and evaluation of data in response to requests; drafting legal documents and correspondence; using automated legal research tools as well as public information databases to research case-specific legal matters; managing discovery; managing document productions including establishing databases for documents, indexing documents, and managing, retrieving, and producing documents; assisting in the presentation of evidence in civil or criminal trials; and using automated litigation support technology to organize case information for retrieval, prepare computerized trial presentations, and index digital evidence.

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. 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 the position.

Combining Education and Experience: 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 2 full years. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 36 semester hours, then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18. To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.

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: .

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 .

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

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 . All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

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. See .

Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

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.

EEO Statement: The Department of Justice is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment for all employees and applicants. See for complete details.

Diversity Statement: As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) will be evaluated and rated using DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. 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 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 it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The for definitions):

Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package, which includes:

-Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).

-Required: Your resume showing relevant experience and dates (month/day/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time). 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. (cover letter optional).

-Required if you meet qualifications based on education: An unofficial college transcript (Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation,