Paralegal Specialist
What you'd do
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia's mission is to enforce the criminal laws of the United States and the District of Columbia, represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, and respond to the public safety needs of the community by leading an effective, well-coordinated law enforcement effort that contributes to the overall goal of improving the quality of life in the District of Columbia.
Major duties
This Paralegal Specialist performs both routine and complex paralegal assignments relative to intake/arraignment of cases and all warrants handled by Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), Early Case Assessment Section (ECAS). If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Paralegal Specialist support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia, located in Washington, District of Columbia, focusing in the areas of legal assistance. Typical work assignments will include: Performs basic legal research for AUSAs in relation to intake/arraignment of ECAS cases, which may include research involving legislative intent, controversial judicial precedents, case law, and/or law review articles. Receives, examines, and evaluates new and complex cases to be processed by the ECAS staff in reference to the facts of the case. Provides input to AUSAs prior to hearings by reviewing pertinent facts, issues, and case law involving fugitive cases. Provides legal support in discovery proceedings, scheduling depositions, monitoring court appearance dates and deadlines. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
What you need to qualify
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required basic requirement and specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying: To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below: 1) Preparing a variety of legal documents for criminal cases; 2) Conducting interviews of agents and potential witnesses; 3) Researching, analyzing and summarizing relevant legal precedents for applicability to assigned cases; 4) Reviewing, preparing and maintaining documents and other materials produced during criminal trial. OR Education: A master's degree or equivalent graduate degree; OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL. B or J.D., in a related field (e.g., Paralegal Studies, Political Science, Law, Criminal Justice, Forensic Studies). My education was obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combined Experience and Education: Possess the specialized experience as described in A, but less than one year; and I have at least one year of graduate education as described in B, but less than the required two years. I have computed the percentage of the requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. To compute the percentage of education, divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.) (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-07 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. You must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted; recommended SF-50s include promotions and step increases (within grade increases).
Before you apply
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