Paralegal Specialist

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Office of the General Counsel seeks a Paralegal Specialist to support the intellectual property team and enterprise legal organization. You will manage the patent docket, assist with litigation, and provide paralegal support across ethics, employment, contracts, and agreements.

You will work independently and coordinate with attorneys to advance agency objectives. The role requires experience supporting attorneys, strong legal research abilities, and the

Qualifications

• Experience supporting attorneys across multiple practice areas (ethics, employment, contracts).
• Ability to manage patent docket and provide litigation support.
• Clear and detailed resume narrative describing how you meet specialized experience.

Responsibilities

• Conducts complex legal research and analyzes developments impacting agency programs.
• Performs substantive analysis of requests under disclosure statutes and develops recommendations for agency action.
• Drafts complex briefs, advisory opinions, and litigation documents interpreting legal precedent and agency policy.
• Analyzes subpoenaed materials, appellate records, and case documents to identify trends and strategic implications.
• Initiates independent fact finding and coordinates with agency personnel to resolve complex legal issues.
• Prepares attorneys for hearings and litigation by synthesizing legal issues and briefing on case strategy.
• Develops specialized reports on legal trends and maintains comprehensive files of significant decisions.

Skills

Legal research

Patent prosecution support

Job description

Summary

As a Paralegal Specialist with the Marshall Space Flight Center's Office of the General Counsel, you will provide support as patent paralegal to the intellectual property team at MSFC and the enterprise legal organization. You will also provide paralegal support to attorneys in other practice areas such as ethics, employment, contracts, and agreements. You'll work independently to manage the patent docket, provide litigation support, and work other actions across subject matter areas.

Duties

• Conducts complex legal research and analyzes legislative, judicial, and administrative developments impacting agency programs.
• Performs substantive legal analysis of requests under disclosure statutes and develops recommendations for agency action.
• Drafts complex briefs, advisory opinions, and litigation documents requiring interpretation of legal precedent and agency policy.
• Analyzes subpoenaed materials, appellate records, and other case documents to identify trends, patterns, and strategic implications.
• Initiates independent fact finding and coordinates with agency personnel to resolve complex legal issues.
• Prepares attorneys for hearings and litigation by synthesizing legal issues, assembling exhibits, and briefing on case strategy.
• Develops specialized reports on legal trends and maintains comprehensive files of significant decisions and opinions.

Requirements

• This position is open to U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
• This position may require a one-year probationary period. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11. **See Additional Information section**
• Current Federal employees must meet qualifications, time in grade, and 90 days after competitive appointment requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Position subject to pre-employment background investigation or higher-level clearance. Investigation/Clearance may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.
• Financial Disclosure, Drug Testing, and/or the Travel Requirements for this position may differ and be required based on the duty location/NASA Center requirements.

Qualifications

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

To qualify for GS-11, you must have:

• One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:
• Supporting attorneys with a range of administrative, procedural, and case-management tasks across various areas of law, which may include matters related to domestic patent prosecution;
• Monitoring cases, files, and procedural requirements to ensure submissions are accurate, complete, and timely, while maintaining records with relevant authorities, such as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO);
• Using knowledge of commercial legal research tools to conduct legal research, compile relevant information, and provide attorneys with materials for review and decision-making across several areas of law.

OR

• Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field

OR

• Completed 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in an appropriate field

OR

• LL.M., if related

OR

• Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a), b), c) and d) above

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

If you are applying at the GS-11 level and are a current federal employee, you must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible for this position. To be eligible, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position no more than 2 grades lower than the advertised position. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. If your eligibility for both merit promotion and/or time-in-grade cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible.)

Note

Time-in-grade requirements also apply to applicants who have held a non-temporary, competitive service GS position in the past year.

Probationary Period

You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government;
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

If you are using education completed in the United States to meet the qualification requirements, your degree must have been awarded from a colleges or university that is accredited by a recognized accrediting organization. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, go to http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

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. These education credentials must be 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

All degrees must have been received in the year of, or any year subsequent to the original date of accreditation.

Additional information

If you have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must:

• Indicate your eligibility when applying for a position. The questionnaire asks you to identify your ICTAP/CTAP eligibility.
• Be well qualified for this position to receive consideration. Candidates rated in the 'Best Qualified' category are considered well-qualified. Please see 'How You Will Be Evaluated' for more information.
• Submit proof that you meet the requirements for CTAP/ICTAP as indicated in 'Required Documents'

Qualified NASA term employees who have term conversion eligibility (Term Appointments | NASA) under the NASA Flexibility Act of 2004 will be referred and considered equally with other NASA permanent employees under internal competitive placement procedures.

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. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)

Any applicant that received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) from the federal government within the last five years based of the closing date of this announcement, if selected, may be required to repay the full amount prior to establishing a start date. For additional information on the VSIP repayment requirement, click here - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/voluntary-separation-incentive-payments/.

Per Executive Order 14343, this position is not part of a bargaining unit.

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.