Legal Assistant (OA) - Wildlife and Marine Resources Section

This position is located in the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division. The Section litigates complex civil cases under federal wildlife laws and laws concerning the protection of marine fish and mammals, including the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The incumbent will perform legal support tasks associated with Section litigation.

Duties

One or more vacancies to be filled in Washington D.C. or Denver Colorado.

This vacancy is also being announced concurrently with Annt# ENRD-26-037-MP for employees with Federal status or eligibility and applicants eligible for special appointment authorities. Please review that announcement to determine if you are eligible to apply.

As a Legal Assistant, you will join a well-respected team of Legal Assistants who are responsible for performing a wide range of administrative and legal support tasks to support the Section's federal district court litigation practice:

• Reviewing and analyzing case materials to become familiar with the case or matter.
• Creating and maintaining litigation case files of pleadings, discovery documents, and correspondence.
• Organizing and maintaining legal and other reference materials.
• Utilizing word processing software including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat to draft, edit, and prepare a variety of routine documents and correspondence.
• Utilizing automated legal databases, including Relativity, Westlaw, Lexis, or other similar database to conduct searches for or retrieve legal documents, court cases, and statutory references.
• Retrieving, organizing, and assembling trial exhibits, affidavits, legal documents, briefing books, and other case materials to prepare for trials or other litigation projects.
• Arranging travel reservations; preparing and completing necessary travel authorizations and vouchers; and coordinating with appropriate offices to ensure prompt payment.
• Directing inquiries from visitors and callers to the appropriate individuals for action.
• Preparing correspondence and administrative forms using proper format, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Conveying information to customers and staff in a clear and convincing manner.
• Composing routine legal documents e.g., motions or requests for extension of time or proposed orders, requiring knowledge of legal procedures.
• Facilitating the exchange of information between litigation support staff, paralegals, and attorneys.

Salary

• $50,630 - $75,059/year

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
• You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.
• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
• You must complete or have completed a one-year probationary period.
• You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.
• If this is your first appointment in the Federal government, your pay will be set at Step 1 of the grade selected.

Qualifications

To qualify for GS-6, you must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-5 Federal grade level or above composing standardized legal forms needed for specific actions; preparing trial exhibits, affidavits, and legal documents in preparation for trials; and maintaining litigation case files.

To qualify for GS-7, you must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-6 Federal grade level or above conducting searches of legal documents and court cases; verifying statutory references and legal citations; and developing tables of authorities, tables of contents, and indices to briefs; OR

One full year of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position (e.g., law or paralegal studies) may be substituted for the specialized experience; OR

A combination of specialized experience and directly related graduate education may also be used to meet 100% of the qualification requirements at GS-7. Note: Nine (9) semester hours of graduate education directly related to the work of the position is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.

Typing Requirement: This position requires a qualified typist with a minimum typing speed of 40 words per minute. If you do not self-certify on the occupational/assessment questionnaire that you have the required typing proficiency, you will be rated ineligible for this position. This position requires office automation skills. Some examples of office automation skills include database management and various word processing software packages (MS Office Suite: Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) and database applications.

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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12970273

The possible salary range for Washington DC:

• GS-6 ($51,957 - $67,543)
• GS-7 ($57,736 - $75,059)

The possible salary range for Denver, CO:

• GS-6 ($50,630 - $65,819)
• GS-7 ($56,262 - $73,142)

Other Information Career Transition Programs: The Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in DOJ with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If you have received written notification of your eligibility for consideration under CTAP/ICTAP, you may receive special priority consideration for this position if you satisfy all qualification requirements and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/ To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214; official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions. If you are claiming 10-point preference, you must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 in addition to the supporting documentation required and identified on the reserve side of the SF-15, Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference. If you are claiming 10-point DERIVED PREFERENCE as a relative you must submit Member Copy 4 of the veteran's DD-214 and an SF-15 in addition to the supporting documentation required and identified on the reverse side of the SF-15. If you fail to do so, you will receive consideration as a non-veteran. Benefits: DOJ offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. General Employment Information: DOJ EEO STATEMENT: Find our EEO statement online at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/dl?inline SELECTIVE SERVICE: Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Required Documents

You must submit a detailed resumé containing the following information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

• Official position title;
• Employer name and contact information;
• Start and end dates (month and year);
• A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
• Your highest salary (or Federal grade/step) achieved; and
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time.

Additional required documents must be submitted by the closing date of the job announcement. Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list below to determine which documents are required for your application.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Resume (not to exceed two pages)
2. Cover letter (optional)
3. Unofficial school transcripts if you are using education to qualify, in whole or in part
4. Documentation to support your claim for veteran preference, if applicable
5. CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable
6. Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.

If you are using education to qualify for this position, or if 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.

If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit:

1. A copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service, OR
2. A certification letter from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. This letter must contain (a) military service dates including the expected discharge or release date and (b) character of service.

If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference as a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15.

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

1. Submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency.
2. If you have not yet been separated, provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of a RIF.
3. Also submit your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential and duty location.
4. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility can be found at http://www.opm.gov/ctap/index.asp

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Do not include the following types of information in your profile or resume:

• Classified or government sensitive information
• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Photos of yourself
• Personal information, such as age, religious affiliation, etc.
• Encrypted and digitally signed documents

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate content, you may not be considered for this vacancy.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. 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 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.