Paralegal Specialist

The Paralegal Specialist position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA). OLA provides legislative counsel to the AO and the Judicial Conference; supports Judicial Conference committees; develops and promotes legislative initiatives; promotes communication with, and prepares and coordinates responses to inquiries from, Congress, the executive branch, and other entities; and analyzes the impact of legislative proposals on the Judiciary.

Duties

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) is seeking an experienced, professional Paralegal Specialist to join its team. OLA works with the Judicial Conference of the United States (JCUS) and its committees to develop policy positions on legislative issues, promotes legislative initiatives, identifies and monitors congressional activity impacting the Judiciary, and develops and coordinates responses to policy and legislative inquiries from Congress.

The Paralegal Specialist provides a wide range of legislative, program, and administrative support services; conducts legislative and legal research; identifies issues and analyzes legislation, laws, press articles, and other materials; prioritizes multiple assignments; and works effectively in a fast-paced, high priority, deadline-driven environment. This position reports to the Supervisory Administrative Analyst in the OLA.

The incumbent must be able to maintain a work schedule outside of core hours to support attorneys and OLA's response to congressional developments, including working late evenings and weekends to complete time-sensitive projects.

The duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

1. Compiling and preparing a daily summary of items of interest from the Congressional Record.
2. Analyzing the impact of legislative proposals on the Judiciary and performing online research using Congress.gov, Westlaw, LexisNexis, or other congressional and legal research services and databases.
3. Performing data entry, searching, and managing OLA databases.
4. Analyzing, evaluating, and maintaining congressional materials of judicial relevance.
5. Conducting and summarizing policy research, including searching for and extracting information from reports, documents, publications, recordings, and other materials.
6. Tracking congressional activity through an established system.
7. Compiling and organizing correspondence, bills, memoranda, and other materials to create legislative histories.
8. Managing OLA intranet website content.
9. Performing administrative tasks, including receiving telephone calls and visitors and making appropriate referrals; preparing and formatting letters, memoranda, congressional testimony and other documents; and reviewing and distributing incoming mail.
10. Attending or monitoring congressional hearings and markups and providing written and oral reports of proceedings.
11. Maintaining working relationships with staff of the AO, the federal courts, congressional committees, and key agencies in the executive branch.
12. Composing and reviewing complex and sensitive correspondence or other written materials.

Salary

• $77,002 - $134,985/year

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

1. All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
2. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
3. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check, and pass a public trust suitability check.
4. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
5. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
6. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
7. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Qualifications Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience must demonstrate experience in ALL areas defined:
Highly Desired:

• Capitol Hill experience

Education This position does not require education to qualify. However, a bachelor's degree (BA or BS) from a four-year college or university, or an associate's degree in a related field, is highly desired. Other Information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Required Documents

For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:

• Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
• Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
• Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

How to Apply

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

The complete application package must be submitted by 04/17/2025 to receive consideration.
To begin, click

• Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
• You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
• You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
• To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12708274

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.

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