Legal Administrative Specialist

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts seeks a Legal Administrative Specialist to provide full legal support to one or more Assistant U.S. Attorneys.

The role focuses on criminal matters, including grand jury investigations, with duties spanning case organization, court preparation, and document management in Boston, MA. You will assist attorneys, participate in interviews of agents and witnesses, and help prepare grand jury and trial materials.

Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: 1 year at GS-05 level with three of four duties including organizing case information and grand jury logs.
• Experience with court prep such as exhibits, trial notebooks, and witness lists.
• Ability to prepare, edit and organize legal documents (subpoenas, information requests, memos).
• Using technology to organize digital evidence.

Responsibilities

• Researching, analyzing, and summarizing legal precedents for cases.
• Analyzing records to isolate facts for legal issues.
• Supporting attorneys in interviews for grand jury or trial.
• Organizing grand jury/trial testimony for AUSA preparation.
• Advise on efficient ways to prepare and present administrative legal documents.

Skills

Case organization

Court preparation

Legal document management

Digital evidence handling

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree or higher

Job description

Summary

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts represents the entire state and its 6.8 million residents. Of the 94 U.S. Attorneys' Offices throughout the United States and its territories, the District of Massachusetts is one of the busiest, prosecuting a broad range of cases including national security, white collar crime, public corruption, cybercrime, narcotics and money laundering, organized crime and gang violence, and civil rights violations.

Duties

This position is also being announced to applicants under Delegated Examining procedures under 27-MA-13095628-DE.

This Legal Administrative Specialist provides the full range of legal support services to one or more Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) involved in criminal matters, including grand jury investigations for federally cognizable cases.

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Legal Administrative Specialist support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, located in Boston, Massachusetts, focusing in the area of legal support services.

Typical Work Assignments Will Include

• Researching, analyzing, and summarizing relevant legal precedents for applicability to assigned cases.
• Analyzing records to isolate facts pertinent to distinct legal issues.
• Supporting the investigative or trial team in its interviews of agents and potential witnesses to assist the AUSA in preparation for grand jury or trial.
• Organizing, reviewing, summarizing and outlining grand jury and/or trial testimony to assist to AUSA in preparation for grand jury or trial.
• Providing advice to attorney and other legal support staff on the most effective and efficient ways to prepare, present and maintain a variety of administrative legal documents.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

• You must be a United States Citizen or National to apply for this position.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• A probationary period may be required.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
• Time-in-Grade: Current or former Federal employees applying under merit promotion considerations must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements for consideration within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.
• As needed, additional selections may be made using this announcement.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

To Qualify At The GS-07 Level, You Must Possess

Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) three (3) out of four (4) of the following duties:

• Assisting with organizing case information, such as creating grand jury logs, organizing grand jury responses, or preparing discovery productions;
• Assisting attorneys with court preparation, such as the preparation of exhibits, compilation of trial notebooks, and/or organization of witness and exhibit lists;
• Preparing, editing and/or organizing a variety of legal documents, such as information requests, subpoenas, correspondence or memos;
• Using technology to organize digital evidence.

OR Successful completion of one full year of graduate level education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university and my education demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (You must provide supporting transcripts).

OR Successful completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a course of study that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work and I meet at least one of the requirements for superior academic achievement (SAA): 1. Class standing — Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. 2. Grade‑point average (G.P.A.) — Applicants must have a grade‑point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. (Grade‑point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.) 3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society — Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. (You must submit transcripts.)

OR A combination of the above‑described specialized experience and education. I have some specialized experience as described in A, but less than one year; and I have more than one year but less than two years of education as described in B. I have computed the percentage of the requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. (You must submit transcripts.)

To Qualify At The GS-09 Level, You Must Possess

Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) three (3) out of four (4) of the following duties:

• Analyzing or evaluating legal decisions or case files to identify relevant issues or potential evidence;
• Utilizing appropriate litigation technology software to assist with trial preparation, such as rendering audiovisual materials or presenting information during trials;
• Organizing voluminous case information for retrieval, such as electronic evidence, exhibits, witness testimony or discovery;
• Drafting a variety of legal documents, such as information request, subpoenas, correspondence, or memos.

OR Successful completion of one of the following types of education in a related field, such as (Criminal Justice, Law, Legal Studies): a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. My education was obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. (You must submit transcripts.)

OR A combination of specialized experience as described in A, but less than one year; and I have at least one year of graduate education as described in B, which when combined equals 100% of the requirements. To calculate your percentage of education, first determine the total number of hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study) then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation). (You must submit transcripts.)

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

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.

If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS

Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-05 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level. One year at the GS-07 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level.

• You must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted; recommended SF-50s include promotions and step increases (within grade increases).

Education

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see https://www.ed.gov/

Special Instructions for 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. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.In addition, when reviewing applicant's transcripts, assumptions will not be made. Applicants MUST state which coursework is relevant.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

Background Investigation

To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Justice requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a clearance as a condition of placement in this Moderate Risk position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

Special Hiring Authorities for Military Spouse and Family Members

FedsHireVets - OPM.gov

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision. 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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. Opens in a new window 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.