Supervisory Paralegal Specialist

Justice Management Division; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Justice Management Division in Washington, DC seeks a Supervisory Paralegal Specialist for the Civil Division's Torts Branch, ETL. The role involves leading paralegal and staff, organizing case files, coordinating hearings, and ensuring compliance with merit and EEO policies.

The position requires specialized legal experience, ability to oversee others, and strong document management skills, with duties covering travel, logistics, and preparing precise legal documents and briefs.

Qualifications

• Specialized legal research and factual research experience.
• Experience with managing case documents, evidence, or exhibits.
• Ability to lead or coordinate the work of others.

Responsibilities

• Plans, assigns and prioritizes the work of paralegal and support staff.
• Ensures personnel decisions and actions align with merit system principles and EEO policies.
• Organizes and manages case documents, evidence, and exhibits.
• Coordinates logistics for hearings, depositions, and trials.
• Manages travel authorizations and vouchers per federal regulations.
• Provides updates and recommendations to supervisors, attorneys, and program staff.
• Prepares clear legal/administrative documents, summaries, reports, and correspondence.

Skills

Legal research

Case/document management

Leadership

Job description

Summary

This posting is for a Supervisory Paralegal Specialist in the Civil Division's Torts Branch, Environmental Litigation Section (ETL). Torts is the principal guardian of the public fisc at the Department and defends the United States and its employees against tort suits, which cumulatively seek billions, and sometimes trillions, of dollars in monetary damages each year.

Duties

The duties for the Supervisory Paralegal Specialist include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Plans, assigns and prioritizes the work of paralegal and support staff.
• Ensures personnel decisions and actions align with merit system principles and EEO policies.
• Organizes and manages case documents, evidence, and exhibits.
• Coordinates logistics and technical requirements for hearings, depositions, and trials.
• Manages travel authorizations and vouchers in compliance with federal travel regulations and organizational policies.
• Provides updates, briefings, and recommendations to supervisors, attorneys, and program staff.
• Prepares clear and accurate legal and administrative documents, including summaries, reports, and correspondence.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and a drug screening.
• You must be a current permanent Department of Justice employee with competitive status or a CTAP/RPL eligible candidate.
• You must meet all applicable time-in-grade requirements by the closing of this announcement.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• You may be required to complete a one year supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Supervisory Paralegal Specialist, at GS-0950-12, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below.

To qualify at the GS-12 level, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service, performing duties such as: conducting legal and factual research, supporting discovery and trial preparation, managing case documents and evidence, drafting legal documents, and performing administrative functions such as coordinating personnel actions, timekeeping, travel, procurement, or office operations. Experience must also demonstrate the ability to lead or coordinate the work of others.

You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by 10/29/2026 of this announcement.

Your resume must support your responses to the application questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

Education

There is no education requirement for this position.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made from this announcement.

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:

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:

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 or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days. Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code

• 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R
• 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.

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.

Benefits

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.

Required Documents

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility.

Resume - All Applicants:

• Official position title,
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (including month and year),
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

SF-50:

• Most recent performance appraisal: Must submit a signed copy of your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal showing your final rating. If a performance appraisal is not available submit a statement explaining why one is not available.
• Awards: Submit a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available.

CTAP eligibility documentation:

• A copy of your RIF separation notice; notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area; a Certificate of Expected Separation ; or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, or a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement).
• A copy of your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" noting current position, grade/band level, promotion potential, and duty location.

Agency contact information

Jenna Solorzano

Phone Email

Next steps

You will receive e-mail notifications as your application status is updated by DOJ. However, you can also see your application status any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account and looking on the "Applications" page. Click the position title to expand the display for each application in the list.

We strive to extend a final offer of employment within 90 days from the close of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement within 90 days.