Paralegal Specialist
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Job Location:
Topeka, KS - USA
Yearly Salary:
$ 51283 - 81553
Posted on:
12 hours ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Summary
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys Offices visit needed additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 26-KS--DE.
As a Paralegal Specialist in the United States Attorneys office (USAO) for the District of Kansas you will provide a wide range of legal support services to one or more Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) involved in civil proceedings. This position will be located in the civil division and primarily support civil division AUSAs and civil litigation though the USAO may assign other work as needed. Your duties will include:
- Using a variety of automated legal research tools as well as public information databases and other automated resources to research case law statutory law and/or program specific legal matters.
- Preparing initial drafts of a variety of legal documents including interrogatories requests for production requests for admission legal motions briefs and memoranda.
- Reviewing and organizing factual material and other documents for investigation and use in legal briefs and memoranda such as memoranda in support of motions for summary judgment and/or dismissal or in response thereto.
- Preparing exhibits typically involving a wide range of materials to support summary judgment motion practice and/or trial.
- Developing and entering various case material into a computer database.
- Providing litigation case management and organizing cases for presentation at trial negotiation conferences and/or mediation.
- Assisting AUSAs in hearings and trial by setting up and running courtroom presentation equipment and providing other assistance as needed.
- Performing a variety of legal assistance and technical work to support AUSAs.
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 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-5 level.
Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work which include performing the following types of duties: experience drafting a variety of legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling organizing and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; reviewing legal documents to extract information related to specific issues; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; and utilizing various computerized database programs to organize extensive documents.
Education: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g. Law): 1 year of graduate-level education leading to a Masters degree or higher; OR a completed Bachelors degree or equivalent with Superior Academic Achievement: To qualify based on superior academic achievement you must have completed the requirements for a bachelors degree in a related field such as Law (or expect to complete within 9 months) from an accredited institution AND have one of the following:
- Class standing -- must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college university or major subdivision such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration based on completed courses. OR
- Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- must have a grade-point average of: a. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) as recorded on their official transcript or as computed based on 4 years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or b. 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. OR
- Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.
GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 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-7 level.
Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and the ability to interpret legal decisions. Examples of specialized experience may include the following: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting briefs pleadings litigation recommendations or other legal documents and correspondence; using a 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 of the following types of education in a related field (e.g. Law): a Masters or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); 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 order to qualify based on a combination graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year. To calculate your percentage of graduate education first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your schools definition of one year of graduate study) then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your schools definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.
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.
Education
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
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:
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.
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 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-by-case basis.
EEO Statement: 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.
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.
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.
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 Experience:
IC
Key Skills
- Legal Drafting
- Proofreading
- Google Docs
- Organizational skills
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Case Management
- Legal Research
- Research Experience
- Paralegal
- Filing
- Writing Skills
