PARALEGAL SPECIALIST (APPELLATE)

About the role

The Paralegal Specialist Position is located at the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) within the Eastern District of Arkansas, Appellate Division. The incumbent will provide paralegal support to attorneys in litigative activities, including performing legal research, legal writing, preparation and management of evidence and discovery. The work of this position involves independently preparing draft briefs and certiorari petitions for the Solicitor General for filing in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Responsibilities

• Researching and analyzing case facts and applicable points of law and producing appellate briefs.
• Composing appellate briefs, motions and memoranda of law.
• Performing detailed and complex legal research in connection with cases involving criminal jurisdiction.
• Researching legal precedents in opinions, existing legal files, textbooks, legal periodicals, statutes, and court rulings.
• Preparing documents that summarizes and explains case files, depositions, or interrogatories.
• Writing appellate briefs and submitting briefs to Court of Appeals.
• Using computerized research, i.e., Westlaw and explaining relevant findings and conclusions orally and in writing.
• Monitoring opinions issued by U.S. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals and providing summaries.
• Participating in staff meetings by updating attorneys and legal staff on changes in law and/or procedures affecting the Court of Appeals.

Requirements

• 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.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must have at least ONE full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level as defined below.

Specialized Experience is defined as experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a practical knowledge of the law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. Examples of specialized experience may include:

• Analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence;
• Conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions;
• Composing legal briefs, summaries of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents;
• Interviewing witnesses and various individuals who can provide insight into cases under review; and
• Preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations.

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., if related. 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. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 2 full years.

Additional hiring information

• 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.
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.
• Special Employment Consideration: Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Education requirements

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

This response is AI-generated, for reference only.