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Government Publishing Office

Paralegal Specialist

Government Publishing Office See More Job Openings by This EmployerArrow
  • Full Time
  • $99,200 - $128,956/year
  • Washington, DC
November 18, 2024 Paralegal

Job Description

GPO employees possess a diverse array of talent in many administrative fields and trades. We provide other agencies with innovative services for the printing, publishing, storage, and distribution of digital content. If you are an energetic, inventive individual looking for a challenging, yet rewarding career opportunity, GPO may be the place for you. This position is in the Office of General Counsel, Government Publishing Office in Washington, District of Columbia.

Duties
  • Performs legal research for attorneys, including responding to responding to, compilation and organization of discovery documents, interrogatories and requests for admissions in pending cases.
  • Provides support for the Office of General Counsel’s(OGC) electronic knowledge management system.
  • Examines and evaluates requests for information under agency directives for Public Access -and determines if documents can be released.
  • Receives, analyzes, investigates, and recommends action on submissions under various Tort Claim Acts.
  • Assists agency Ethics Officer in annual review, follow-up and processing of Public Financial Disclosure Forms for all GPO officials required to file such reports.
Salary
  • $99,200 - $128,956/year
Conditions of Employment
  • You must be a current permanent Career or Career Conditional GPO employee to apply.
  • Selectee is required to pass preemployment requirements prior to appointment.
  • Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a suitability investigation.
  • Selectee may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
  • TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. Applicants must have served 1 year at the next lower grade level or equivalent grade level of federal service to qualify
Qualifications To qualify for the Paralegal Specialist, PG - 0950 - 12 , you must meet the following requirements:

To minimally qualify for the PG-12 level, you must meet the following requirements. You must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the PG-11 grade level or higher in the Federal Service that includes:

1. Researching legal information utilizing Westlaw, LexisNexis, PACER, or Cyber Feds.
2. Conducting legal research/factual investigation regarding information requested including the laws, regulations, and legal precedents.
3. Composing correspondence consolidating and highlighting information into a format that most effectively answers inquiries and prepares in final form for the signature of the attorney.


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 (11/29/2024) to be considered. Education Substitution of education in lieu of specialized experience may not be used or this grade level. Other Information

Employment of Relatives
Section 3110 of Title 5, U.S. Code, prohibits a Federal official from appointing, promoting, or advocating the appointment or promotion of a relative in the agency where the official is serving or exercises jurisdiction. In addition, Section 2302(b)(7) of Title 5, U.S. Code, makes it a "prohibited personnel practice" for a person in authority to "appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for the appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement of a relative." For further information visit: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/3110 and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/2302

Work Life Balance
The GPO offers Transit subsidy for commuters using public transportation (Metro Bus/Rail, MARC, VRE, etc.).

Background Investigation:

For a Suitability:
To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the GPO requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy; this position requires a background investigation for Suitability. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background check for Suitability. This review could include fingerprints and credit checks, as well as a full field FBI background investigation and tax and bar checks for attorney applicants. The background investigation covers a period of seven to ten years depending on the nature of the position; this process may take 6 weeks or longer. The Agency may rescind the tentative offer, if the candidate is unable to pass the background investigation.


The selectee will work shift 1 (9:00 am - 5:00 pm).

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

Required Documents

  • The Content of Resume: Your resume, curriculum vitae, or other written form you choose to describe your job-related experiences are used to verify your qualifications. Therefore, it is important that your resume accurately reflects the duties and responsibilities under each position you have held with each employer. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. It is your responsibility to make sure your resume states complete information for each job entry (beginning and ending dates of employment stated as MM/YYYY; and total number of hours worked per week). If your resume does not provide enough information regarding your work history for us to make a creditable qualification determination, your application package may be rendered disqualified and you will no longer be considered for this position. To assist you in sending in a complete resume, use the checklist Click Here
  • SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action- If you are a current or former federal employee, you must submit a SF-50 showing the highest grade level held in the position for which you are using to qualify. Your SF-50 must also include the Position Title and Series, Step, Salary, Tenure, Position Occupied, and promotion potential (if applicable) to verify your status and eligibility. An award SF-50 is not acceptable. If you are unable to provide your most recent SF-50, you should submit a written statement explaining why it was not obtainable. This explanation should include your Position Title and Series, Step, Salary, Tenure, Position Occupied, and promotion potential. Failure to submit the required SF50 document or statement of explanation will result in an ineligible rating under merit promotion procedures.

    If you are unable to provide your most recent SF-50, you should submit a written statement explaining why it was not obtainable. This explanation should include your Position Title and Series, Step, Salary, Tenure, Position Occupied, and promotion potential. Failure to submit the required SF50 document or statement of explanation will result in an ineligible rating under merit promotion procedures.
  • Recent Performance Appraisal -If you are a current or former federal employee, you must submit your current Fiscal Year (FY2024) Performance Appraisal showing you have performed at an acceptable level. If you are unable to submit your current Fiscal Year (FY2024) Performance Appraisal you must submit a written explanation as to why it was not obtainable. In this explanation, you should include your final rating. Failure to submit your current Fiscal Year (FY2024) Performance Appraisal or a written statement explaining why it was not obtainable will disqualify you from further consideration.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes 1) your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire, 2) your resume, and 3) any other documents needed to verify your qualifications or eligibility (see the required documents section).

Please follow the instructions listed below for submitting your complete application package. Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all instructions before you begin.

Resume Requirements:

  • Resumes are limited to eight (8) pages
  • Resumes should focus on the knowledge, skills, abilities; accomplishments and results; and training and education relevant to this position.
  • Resumes must be in the following format (for each position held relevant to this position):
    • Short summary of position duties
    • Accomplishments while in the position
    • Results of those accomplishments
Copying and pasting position descriptions into a resume is not acceptable.

Illegible Information and/or Documents
  • If your supporting documents and resume are illegible or do not provide the necessary information for the Human Capital Specialist and/or Subject Matter Expert to make a qualification determination, you may lose consideration for this position.
Last Document Uploaded
  • If multiple copies of the same document are uploaded/faxed and submitted with your application, GPO will only consider the last copy of the document uploaded/faxed when determining your eligibility and qualifications. For example, if you upload/fax two or more resumes only the last resume uploaded/faxed and submitted will be considered.

Print a copy of the occupational questionnaire so that you may read and review the questions before submitting your online responses. Click here to view the Occupational Questionnaire:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12597081

The completed online Application Package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/29/2024.
- 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/.

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

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.



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