Paralegal Specialist

United States Attorneys' Offices; Bangor (ME); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Attorneys' Offices in Bangor, ME is seeking a Paralegal Specialist under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program for a one-year career development appointment. Duties include supporting criminal litigation, organizing materials, and drafting legal documents, with training leading toward career growth.

Eligibility requires recent graduation and successful background checks. This federal role emphasizes integrity, attention to detail, and the ability to manage complex information

Qualifications

• Specialized experience must be described in your resume.
• Recent graduates must meet all eligibility requirements.
• Qualifying education recommendations for recent grads are outlined in the announcement.

Responsibilities

• Review and organize complex factual material for investigations and trials.
• Prepare a variety of legal documents including subpoenas and requests for evidence.
• Provide advice on efficient methods for preparing legal documents.
• Develop and enter case material into databases.
• Prepare charts, graphs and tables to illustrate results.

Skills

Legal research

Case management

Data organization

Citation checking

Document drafting

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Legal research databases

Job description

Summary

This is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program. This appointment is a one-year career development program. At the successful completion of the program requirements, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional appointment. For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit here. For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit here.

Duties

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing legal and litigation support to the Criminal Division for the District of Maine.

The Office has one opening for a Paralegal Specialist in our Bangor branch within the Criminal Division

First round consideration will be given to applications submitted by September 18, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST. Thereafter, the applicant list will be reviewed every 30 days. As needed, additional positions may be filled.

Typical Work Assignments Will Include

• Review and organize complex factual material and other documentary data for investigations and trials.
• Prepare a variety of substantive legal documents to include extradition requests, grand jury and trial subpoenas, interrogatory requests, and documentation relevant to acquiring evidence or testimony.
• Provide advice on the most efficient method for preparing legal documents.
• Use tables and citation checking with efficiency.
• Develop and enter various case material into a computer database.
• Prepare charts, graphs, and tables to illustrate results.
• Prepare, develop, compile, or maintain jury instructions in preparing for trial.
• Prepare exhibits for trial, which typically involve a wide range of visual materials.
• Provide litigation case management and organize cases for court presentation.
• 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.
• 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.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• You must submit a transcript or proof of degree/certificate.
• Recent Graduates serve a trial period for the entire duration of their excepted service appointment.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Note: To be considered "qualified" for this position, your specialized experience must be described in your resume. Please be sure that your resume clearly states any and all of the specialized experience that you may have. If your specialized experience is not clearly stated in your resume, you will not be considered for this position.

To be eligible for a recent graduate appointment, ALL of the following requirements must be met:

• Recent graduates must have obtained a qualifying associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying accredited educational institution within the previous two years unless military service interfered with a veteran's eligibility to apply during that two-year time frame. Veterans meeting the above exclusion may apply within two years of discharge or six years from the date of receipt of the degree whichever comes first. (Go to http://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn to verify accreditation status.)
• Recent graduates must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.)
• You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• All recent graduates are required to sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement.
• Recent graduates serve a trial period for the entire duration of their excepted service appointment.

To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, or a Combination of Education and Experience.

Specialized Experience

One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level. Specialized experience is defined as work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions to include drafting a variety of legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; reviewing legal documents to extract information related to specific issues; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; utilizing various computerized database programs to include automated legal research tools and public information to organize extensive documents; conducting research.

Education

One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice Law):

• One full year of graduate level education leading to a Master’s degree or higher.
• A completed Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, with Superior Academic Achievement, as defined by the Office of Personnel Management’s Qualification Standards. Superior Academic Achievement is the completion of a full four‑year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree and meets one of the following provisions:
  1. A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for all completed undergraduate course work or for all courses completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work.
  2. A GPA of 3.5 or higher for all courses in the major field of study, or those courses in a major completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work.
  3. Ranking in the upper one‑third of a college, university, or major subdivision.
  4. Membership in a national scholastic honor society.

Combining Education and Experience

Combining successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be more than one full year.

Foreign Education Note

You may use foreign education to meet qualification requirements if you send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional Information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

The Department of Justice 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.

Veterans' Preference

If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the documentation as specified in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Selective Service

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case‑by‑case basis.

EEO Statement/Policy

The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non‑merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Political Appointees (Current or Former)

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last five years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non‑Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

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.

The Department of Justice 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.