Paralegal Specialist

About the role

Organizational Location: These positions are located in the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) Legal Operations (Legal Ops) throughout the country. This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Responsibilities

• Researching laws, regulations, court decisions, opinions, legislative history, and other legal authorities and analyzing and applying such findings to support attorneys, including using automated legal research tools where appropriate.
• Assisting attorneys in preparing for and representing the United States Government in immigration proceedings before immigration judges or other tribunals, frequently involving evidentiary, procedural, and substantive issues in pending cases, and facilitating communication between attorneys and clients, witnesses, or other parties.
• Reviewing case-related documents for conformity with standardized formatting, grammar, legal citations, and practice manuals prior to signature and issuance by attorneys.
• Monitoring and updating databases and repositories using an electronic case management system or similar system.
• Assisting in preparing correspondence, motions, briefs, case summaries, and other written work product in draft and final form; and affidavits, discovery requests, responses, evidentiary packages, and other legal documents for immigration proceedings and federal litigation.
• Compiling, summarizing, and analyzing case information, statistics, or other relevant data for attorneys or to support leadership's decision-making and performance tracking.
• Managing calendars, deadlines, and other logistical aspects of legal work.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of employment: You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position. You must successfully pass a background investigation. You must successfully pass a drug screen. Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service. Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Probationary Period: This is a full-time permanent position (Career/Career-Conditional appointment). Upon appointment to this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period. You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use of possession of drugs. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application. Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.