Legal Administrative Specialist
What you'd do
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.
Major duties
If selected for this position, at the full-performance level, you will serve as a Case Manager providing a wide range of legal and administrative services to one or more Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) involved in a variety of civil matters. Typical work assignments will include: Manages discovery in a variety of formats, including paper documents, PDF files, image files, audio files, video files, forensic reports, proprietary files, and other electronic file types. Utilizes appropriate software applications to organize, store, review, and otherwise manage discovery and evidence. Organizes and stores incoming materials in compliance with the USAO's policies or procedures and in a manner that suits case needs. Reviews incoming discovery to assess whether the materials are responsive to the government's requests and whether additional requests need to be made; conducts follow-up as directed by the AUSA. Works closely with AUSAs to provide a range of case development and support activities during the investigative, pre-trial, and trial phases of civil cases. Conducts factual and legal research in legal and non-legal databases in support of investigations and cases. Conducts non-complex research of legislation, statutes, regulations, and court cases. Conducts factual research on individuals and entities using a variety of sources. Prepares written summaries of factual and legal research. Manages and maintains case-related documents, correspondence, discovery materials, and evidence, in accordance with office record-keeping requirements. Ensures materials are maintained in a manner that will facilitate effective retrieval. Assists with closing paper and electronic case files. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-09. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied.
What you need to qualify
GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, a combination of Education and Experience, OR Superior Academic Achievement. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service or equivalent paid/nonpaid experience in the private or public sector. Specialized Experience is defined as experience working in a legal environment performing routine legal assistance assignments that demonstrate a basic knowledge of litigative procedures. Examples of specialized experience include: assisting attorneys by preparing routine legal documents (e.g., basic motions, notices, subpoenas, proposed orders, or routine correspondence); assisting attorneys with the discovery process, such as by indexing and organizing discovery items received; transmitting discovery productions, maintaining discovery logs, and tracking productions to opposing counsel; assisting attorneys with hearing and trial preparation such as by compiling, organizing and indexing evidentiary exhibits; compiling witness and exhibit lists; and assembling trial notebooks; assisting attorneys with case development and preparation, such as by performing basic legal or factual research or preparing written summaries of evidentiary materials; assisting attorneys in trial preparation and courtroom presentations, such as by preparing trial exhibits such as charts, graphs and timelines and presenting trial exhibits using trial presentation software in court. Education: One full year of graduate level education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Paralegal Sciences, Law) leading to a master's degree or higher. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Superior Academic Achievement: Possess a Bachelor's Degree or expect to complete the requirements for a Bachelor's degree within the next 9 months 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. GS-09: To be eligible at the GS-09 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-07 level in the Federal service or equivalent paid/nonpaid experience in the private or public sector. Specialized Experience is defined as experience working under supervision and guidance, performing routine litigation support assignments in support of discovery and case development, which require a basic knowledge of processing, review, and/or production of commonly found electronically stored information (ESI). Examples of specialized experience include: managing discovery in a variety of formats, such as by receiving, indexing, and organizing incoming discovery materials, and preparing, transmitting, and tracking discovery productions; assisting attorneys with evaluating discovery or evidentiary materials' value or relevance to assigned criminal or civil cases; conducting straightforward factual and legal research in support of assigned criminal or civil cases, utilizing legal databases and public sources; drafting routine legal documents and correspondence, such as requests for extensions, letters transmitting discovery, routine notices, and written summaries of witness statements or documentary evidence; assisting attorneys with hearing or trial preparation, such as by preparing trial subpoenas, assembling evidentiary exhibits, maintaining witness lists and schedules, and preparing demonstrative exhibits; supporting attorneys during court proceedings or other live case presentations, such as by using trial presentation software and equipment to display exhibits or demonstratives, maintaining accounting system of exhibits, and handling witnesses. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Paralegal Sciences, Law): a master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.
Before you apply
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