Paralegal Specialist.

Offices-to-go; Washington (District of Columbia); Presencial; USD 65 000 - 90 000; Tempo integral

Resumo da oferta

Department of Justice in Washington, DC seeks a Paralegal Specialist to support attorneys with document handling, investigations, and court filings. You will prepare memoranda, briefs, subpoenas, and discovery materials while ensuring accuracy and adherence to rules.

Strong note-taking and legal research skills are essential for success. The role requires rigorous evaluation of evidence, coordination of depositions, and use of document management tools.

Qualificações

• Specialized experience includes taking notes during attorney proffers and witness interviews.
• Legal research to support memoranda, briefs, and related documents.

Responsabilidades

• Update and supplement tracking system to keep files organized and easily retrievable.
• Prepare correspondence, memoranda, and other documents related to case information.
• Prepare interview notes, memoranda, and reports for attorneys reviewing allegations and outcomes.
• Prepare legal documents including declarations, subpoenas, discovery documents, and legal correspondence.
• Proofread, cite-check, file legal documents with courts following rules and conventions.
• Conduct preliminary analysis of the legal sufficiency of information in various documents.
• Review investigative reports to determine evidentiary sufficiency for enforcement.
• Assist attorneys in interviews with investigative sources and witnesses.
• Use document management tools to aid in document review and production.
• Arrange depositions and coordinate court reporting services and subpoenas.

Conhecimentos

Notes taking

Legal research

Formação académica

Master’s degree

J.D. or LL.B.

Ferramentas

Document management tools

Descrição da oferta de emprego

Duties
As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the multitude of experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
The incumbent will serve as a Paralegal Specialist. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Update and supplement tracking system ensuring that the established file system remains logically organized with files and documents that are easily accessible and able to be quickly retrieved.
• Prepare correspondence, memoranda, justification, and other written documentation involved in providing information about the researched aspects of the cases or issues.
• Prepare interview notes, memoranda, and reports for review by attorneys summarizing the allegations, facts, results of investigations and recommended disposition of cases.
• Prepare legal documents including declarations, memoranda, interview summaries, factual summaries, subpoenas, discovery documents and responses and legal correspondence.
• Proofread, cite-check, finalize, and file legal documents such as briefs and other papers of substance with the relevant court consistent with governing practices and style conventions, court-specific rules, and Department practice.
• Conduct preliminary analysis of the legal sufficiency of information contained in declarations, complaints, FOIA/Privacy Act requests, and similar documents.
• Review and analyze investigative reports and evidence to determine if a particular case is supported by sufficient evidence to provide a basis for enforcement.
• Independently conduct or assist attorneys in conducting interviews with investigative sources and prospective witnesses to gather information.
• Efficiently use document management tools to assist with document review and production, as well as court presentation.
• Effectively handle all arrangements for depositions, including securing court reporting services and office space, and drafting subpoenas and obtaining process servers.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31,1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• Status candidates must meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level) by the closing date of this announcement. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
• ALL APPLICANTS, regardless of eligibility(ies) selected, MUST submit their most recent completed (within the past 18 months) performance evaluation or appraisal, which shows a final rating. If an evaluation or rating is not available, you must provide a statement indicating the reason. If you do not submit an appropriate appraisal or statement, you WILL NOT receive consideration for this position.
• DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• Resume cannot exceed two (2) pages.

A probationary or trial period may be required as a condition of employment for this position. If required, you will be expected to serve either a 1-year probationary period or a 2-year trial period. During this time, we will evaluate your fitness for continued employment and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining whether your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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 or trial period, your employment may be terminated unless you receive written certification that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To be eligible at the GS-09 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below:

Specialized Experience

For the GS-09, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, public or other private sectors that is directly related to the position as listed above and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes ALL of the following:

• Take notes during attorney proffers and witness interviews and prepare memoranda from those notes: AND
• Perform legal research to supply information for inclusion in memoranda, briefs, and similar documents.

Education

Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

Combination of 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 one full year.

To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below:

Specialized Experience

For the GS-11, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, public or other private sectors that is directly related to the position as listed above and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes ALL of the following:

• Take notes during attorney proffers and witness interviews and prepare memoranda from those notes; AND
• Perform legal research to supply information for inclusion in memoranda, briefs, and similar documents; AND
• Provide guidance and advice to junior paralegals and/or distribute assignments to junior paralegals on behalf of attorneys.

Education

Successful completion of a 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.

Combination of Education and Experience

Combination 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 two full years.

Time-In-Grade Requirement

Applicants who are current Federal employees applying for a higher grade must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You MUST provide an SF-50, which shows position, type of service appointment, tenure group, grade, duty location, and salary. If your most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year (52 weeks) time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. Consider providing an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include: Promotions; Within Grade/Range Increases; and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/position. No award SF-50s will be accepted). Failure to submit the required SF-50 document will result in an ineligible rating under merit promotion procedures.

Note

Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and current Federal employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, in the Federal service, public or other private sectors, and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

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.

All qualifications and education requirements (if applicable) must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

YOUR RESUME MUST

Support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement. If you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Note

Applicants are required to have completed their degree prior to submitting an application.

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:

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

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement but can qualify using education.

Foreign Education

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 and such education has been 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 more information about this requirement, please visit

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

The bullets below outline the various groups of applicants that fall under the term "status candidates". This vacancy is open to applicants from any of the groups listed below. Read each statement, and any links provided, to ensure you select all applicable eligibilities.

• CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: For more information, see
• CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS (): For more information visit:
• VETERANS : Please see
• MILITARY SPOUSES: Please see
• SCHEDULE A, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Learn more at
• PEACE CORP & AMERICORPS VISTA: Please see:
• LAND MANAGEMENT: Please see:

DOJ EEO Statement/Policy

FAIR CHANCE TO COMPETE FOR JOBS:

The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee has violated your rights under the Fair Chance Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly with the DOJ component hiring office listed in the job opportunity announcement. For more information visit

Reasonable Accommodation Requests

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:

Any documentation submitted other than that required in the job announcement will not be considered.

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.