Paralegal Specialist

The purpose of this position is to provide legal support to Office of Solicitor General, Officials and Attorneys in preparation of cases of litigation in the Supreme Court.

Duties

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

The duties and responsibilities for a Paralegal Specialist generally include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Work closely with attorneys to identify the type of assistance needed on cases.
• Provide legal support to attorney's in the preparation of cases for litigation in Supreme Court.
• Summarize the relevance of an array of legal information.
• Evaluate, analyze, and cite check Supreme Court briefs in conformance with court.

Salary

• $68,405 - $107,590/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a United States 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 or two-year trial 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.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
• A USA Hire assessment is required. An email will be sent with additional information after you submit your application. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment.

Qualifications To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist at (GS-0950-9/11), you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to this series and grade you're applying to.

If you are a current or former government employee on a permanent appointment in the competitive service, you will need to demonstrate 1-year (52-weeks) at the next lower grade level, to meet the time-in-grade requirements for this occupational series and grade. Additionally, please ensure to submit an applicable SF50 (please refer to the "required documents" section for additional information).

For the GS-09: Specialized Experience: For the GS-9, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service which includes: providing support to attorneys in reviewing and editing documents for legal case issues or citations for accuracy in briefs filed with the Supreme Court.

OR

Education: Master's Degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D. in a field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position.(Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

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. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

For the GS-11: Specialized Experience: For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service which includes: reviewing, analyzing, and advising on legal case issues for the accuracy of legal citations or other references.

OR

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. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

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. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including Time-in-Grade, by the closing date of this announcement, 12/06/2024.

Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (12/06/2024) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application. Education If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements, please see the statements below: Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 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 an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. Other Information

The bullets below outline the various groups of applicants that fall under the term "status candidates". This vacancy is open to applicants from any of the groups listed below: When you apply you'll have the chance to claim an eligibility pathway, be sure you fully read each statement and any links provided to make sure you know which eligibility you qualify for.

See a full list and learn more at USAJOBS, see: What does Status Candidate mean? or Which Jobs am I Eligible to Apply for?

1. CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: For more information, see USAJOBS Federal Employees.
2. CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS (CTAP or ICTAP): For more information visit: USAJOBS Career Transition Programs
3. VETERANS AND MILITARY SPOUSES: Please see USAJOBS Veterans Preference for more details.
4. SCHEDULE A, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Learn more at USAJOBS - Individuals with Disabilities.

General Employment Information:

1. DOJ EEO STATEMENT: The U.S. Department of Justice fosters an inclusive and diverse workforce, find our EEO statement online at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/download
2. SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you were born male, on or after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.
3. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS: DOJ policy can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy. If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

This position is excluded from bargaining unit.

Required Documents

Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims.

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application.

ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

1. Contact Information: Name, address, phone number, and email,
2. Official position title;
3. Employer name and contact information;
4. Start and end dates (including month and year);
5. A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
6. Your grade/step achieved; and
7. The number of hours worked per week (or indicate full-time).

If you are a current or former Federal employee:

1. You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent agency form. Do not submit an award SF-50, these do not contain sufficient information about your appointment
2. Your SF-50 should list the full position title, series, grade and step, organization, duty location, service computation date, effective date, and your service type and tenure status.
3. Submit a copy of your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal, signed, showing your final rating. If a performance appraisal is not available submit a statement explaining why one is not available.
4. See USAJOBS Current & Former Employees for more information.

If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:

1. Submit all DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, Member-4 Copy) forms.
2. If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating you will need to submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
3. If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter.
4. For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.

If you are a person with a disability, claiming eligibility under Schedule A:

1. You must submit "proof of a disability" documentation ("Proof of a disability" is a letter stating that you have an intellectual disability, severe physical disability or psychiatric disability).
2. You must get this letter from your doctor, a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any Federal, state, or local agency that issues or provides disability benefits.
3. For more information about Schedule A and verification requirements, please see OPM's Schedule A site.

If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP:

1. You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency.
2. If you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force.
3. See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information.

If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required:

1. You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
2. Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
3. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
4. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.

USAJOBS - What documents might I need to provide?

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, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/06/2024 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

If you would like to preview the assessment questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12614551

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.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on 12/06/2024.
4. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements)
6. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.

To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment. 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/

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits