Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

Duties

• Examining, preparing and processing a variety of technical legal documents, e.g., complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels;
• Proofreading and cite checking legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents;
• Providing assistance to attorneys in trial preparation by conducting non-complex research of litigation, statutes, regulations and court cases;
• Assembling exhibits, affidavits, and other legal documents;
• Assembling and organizing files and records material for disposition or transfer to records depository;
• Maintaining calendar of assigned active cases;
• Tracking filing, hearing, and trials dates, and scheduling conference and interviews;
• Arranging travel by preparing itinerary and securing transportation and hotel reservations;
• Producing a variety of written documents and materials using a wide range of office software applications.

Requirements

• Conditions of Employment: 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.
• Specialized Experience: Experience reviewing documents with legal implications for accuracy and completeness (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other types of legal documents); typing and formatting correspondence and forms; maintaining file systems; and obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources.
• 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.

Qualifications

• GS-5: To be eligible at the GS-5 level, you must have: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level; or four years of education above the high school level; or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below.
• GS-6: To be eligible at the GS-6 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level.
• GS-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level.

Benefits

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.