Paralegal Specialist

United States Attorneys' Offices; Columbus (GA); On-site; USD 58,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Attorneys' Offices in the Middle District of Georgia seeks a Paralegal Specialist to provide substantive legal support to AUSAs in civil and immigration matters. You will perform specialized research, organize complex materials, draft legal documents, and assist with discovery and trial preparation.

The role requires a background in law with paralegal experience, ability to interpret legal decisions, and strong familiarity with filing systems and court procedures.

Qualifications

• At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in Federal service performing paralegal or legal work.
• Education: J.D. or LL.B; or Master’s or equivalent; or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a related field.
• Combination of education and experience may meet 100 percent of the requirements.

Responsibilities

• Perform specialized legal research in support of civil cases.
• Review and organize complex factual material for investigations and trials.
• Draft briefs, motions, subpoenas, and other legal documents for attorney review.
• Research precedents, legislative history, and applicable data for legal issues.
• Manage discovery and present exhibits using trial presentation software in court.
• Prepare and organize voluminous documentation for discovery and trial.

Skills

Legal research

Paralegal work

Document drafting

Trial preparation

Discovery management

Case analysis

Education

J.D. or LL.B

Master’s or higher in related field

2 years graduate education

Tools

Trial presentation software

Electronic filing systems

Job description

Summary

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 All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 26-GAM-13042749-DE.

Duties

Responsibilities

If selected, you will serve as a Paralegal Specialist in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Middle District of Georgia. You will be responsible for providing substantive legal support to Assistant United States Attorney's (AUSAs) in a variety of litigative activities related immigration cases. At the full performance level, typical work assignments will include:

• Performing specialized legal research in support of civil cases;
• Reviewing and organizing complex factual material and other documentary data for investigations and trials;
• Drafting a variety of substantive legal documents to include initial legal and administrative briefs, motions, oppositions to defense motions, trial subpoenas, interrogatory requests, documentation relevant to acquiring evidence or testimony and correspondence for attorney review;
• Researching 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;
• Managing discovery and evidence in electronic and hard copy formats and presenting the exhibits using trial presentation software in court; and
• Preparing and organizing voluminous documentation and evidence for production as discovery and for use in trial.

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.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-9: To qualify for the GS-9 level of this position, you must meet ONE of the following qualification requirements:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in Federal service performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions. Examples of qualifying experience include performing the following types of duties: 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; documenting findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel.

OR

EDUCATION: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a J.D. or LL.B; OR a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or higher; 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.

OR

COMBINATION EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: A combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described above which when combined equal 100 percent of the requirements. (Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year is creditable.)

GS-11: To qualify for the GS-11 level of this position, you must meet ONE of the following qualification requirements:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level which could have been gained in the Federal, public or private sector. Specialized Experience is defined as experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. Examples of specialized experiences may include the following: analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; composing legal briefs, summaries of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents; interviewing witnesses and various individuals who can provide insight into cases under review; and preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations.

OR

EDUCATION: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): LL.M.; a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR 3 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.

OR

COMBINATION EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience as described above may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 2 full years.

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/.

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

Special Employment Consideration - Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, you must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments

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.

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.

• 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 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 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.

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.

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.