This position is located in the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge , Executive Office for Immigration Review, U. S. Department of Justice. Incumbent serves as Legal Assistant, who processes, analyzes and researches legal documents, generates reports, develops Records of Proceedings, and responds to FOIA requests. This is a Competitive Service position; additional positions may be filled from this announcement within 90 days of certificate issuance.
Duties
Duties include but are not limited to the following: Reviewing correspondence and legal documents/files in an assigned area or case; Analyzes documents and utilizes specialized techniques to determine appropriate course of action; Develops Records of Proceedings (ROPs); Prepares notices to respondents, attorneys, and other concerned parties to advise them of hearing dates; and Provides assistance to in-court services staff with docket preparation and coordination of files and records needed for hearings
Salary
Qualifications
In order to qualify for the Legal Assistant position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: FOR THE GS-05 LEVEL: A. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: 1) Preparing and processing standard, routine legal correspondence; 2) Providing information to visitors and telephone callers; 3) Using word processing software and printing devices to produce a variety of standardized documents such as letters and reports; and 4) Maintaining legal files. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) OR B. Education: Applicants must have successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite is creditable. This education was obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. NOTE: Applicants must submit a copy of their transcripts for verification. OR C. Combination: Applicant must possess a combination of specialized experience described in letter A above and post high school education described in letter B above in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) that totals at least one year. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. NOTE: Applicants must submit a copy of their transcripts for verification. FOR THE GS-06 LEVEL: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: 1) Processing motions, petitions and other legal documents; 2) Responding to written, telephonic, electronic, and personal inquiries regarding legal proceedings and records; 3) Assist in the preparation of legal case file materials; and 4) Maintaining and analyzing statistical data. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) FOR THE GS-07 LEVEL: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: 1) Scheduling hearings, meetings and engagements; 2) Examining case files to determine sufficiency of documentation and to identify material that may be pertinent to issues or cases; 3) Conducting research for case information through records, reference and historical material; 4) Assisting in retiring files; and 5) Generating, modifying, and interpreting computer-generated reports. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) FOR THE GS-08 LEVEL: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one or more full-time years (12-months) of specialized work experience, equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, performing the following duties: 1) Applying comprehensive legal regulations, techniques, and procedures to perform assistance work requiring extensive searches of records, reference or historical material and comparisons with complex, voluminous or broadly written criteria; 2) Examining and processing charging documents which are voluminous and complex in format; 3) Reviewing incoming documents/files and determining the need to create or reassemble a Record of Proceeding (ROP) file and process a variety of legal documents; and 4) Conducting extensive searches for case information applying comprehensive legal regulations, specialized techniques, and procedures. (Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience) Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.
Education
ARE YOU USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY? Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Applicants can verify accreditation by clicking here. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. (Note: If you are selected for this position based on education, an official transcript will be required, prior to your first day.) You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in accredited U.S. education programs; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, click here. Translated transcripts are required.
Required Documents
Your complete Application Package (containing the above required documents) must be received no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on 04/20/2026 To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: 1. Your Resume showing relevant experience; cover letter optional. (Please see the How You Will Be Evaluated section) 2. A complete Assessment Questionnaire. 3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable to you. Transcripts, if qualifying based on education. (Must include your name, college name and address, courses, dates attended, major and degree, cumulative grade point average (GPA), any honors received, and date the degree was awarded/conferred.) CTAP/ICTAP documents (Please see the Additional Information section) Veterans' Preference and documents: (DD214 MEMBER-4 copy, SF-15, and required documentation that is acceptable proof of your claim for preference.) If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you claim on your resume. You must submit a DD214 Member-4 Copy, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," which shows dates of service and separation under honorable conditions. If you are entitled to veterans' preference based on a service-connected disability, award of the Purple Heart, or derived preference, you must submit an SF15, "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference," and required documentation that is acceptable proof of your claim for preference. (e.g. An official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying the veteran's service-connected disability and combined disability rating.) For more information on Veterans' Preference click here. Veterans eligible for a Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA). You must submit a copy of your DD-214. NOTE: VRA only applies to positions at the GS-11 level and below. Any other supporting documentation required for verification as described in the announcement. Active Duty Service Members expected to be released or discharged from active duty service may submit a written document from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions within 120 days after the certification is submitted. The certification letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. Without this documentation, you will not receive tentative veterans' preference and your application will be evaluated based on the job application materials submitted. Veterans' preference must be verified prior to appointment.
How to Apply
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: 1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. 2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Occupational questionnaire can be previewed here:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12934273 3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. 4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. 5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. 6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. 7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. 8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
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