Paralegal Specialist

National-Oceanic-; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

NOAA seeks a qualified attorney for the Office of General Counsel (Natural Resources Section) with vacancies in Long Beach, CA; St. Petersburg, FL; Gloucester, MA; Silver Spring, MD; or Seattle, WA.

Qualify at GS-11 with one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09 (case records, document processing and editing). GS-12 requires one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-11 (research and litigation support).

Qualifications

• No formal education requirement exists for this position per the vacancy.
• Specialized experience is required at GS-11 and GS-12 levels, including case file handling and drafting support.
• Volunteer or non-federal experience may count toward specialized experience per guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal research under attorney direction.
• Support litigation activities: depositions, hearings, trials, or other proceedings.
• Assist with processing, proofreading, cite-checking, or editing draft legal documents.

Skills

Legal research

Proofreading

Case management

Education

No formal education requirement

Job description

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of the Under Secretary (UNSEC), Office of General Counsel (OGC), Natural Resources Section, with 1 vacancy in Long Beach, CA; St. Petersburg, FL; Gloucester, MA; Silver Spring, MD; or Seattle, WA.

This position is also announced under vacancy number OGC-26-13046156-ST, which is open to Status Candidates. You must apply to both announcements if you want to be considered for both.

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

EDUCATION:There is no positive education requirement for this position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations e.g., professional; philanthropic, religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies; knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

To qualify at the GS-11 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Gathering and organizing case records and files; and
• Providing assistance with processing, proofreading, cite-checking, or editing draft legal documents.

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience may be used to meet the total experience requirements. Note: Only graduate-level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience.

To qualify at the GS-12 level:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:

• Conducting legal research at the direction of an attorney; and
• Supporting litigation activities, such as assisting attorneys conducting depositions, hearing, trials, or other legal proceedings.