Paralegal Specialist - Pathways Recent Graduate

United States Attorneys' Offices; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Attorneys' Offices (USAO-DC) seeks a Paralegal Specialist for the Appellate Division under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program. You will support appellate case management and provide legal administrative assistance to AUSAs and staff, handling civil and criminal appeals in federal courts.

Responsibilities include extensive legal research, drafting documents, managing discovery, and coordinating actions with Federal agencies and jurisdictions as you develop in this one-year

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience or graduate education required.
• Superior Academic Achievement may apply.
• Typing test may be required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal research; verify citations and references.
• Draft legal documents and correspondence for appeals.
• Coordinate with Federal agencies and jurisdictions.
• Summarize case files, depositions, and interrogatories.
• Coordinate production of administrative records and discovery responses.
• Provide automated litigation assistance and support to attorneys.

Skills

Legal research

Draft documents

Discovery management

Interagency coordination

IT literacy

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MS Office

Scanners

Plotters

Job description

Summary

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is unique in the size and the scope of its work. It serves as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. On the local side, AUSAs assigned to the Superior Court Division prosecute cases ranging from misdemeanors to homicides. On the federal side, AUSAs assigned to the Criminal Division prosecute federal crimes. The Civil Division further defends the United States in civil suits brought in the District of Columbia.

Responsibilities

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected Appellate Division team of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC) and become part of the team that supports Assistant United States Attorneys and administrative professionals who handle all the criminal appeals for the office in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The Paralegal Specialist will support Division leadership with day-to-day responsibilities for providing appellate case management services and providing legal administrative support to the paralegal staff, Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), deputy chiefs, and Chief of the Appellate Division.

Typical work assignments include:

• Conducts legal research, composes legal documents and correspondence; verifies citations and statutory references; summarizes data, makes conclusions, and recommends appropriate action in a variety of activities related to civil and/or criminal appeals.
• Using multiple online databases to research state and federal statutes, legal and factual issues, and performing extensive and thorough legal research into the legislative history, and case precedent applicable to particular legal matters.
• With guidance, drafts correspondence and legal documents that coordinate actions with other Federal agencies or State and local jurisdictions that are associated with USAO-DC litigative activities.
• With guidance, drafts initial legal documents and correspondence which summarize and explain case file, depositions and/or interrogatories.
• Coordinates production of administrative records and responses to requests for discovery. Prepares and organizes voluminous material for production as discovery and for use in appeal. Identifies and locates missing information.
• Provides automated litigation assistance to attorneys as needed for appeals. Utilizes various software applications and graphics hardware such as scanners and plotters.
• Provides technical support, such as enlarging charts and photographs, duplicating tapes and videos, and marking exhibits.

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

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 is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program. This appointment is a one year career development program. At the successful completion of the program requirements, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional appointment. For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/.

Travel Required

Occasionally

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States 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.
• You must submit a transcript or proof of degree/certificate.
• Recent Graduates serve a trial period for the entire duration of their excepted service appointment.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

To be eligible for a recent graduate appointment, ALL of the following requirements must be met:

• Recent Graduates must have obtained a qualifying associates, bachelors, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying accredited educational institution within the previous 2 years unless military service interfered with a veteran's eligibility to apply during that two year time frame. Veterans meeting the above exclusion may apply within 2 years of discharge or 6 years from the date of receipt of the degree whichever comes first. (Go to http://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn to verify accreditation status).
• Recent graduates must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.)
• You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• All recent graduates are required to sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement.
• Recent Graduates serve a trial period for the entire duration of their excepted service appointment.
• Qualification requirements as outlined below:

To be qualified for the GS-07 Paralegal Specialist, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal Service; or one year of graduate level education, if related; Superior Academic Achievement; or a combination of specialized experience and education.

Specialized Experience

Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience is defined as conducting legal research to verify citation and statutory references; assisting in preparing legal documentation; utilizing information technology to develop, prepare and monitor reports; communicating with management, office personnel, court staff, law enforcement and the public; assisting with managing discovery and evidence in electronic and hard copy formats.

OR

Education: one full year of graduate level education in related field. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Education at the graduate level must have be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement: Possess a Bachelor's Degree AND possess at least one of the following criteria: class standing in the upper third of the graduating class; an overall GPA of 3.0 OR at least a 3.0 based on courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; a GPA of at least 3.5 based on the average of required courses completed in my major field OR based on the average of required courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; OR election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.

OR

Combining Education and Experience: a combination of specialized experience and graduate education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.)

Foreign Education Note

You may use foreign education to meet qualification requirements if you send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency in with your transcript. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Veterans' Preference

If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the documentation as specified in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Current or Former Political Appointees

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Selective Service

If you are a male applicant born 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. See http://www.sss.gov

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case‑based basis.

EEO Statement/Policy

The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.

Political Appointees (Current or Former)

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

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.

Help

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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

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.