Paralegal Specialist

United States Attorneys' Offices; Camden (NJ); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Holidays

Telework

Life insurance

Health benefits

Retirement benefits

Job summary

United States Attorneys' Offices seek a legal support professional to assist AUSAs in criminal and civil prosecutions, performing research and drafting briefs, motions, and correspondence. You will manage discovery and organize trial materials while following USAO precedents and policies.

The role involves preparing exhibits, reviewing data, and assisting with legal analyses as cases progress, with opportunities for professional growth as responsibilities increase.

Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: 1 full year at GS-7 level or equivalent in legal research and analysis.
• Education: graduate degree (LL.B./J.D.) or 2 years of graduate study in a related field.
• Combining Education and Experience: graduate study in excess of 1 full year may count toward qualification.
• ICTAP/CTAP: eligibility and proof requirements may apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide routine legal support to Assistant United States Attorneys in criminal or civil prosecutions.
• Conduct legal research using statutes, cases, and public records; locate precedents and legislative histories.
• Draft initial legal and administrative briefs, motions, and correspondence for AUSA review.
• Manage discovery and evidence, including exhibits for court presentation.
• Prepare and organize trial exhibits, documents, and memoranda for review by AUSAs.
• Interpret guidelines and policies governing work assignments.

Skills

Legal research

Data analysis

Drafting briefs

Case analysis

Education

Master's degree in related field

2 years graduate education in related field

Tools

Electronic filing systems

Trial presentation software

Job description

Summary

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

Duties

Please note: This is a term position not-to-exceed September 30, 2029, subject to availability of funds. This position MAY be extended, or made permanent, without further advertising.

Responsibilities

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing routine legal support to Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) involved in criminal or civil prosecutions for federally cognizable cases. Typical work assignments will include:

• Performing research, evaluation and analysis of a variety of routine legal topics and points of law.
• Using multiple online legal systems, research references such as agency manuals, directives, issuances, court reports, appellate records or commercial legal publications to locate appropriate data such as applicable precedents, legislative history and commentaries which bear on legal issues.
• Determining which statutes, regulations, cases, procedures and/or policies need to be researched and assembled, prepares initial summary and makes recommendations as to appropriateness of data.
• Following established USAO precedents, drafts initial legal and administrative briefs, motions, oppositions to defense motions and correspondence for AUSA review.
• Drafting legal documents that identify the legal or factual issues in the case, locate precedents and develop legally supportable conclusions.
• Managing discovery and evidence in electronic and hard copy formats and may present the exhibits using trial presentation software in court.
• Preparing and organizing trial exhibits, documents, memoranda, reports and correspondence relating to cases for review by AUSAs.
• Selecting and interpreting the pertinent guidelines and policies that govern work assignments.

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

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. 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
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Type of Position: This is a temporary TERM position not-to-exceed 9/30/2029 subject to availability of funds. This position MAY be extended or made permanent without further competition.

Qualifications

GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 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-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience which demonstrates basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions. Examples of specialized experiences may include the following: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; document findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel.

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a master's 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. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year.

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/.

Education: 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 http://www.ed.gov

OR Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. 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

Benefits

• Paid vacation
• Sick leave
• Holidays
• Telework
• Life insurance
• Health benefits
• Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System

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 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 5 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.

Recruitment/Benefits Overview

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.

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 windowLearn 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.