Paralegal Specialist

As a Paralegal Specialist in the United States Attorneys Office (USAO) you will:

• Manage a caseload of criminal cases by seeking to enforce judgments and recover debts on behalf of crime victims and the United States.
• Work with Assistant United States Attorneys to review summarize and choose enforcement action regarding criminal and civil debts and make recommendations on appropriate legal action.
• Contact and conduct interviews with debtors federal state and local personnel court personnel and agency officials.
• Conduct financial investigations and analyze data to determine appropriate legal action.
• Draft a variety of substantive documents to include correspondence motions and other legal documents necessary to effect pre-judgment and post-judgment actions regarding debt collection.
• Monitor pending court cases and assist Assistant United States Attorneys to ensure legal pleadings forms reports and other documents are prepared and submitted within deadlines.
• Use databases and automated tracking systems to log and to evaluate the progress and effectiveness of the offices overall debt collection operation.

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-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions Specialized experience education OR a combination of education and experience.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions processing a variety of legal documents conducting research analysis and evaluation of data in response to requests; drafting briefs pleading litigation recommendations or other legal documents and correspondence; using 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 year of graduate education in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be 18 semester hours.

Superior Academic Achievement: To be eligible for SAA you must have one of the following. 1. A standing in the upper third of your college class or major subdivision at the time you apply. 2. A grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed; (a) at the time of application; or (b) during the last two years of undergraduate curriculum. 3. A B (3.5 on a 4.0 scale) or its equivalent for all courses completed in a qualifying major field of study either; (a) at the time of application; or (b) during the last 2 years of your undergraduate curriculum. 4. Election to membership in one of the national honorary societies (other than freshman societies). 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.

GS-9: To be eligible for the GS-9 you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions: Specialized experience education OR a combination of education and experience.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in Federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include performing the following types of duties: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research analysis and evaluation of data in response to requests; drafting legal documents and correspondence; using automated legal research tools and public information databases to research case-specific legal matters; managing discovery; and using automated litigation support technology to organize case information for retrieval prepare computerized trial presentations and index digital evidence.

Education: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field: a J.D. or LL.B; OR a Masters or equivalent graduate degree or higher; OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. (Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year is creditable.)

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: 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 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.

Special Employment Consideration - Persons with disabilities veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more certain other veterans spouses of certain members of the armed forces and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information click on the links provided below . You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links:
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria see
OR
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. 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 All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

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.