Paralegal Specialist

National LGBTQ+ Bar Association; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The National Security Division of the Department of Justice seeks a Paralegal Specialist to support attorneys involved in national security cases. The role requires legal knowledge and research skills, focusing on issues related to counterterrorism and espionage. This position offers the opportunity to work within a dedicated team committed to upholding justice and securing civil rights.

Qualifications

• Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Experience in legal research is essential.
• Knowledge of legislative and judicial decisions relevant to intelligence, terrorism, and espionage.

Responsibilities

• Provide paralegal support to attorneys in national security litigations.
• Draft legal documents and correspondence.
• Perform legal research and analysis.

Skills

Attention to Detail

Research

Decision Making

Integrity/Honesty

Education

Degree from an accredited institution

Job description

JobSummary

This position is located in the National Security Division (NSD), Department of Justice (DOJ). NSD is responsible for developing, enforcing, and supervising the application of all federal criminal laws related to the national counterterrorism and counter espionage enforcement programs, litigating and coordinating a wide range of prosecutions and criminal investigations targeting individuals and organizations that commit or attempt to commit terrorist acts in the United States.

LowGrade

7

HighGrade

9

PromotionPotential

11

SubAgencyName

National Security Division, Counterintelligence & Export Control Section

OrganizationCodes

DJ/DJ01

Relocation

False

HiringPath

• fed-transition
• public
• vet
  
  

MCOTags

• Attorney & Paralegal
  
  

TotalOpenings

3

AgencyMarketingStatement

Are you interested in a rewarding and challenging career? Join the U.S. Department of Justice! The Department of Justice (DOJ) leads the nation in ensuring the protection of all Americans while preserving their constitutional freedoms. As a Justice employee you'll be a member of a team where you can achieve your career goals and apply your skills and talents to our important mission. Read more about the exciting opportunities available. Mission: The mission of the Department of Justice (DOJ) is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights. Values: Independence and Impartiality. The Justice Department works each day to earn the public's trust by following the facts and the law wherever they may lead, without prejudice or improper influence. Honesty and Integrity. The Justice Department's employees adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior, mindful that, as public servants, we must work to earn the trust of, and inspire confidence in, the public we serve. Respect. The Justice Department's employees value differences in people and in ideas and treat everyone with fairness, dignity, and compassion. Excellence. The Justice Department works every day to provide the highest levels of service to the American people and to be a responsible steward of the taxpayers' dollars.

TravelCode

1

ApplyOnlineUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/Apply

DetailStatusUrl

https://apply.usastaffing.gov/Application/ApplicationStatus

MajorDuties

• 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 a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service. The purpose of this position is to serve as a Paralegal Specialist, providing paralegal support to one or more NSD attorneys engaged in national security litigations related to counterterrorism and counter-espionage matters. Paralegal support and legal research assignments require significant knowledge of legislative and judicial decisions, opinions, determinations, and rulings of cases relevant to intelligence, terrorism, and espionage. Legal knowledge required is less than that represented by graduation from a recognized law school. At the full performance level GS-11 the duties and responsibilities of this Paralegal Specialist position include but are not limited to: Support attorney in court proceedings by briefing attorney on pertinent facts, issues, and case law, and by compiling, organizing, and indexing exhibits. Monitor the progress of pending cases and initiate action to ensure that legal pleadings, forms, reports, correspondence, and other documents are prepared and submitted within established deadlines. Evaluate requests to determine the need for additional information, and evidence and plan a comprehensive approach to obtain this information and evidence. Perform legal research and writing of substantial variety. Perform extensive analysis of statutes, legislative intent and history, judicial precedents, decisions and opinions, agency rules and regulations, and law review and other articles as they relate to assigned cases to include those of an especially less complex nature. Utilize a variety of automated legal research tools as well as public information databases and other automated resources to research case or program specific legal matters, and participate in assigned areas of legal proceedings, e.g. electronic discovery. Draft correspondence and legal documents for attorney's signature. Draft proposed orders and decrees for signature of judges.
  
  

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of 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 the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Requirements

Evaluations

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. When addressing the specialized experience statement, applicants must present evidence of the experience in their resume. If the specialized experience statement is repeated, in the applicant's resume, Human Resources will deem the applicant as ineligible. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics): Administrative Law Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Legal, Government and Jurisprudence Reading Comprehension Reasoning Research Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Writing In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.

HowToApply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/17/2025 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: If you would like to preview the assessment questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12659294 To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on 01/17/2025. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements) Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account. To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additional Application Information page that provides information regarding the documentation you submitted and any correspondence we have sent related to this application, including the invitation to take the USA Hire assessment. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/

WhatToExpectNext

Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.

RequiredDocuments

Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. For example, Veteran documents would be required only from applicants claiming Veteran's Preference. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of document descriptions below, to see which documents are required for your application. ALL APPLICANTS: You must submit a detailed resume containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history: Contact Information: Name, address, phone number, and email, Official position title, Employer name and contact information, Start and end dates (including month and year), A detailed list of duties & accomplishments, Your grade/step achieved, and The number of hours worked per week (or indicate full-time). If you're unsure about what to include in your resume, please review the USAJOBS Resume Writing Tutorial on YouTube. You are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder, as this will ensure you're including everything that is required. If you are claiming a Veterans Preference eligibility: When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type. If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more, you will need to additionally submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating. If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation such as the Veterans DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information. For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets. If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP: You must submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency. If you have not yet been separated, you can provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of reduction-in-force. See USAJOBS' Career Transition Programs for more information. If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required: You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award. Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection, these may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document. More Info: USAJOBS - What documents might I need to provide? Application Manager Help - Documents

Benefits

BenefitsUrl

https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/

OtherInformation

CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS (CTAP or ICTAP): For more information visit: USAJOBS Career Transition Programs VETERANS AND MILITARY SPOUSES: Please see USAJOBS Veterans Preference for more details. DOJ EEO STATEMENT: The U.S. Department of Justice fosters an inclusive and diverse workforce, find our EEO statement online at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/download SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you were born male, on or 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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS: DOJ policy can be found at:https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy. 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: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire This position is excluded from the bargaining Unit.

KeyRequirements

WithinArea

False

CommuteDistance

0

ServiceType

01

AnnouncementClosingType

03

AnnouncementClosingTypeOption

100

AgencyContactEmail

[e-mail]

SecurityClearance

Sensitive Compartmented Information

DrugTestRequired

True

PositionSensitivitiy

Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk

AdjudicationType

• Credentialing
• Suitability/Fitness
• National security