Paralegal Specialist

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.

Duties

• Provide direct legal support to attorneys as needed and backup support for other team members including docketing, calendaring, correspondence, proofreading, mailing, document management, and other administrative duties as assigned.
• Draft legal documents such as pleadings, motions, memoranda, briefs, summonses, deposition notices, stipulations, etc. for attorney review.
• Primary responsibility for obtaining records including drafting subpoenas, following up with subpoenaed parties, drafting correspondence and legal pleadings related to subpoena enforcement.
• Prepares and maintains a variety of litigation documents, e.g., witness lists, exhibit lists, jury instructions and subpoenas that are consistent with the federal rules of procedure, local rules, and federal rules of evidence.
• Review investigative reports, testimony, interviews, files, and documents for civil cases to become familiar with the issues and identify pertinent material.
• Prepares and organizes evidence for production as discovery and for use at trial.
• Develops cases by performing legal and factual research, compiling and analyzing case information, assisting attorneys in reviewing and obtaining evidence, and other relevant data sources.
• Participates in pre-trial witness interviews and identifies and redresses deficiencies in case materials.

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

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

Qualifications

GS-09: In order to qualify for the GS-9 level of this position, you must meet ONE of the following qualification requirements:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in Federal service performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions. Examples of qualifying experience include performing the following types of duties:

• Examining and processing a variety of legal documents.
• Conducting research, analysis, and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests.
• Drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence.
• Using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information.
• Documenting findings and preparing recommendations.
• Searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel.

EDUCATION: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field:

• A J.D. or LL.B; OR
• A Master's or equivalent graduate degree or higher; OR
• 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

COMBINATION EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: A combination of specialized experience and graduate education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. (Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year is creditable.)

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.

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.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.