Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

US-Executive-Office-For-U.S.-Attorneys-and-the-Office-of-the-U.S.-Attorneys-; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Justice seeks personnel to provide trial support to attorneys by preparing and formatting legal documents, including complaints, motions, subpoenas and orders. You will verify citations and assist with discovery and trial preparation, including notebooks, jury instructions, and witness/exhibit lists.

Qualified applicants will have specialized experience at GS-7/GS-8 levels, typing speed 40 wpm, and familiarity with legal databases and case management software.

Qualifications

• Typing speed of at least 40 words per minute with few errors.
• Experience assisting attorneys with trial/hearing preparation.
• Ability to prepare and format legal documents accurately.

Responsibilities

• Prepare complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, and other hearing documents.
• Verify citations and statutory references in legal documents.
• Assist with discovery, hearing or trial prep and organize trial notebooks.
• Compile jury instructions, witness and exhibit lists, and manage discovery.

Skills

Typing 40 wpm

Legal document prep

Trial support

Tools

Legal case management software

Job description

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 27-WAW-13077778-MS. GS-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience providing trial support to attorneys by preparing complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, or other hearing and/or trial documents accurately and in proper format; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; assisting with discovery, hearing or trial preparation by performing duties such as compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, and compiling witness and exhibit lists; and using software applications and legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs, and prepare courtroom presentations.

GS-8: To be qualified at the GS-8 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in federal service. Specialized experience is defined as: preparing and processing a variety of technical legal correspondence and documents which are characteristically voluminous and complex in format (e.g. pleadings, stipulations, motions, briefs, affidavits, complaints, orders, answers, subpoenas, and other legal documents); obtaining information from files, law enforcement agencies, or other sources; conducting factual and legal research in legal and non-legal databases and providing requested information to attorneys; aiding in the preparation and organization of evidence for production as discovery and for use in trial; managing paper and electronic discovery and evidence; independently compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, and compiling witness and exhibit lists; and coding and indexing discovery documents using legal case management software.

To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors (a typing test may later be required).

This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-8. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and funding availability. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)- The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/