Paralegal Specialist

About the role

This position is open to Current Federal employees in the permanent competitive service of the Department of Justice, including surplus and displaced employees eligible under the CTAP program in the local commuting area.

Responsibilities

• Providing substantive assistance to Assistant U.S. Attorneys on litigative matters.
• Drafting initial legal and administrative briefs, U.S. Attorney Office motions, oppositions to defense motions and correspondence for Assistant U.S. Attorneys review.
• Organizing data and developing trial exhibits such as statistical charts, graphs, and timelines to be presented in court.
• Preparing and organizing trial exhibits, documents, memoranda, reports and correspondence.

Requirements

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication, including 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.

Qualifications

GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below:

• Specialized Experience: Experience 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: 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. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Criminal Justice, Law, Business Administration, etc.
• Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

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: Experience 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: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Criminal Justice, Law, Business Administration, etc.
• Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Benefits

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.

Pay

Pay scales are determined by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and are available at this link.

Schedule

The schedule for this position is typically full-time, but may vary based on the specific needs of the department.