Legal Assistant

The duties and responsibilities for a Legal Assistant, GS-0986-8/9 generally include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Providing technical legal and administrative support to appellate immigration judges in reviewing immigration and nationality cases and processing actions that result in formal Board orders.
• Coordinating, routing, and monitoring case assignments to maintain an orderly workflow and identify detained, expedited, or special review cases requiring immediate attention.
• Reviewing case records and critical data fields, research supporting documents, identify errors or omissions, and ensure compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, precedents, and procedures.
• Using automated case management and attorney discipline systems to track case status, file locations, corrections, revisions, deadlines, correspondence, and supporting documentation.
• Proofreading, formatting, and editing legal documents, opinions, correspondence, and orders for accurate citations, quoted material, grammar, style, and compliance with Board procedures.
• Establishing, organizing, maintaining, and closing legal and administrative files, determining which case materials must be retained under established records procedures.
• Responding to procedural inquiries, research case status, draft correspondence, coordinate schedules and oral arguments, and maintain legal reference materials for appellate immigration judges.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• Salary payments must be by direct deposit to a financial institution.
• If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. See “How to Apply” section for more information.
• Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

In order to qualify for the Legal Assistant position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

FOR THE GS-08 LEVEL:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks, full-time) of specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (or comparable experience outside the Federal service), performing 3 or more of the following duties:

1. Reviewing legal or administrative case files for completeness using established procedures;
2. Updating case information in an automated case management system;
3. Maintaining legal files in accordance with records procedures; and
4. Proofreading routine legal documents for accuracy and proper format.

1. Applying statutes, regulations, and precedents to determine whether case actions comply with regulatory requirements;
2. Researching regulations, precedents, and agency guidance to address procedural questions and process legal case actions;
3. Tracking priority legal cases and updating case status to support expedited review and timely processing; and
4. Providing case status and procedural information to attorneys, judges, staff, or other authorized parties.