Paralegal Specialist

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 27-NH-13096117-DE.

Duties

• If selected for this position, you will serve as a Paralegal Specialist with the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office. Duties will include, but are not limited to: Reviewing and organizing complex factual material and other documentary data for investigations and trials. Preparing a variety of substantive legal documents to include extradition requests, grand jury and trial subpoenas, interrogatory requests, and documentation relevant to acquiring evidence or testimony. Providing advice on the most efficient method for preparing legal documents. Using tables and citation checking with efficiency. Developing and entering various case material into a computer database. Preparing charts, graphs, and tables to illustrate results. Developing, compiling, and maintaining jury instructions in preparing for trial. Preparing exhibits for trial, which typically involve a wide range of visual materials. Providing litigation case management and organize cases for court presentation. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-07 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-05 grade level in federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector demonstrating the following: drafting a variety of legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; reviewing legal documents to extract information related to specific issues; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; and utilizing various computerized database programs to organize extensive documents. OR Education: Successful completion of one (1) full year of progressively higher level graduate education (18 semester hours or the number of units your school uses to describe one graduate year of academic study) in a related field (e.g. Criminal Justice, Law, Legal Studies, Sociology, etc.) leading to a master's degree or higher. OR Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of specialized experience and graduate-level education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours then divide the total number of your graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). 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%. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation. OR Superior Academic Achievement: To be eligible, you must have a bachelor's degree or expect to complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree within the next 9 months AND possess at least one of the following criteria: class standing in the upper third of the graduating class; an overall GPA of 3.0 OR at least a 3.0 based on courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; a GPA of at least 3.5 based on the average of required courses completed in my major field OR based on the average of required courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; OR election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. GS-09: To be eligible at the GS-09 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: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector demonstrating the following: drafting pleadings, motions, orders, subpoenas, or other legal documents and correspondence; preparing and organizing evidence for production as discovery for use in trial; conducting legal research by searching databases, reviewing case files and other sources for information; and entering data into a case management tracking system. OR Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g. Criminal Justice, Law, Legal Studies, Sociology, etc.): 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. OR Combining Education and Experience: Combination of specialized experience as described above, and graduate-level education as described above in which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of one full year. 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 Educat…

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 http://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 http://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.