Paralegal Specialist (Indian Country)

United States Attorneys' Offices; Helena (MT); On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Attorneys' Office for the District of Montana is seeking a Paralegal Specialist to support the Indian Country Department. You will organize and prepare research materials, draft legal documents, and assist attorneys in hearings and trials.

Responsibilities expand with training; candidates must be a U.S. citizen and meet pre-employment checks. Education/experience requirements include specialized experience or a related graduate degree. This is a GS-09 level position.

Qualifications

• One full year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 level.
• Experience drafting briefs, pleadings or other legal documents.
• Ability to research legal references and case files.

Responsibilities

• Organizes and prepares research material and determines information pertinent to the case.
• Drafts legal documents identifying issues, locating precedents, and developing legally supportable conclusions.
• May assist Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) in court during hearings and trials.
• Participates in pre-trial witness conferences and notes deficiencies in case materials.
• Determines statutes, regulations, cases, procedures and policies to research and assemble; prepares initial summaries.

Skills

Legal research

Document drafting

Court support

Education

Master's degree in Criminal Justice or related field

Tools

Legal research databases

Job description

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 27-MT-13090747-DE.

Duties

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If Selected For This Position, You Will Serve As a Paralegal Specialist In The Indian Country Department For The United States Attorney's Office, District Of Montana. Typical Work Assignments Will Include

• Organizes and prepares research material and determines information that is pertinent to the case.
• Drafts legal documents that identify the legal or factual issues in the case, locate, precedents and develop legally supportable conclusions.
• May assist Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) in court during hearings and trials.
• Participates in pre-trial witness conferences, noting any deficiencies in case materials (e.g., missing documents, conflicting statements) and additional issues or other matters requiring investigation prior to trial.
• Determines which statutes, regulations, cases, procedures and/or policies need to be researched and assembled, prepping initial summary and making recommendations as to appropriateness of data.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-09:

To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following

conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of

Education and Experience.

Specialized Experience:

One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the

GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal

work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and the ability to interpret

legal decisions. Examples of specialized experience may include the following:

examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; document findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel.

Education:

One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B