Paralegal Specialist

About the role

If selected for this position, you will serve as a Paralegal Specialist in the Criminal Division for the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida.

Responsibilities

Duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Using an in-depth knowledge of the application of various laws, court and/or administrative decisions and interpretations related to U.S. Magistrate Court proceedings.
• Using multiple online legal systems, researching state and federal statutes, legal and factual issues and any other source of information pertinent to the resolution of an issue.
• Independently performing extensive and thorough legal research into the legislative history, precedent cases, decisions, and opinions that may be applicable to particular legal matters.
• Preparing documents that pertain to the analysis, evaluation and relevance of technical evidence or questions which arise during the litigative process and require reconciliation of conflicting policies and facts.
• Drafting legal documents that detail the legislative history, precedent cases, decisions and opinions that may be applicable to particular legal matters.
• Preparing and organizing voluminous documentation and evidence for production as discovery and for use in trial.
• Identifying and locating missing information.
• Reviewing administrative records and discovery production for privileged content and other content for redaction.
• Participating in pre-trial witness conferences, noting any deficiencies in case materials (e.g., missing documents, conflicting statements) and additional issues or other matters requiring investigation prior to trial.
• Examining and evaluating information in case files, following agency standards regarding case litigation worthiness and appropriate titles of law.

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. 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-09: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of Education and Experience.

• Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and the ability to interpret legal decisions.
• Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law, Public Administration, Business Administration): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
• Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year.

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, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.

• Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized Experience is defined as experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• 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.
• Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 2 full years.

Skills

Knowledge of legal reference materials and ability to perform extensive legal research, specializing in asset forfeiture is preferred.

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.