Paralegal Specialist

Merit Systems Protection Board; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The Merit Systems Protection Board in Washington, DC seeks a Paralegal Specialist to assist in processing and adjudicating appeals filed by Federal employees, and to provide administrative support to the Regional Operations office.

Candidates must meet time-in-grade restrictions and other qualification requirements for the GS-9 level, including specialized experience or education; transcripts may be required.

Qualifications

• Research and maintain legal databases using electronic resources.
• Communicate with others to exchange legal information.
• Apply problem analysis and problem solving suitable for appeals court work.

Responsibilities

• Assist in processing and adjudicating appeals filed by Federal employees.
• Provide administrative support to the regional office.

Skills

Legal research

Legal databases

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Master's degree or 2 years of graduate study in Paralegal/Legal Studies

Job description

The position is located in the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, Regional Operations. The office is responsible for adjudicating appeals filed by Federal employees. The selectee of this position serves as a Paralegal Specialist responsible for assisting in the processing and adjudication of those appeals, as well as providing administrative support to the office.

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

FOR THE GS-9 LEVEL: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-7 level) that may have been obtained in the private or public (local, county, state, Federal) sectors which demonstrates:

• Researching and maintaining legal databases using electronic resources.


• Communicating with others in order to exchange legal information.


• Problem analysis and problem solving sufficient to communicate in the style and mode appropriate for work at the level of an appeals court.

OR EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION FOR THE GS-09: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a closely related field such as Paralegal Studies or Legal Studies.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

TRANSCRIPTS are required if:

• You are qualifying for the position based on education.


• You are qualifying for this position based on a combination of experience and education.


• This education must have been successfully completed and obtained from an accredited school, college, or university.

COMBINATION OF EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE AT THE GS-9 GRADE LEVEL: Applicants may have combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for that grade level. 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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.