Paralegal

The Division of Enforcement is seeking a early-career Paralegal Specialist (Paralegal). As a Paralegal, you will provide investigative and litigation support to staff engaged in developing and prosecuting administrative and civil cases involving violations of federal securities laws.

Duties

In this role as a Paralegal, you will be responsible for:

• Providing legal research assistance on enforcement investigations. Analyzing information obtained from case files, reports, and testimony regarding alleged or suspected violations of the federal securities laws.
• Independently reviewing, processing and preparing documents covering diverse and complex legal issues or problems as a case progresses through the investigative system.
• Performing extensive, specialized, independent research on complex legal and factual issues to locate appropriate data, legislative history, precedents, and policies having a bearing on specific legal issues.
• Researching court rules in state and federal courts throughout the country where the Commission conducts litigation, as well as other agencies such as the Department of Justice, to ascertain the appropriate form, content, and due date of filings.
• Providing paralegal support for trial attorneys by drafting and reviewing legal documents, managing discovery and trial preparation, and preparing and filing court documents via Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) and other electronic filing systems, in compliance with court rules, deadlines, and Commission procedures.
• Researching and analyzing agency statutes, legal decisions, rulings, opinions, complex points of law, precedent cases, and administrative and judicial decisions or opinions.
• Preparing replies to correspondence, researching specific problems when sources of information maintained for the purpose are inadequate, and coordinating proposed replies with the organizational units responsible for the areas of the law involved.

Salary

• $104,371 - $176,836/year

Conditions of Employment

• CITZENSHIP: You must be a US Citizen.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/)
• SECURITY CLEARANCE: Entrance on duty is contingent upon completion of a pre-employment security investigation. Favorable results on a Background Investigation may be a condition of employment or selection to another position.
• DRUG TESTING: This position may be subjected to drug testing requirements.
• PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS): Moving/Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: This appointment may require completion of a one-year probationary period.
• The selectee is required to report to the duty station(s) listed.

Qualifications

Time-in-grade for this announcement is one year at the GS/SK-11 level.

Applicants are responsible for confirming all required materials are submitted by the closing date of the announcement. Please check the How You Will Be Evaluated and Required Documents sections carefully, as missing documents will render the application incomplete and ineligible for review.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sector. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirement, applicants must also meet the minimum qualification requirement

SK-12: Applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/SK-11 level:

1. Researching the laws; AND
2. Preparing legal documents and memoranda, managing investigative documents and case files; AND
3. Using application software and online legal research tools; AND
4. Providing all aspects of investigative, courtroom and pretrial litigation support that includes preparing, analyzing, and processing legal documents, and utilizing electronic discovery and other electronic technologies to perform legal research to assist in an investigation or at trial or other courtroom proceedings.

ACCOMPLISHMENT RECORD COMPETENCIES: Your Accomplishment Record narratives should address the following competencies. See the How You Will Be Evaluated section below for more information:

Competency 1: Legal and Factual Research and Analysis - Conducts legal and factual research and analysis; compiles materials (e.g., discovery, precedents, background investigations, datasets) for attorneys' use.
Competency 2: Workload Management - Effectively prioritizes workload in a way that accommodates unforeseen developments and achieves successful outcomes.
Competency 3: Legal and Investigative Documentation - Drafts, prepares, processes, and maintains legal and/or investigative documents.
Competency 4: Case Management - Manages cases efficiently using best practices.

Other Information Supplementary vacancies may be filled in addition to the number stated in this announcement and may be filled from any division or office within the agency. SEC COMPENSATION PROGRAM: Total salary (base pay + locality) is dependent upon duty location. The overall salary range listed above is provided for informational purposes; a selectee's initial pay will be established below the maximum rate of the range. The pay for current SEC employees will be determined according to the procedures specified in the agency's policy. Please visit the agency's Compensation Overview page for more information. Disability Employment: For information on disability appointments, click here. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SURPLUS OR DISPLACED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not I/CTAP eligible. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; the questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility (2) be rated well-qualified; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. View information about I/CTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, you must be a preference eligible or a Veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. LAND MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE FLEXIBILITY ACT (LMWFA): The LMWFA provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. For more information, click here. Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities: For more information on noncompetitive appointment authority eligibility requirements: Persons with Disabilities-Schedule A Special Hiring Authorities for Veterans Special Hiring Authority for Certain Military Spouses Other Special Appointment Authorities Reasonable Accommodation: If you are an applicant who needs a reasonable accommodation to participate in the SEC application process due to a medical disability, please contact reasonableaccommodation@sec.gov. For religious-based accommodations, please contact religiousaccommodation@sec.gov . Please be sure to submit your request at least 5 business days in advance of the date you need the requested accommodation. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Information for SEC Job Applicants: For more information, please click here. The Fair Chance Act prohibits specific inquiries concerning an applicant's criminal or credit background unless the hiring agency has made a conditional offer of employment to the applicant. An applicant may submit a complaint, or any other information, to the agency within 30 calendar days of the date of alleged non-compliance by contacting the Legal and Policy Office in the Office of Human Resources at ElliottT@sec.gov. Required Documents

You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:

• Required: Your responses to the Questionnaire.
• Required: Resume - Resumes should include relevant work experience, with specific employment dates, that demonstrates qualifications for the specialized experience and competencies as outlined above. If your resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of these qualifications, you may not receive consideration for the position. Resumes that exceed two pages will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration. For resume writing tips, visit USAJOBS and the SEC careers page.
• Required, if you are a current or former Federal employee*: Your most recent Promotion, Within Grade Increase (i.e. WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or non-award Notification of Personnel Action (if applying as a current or former Federal Employee) must show you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. Note: If you are in the excepted service, your current agency must have an interchange agreement with OPM - for a list of agencies with current interchange agreements please click here.
• Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.)
• Required, if applicable: VEOA documentation (DD-214, member 4 copy or other documentation containing dates of service and character of discharge.)
• Required, if applicable: Special Hiring Authority eligibility documentation (VA letter, Schedule A eligibility letter, Peace Corp letter, etc)
• Required, if applicable: Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act supporting documentation.

SEC EMPLOYEES: OHR will verify your eligibility via the SEC's personnel database.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. No additional documentation will be accepted after the closing date of the announcement.

• To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
• You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.