Student Trainee (Paralegal Specialist) Appellate Section

Who May Apply: Applicants must be CURRENT students for the Summer or Fall semester in an accredited high school college; professional; technical vocational and trade school; advanced degree program; or other qualifying education institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate in a field related to the position. Such fields may include law legal studies paralegal studies or other related field. In addition the individual selected is expected to continue as a student for at least one year after appointment; therefore students graduating prior to December 2027 will not be considered.

The Appellate Section Environment and Natural Resources Division is seeking a student to fill a paid paralegal specialist intern position. Ideally students who are able to work 40 hours per week during standard working hours is preferred. Students attending evening classes in a graduate program are ideal for this position.

The Appellate Sections work involves cases arising under the more than 200 statutes for which the Division has litigation responsibility. Section attorneys brief and argue appeals in all thirteen federal circuit courts of appeals around the country as well as in state courts of appeals and supreme courts; handle appeals in all cases tried in the lower courts by any of the sections within the Division; oversee or handle directly appeals in cases within the Divisions jurisdiction that were tried in the lower courts by U.S. Attorney Offices; and are responsible for petitions for review filed directly in the courts of appeals in environmental or natural resource cases involving the Department of Energy the Federal Aviation Administration the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Surface Transportation Board.

As a Student Trainee (Paralegal Specialist) your typical work assignments may include the following:

• Assist attorneys and professional staff with document preparation and court filings.
• Ensure Tables of Authorities Tables of Contents and indices for legal pleadings are accurate.
• Organize and maintain a comprehensive filing structure for documents and exhibits.
• Provide general legal & administrative support to the attorneys in the Section.
• Perform cite-checking review of records and factual materials and legal research.
• Coordinate the Sections calendar of appointments filings and court dates.
• Assist attorneys with requirements for travel including timely preparation of travel authorizations and vouchers.
• Perform special projects.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or national.
• You must complete a background investigation including pre-employment drug testing.
• Selective Service Registration is required as applicable.
• You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Must meet Student Intern Program requirements.
• Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a degree or certificate program that is related to the position.
• If this is your first appointment in the Federal service your salary will be set at Step 1 of the grade selected.

Student Pathways Program: This is a Student Internship opportunity that provides students enrolled in a qualifying educational institution with paid opportunities to work in Federal agencies while completing their order to qualify candidates must meet the program requirements and educational requirements listed below. If this is your first appointment in the Federal service your pay will be set at step 1 of the grade selected.

Program Requirements: Applicants must be enrolled or formally accepted for enrollment for the current semester as a full-time or part-time student into an accredited college or university in a degree-seeking program or other qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate in a field related to this position. Such fields may include law legal studies paralegal studies or other related field.

• Must be in good academic standing and maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA).
• If selected must sign a Student Pathways program agreement; furnish course registration information at the start of each school term; and provide verification of academic status (transcript) at the end of each academic term.
• For this position applicants should not graduate prior to December 2027.
• The preferred candidate would be available to work 40 hours a week.

Qualification Requirements

In addition to the program requirements listed above candidates must meet the minimum education or experience requirements to qualify for the 0999 series either at the GS-7 or GS-9 grade level:

GS-7:
A. Must have a bachelors degree with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled or
B. Must have one full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position or
C. Must have at least 1 year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-5 Federal grade level performing legal research and reviewing and summarizing information in a prescribed format on case precedents and decisions or
D. Must have a combination of education and specialized experience described above that together meet the qualification requirements for this position.

Superior Academic Achievement: This provision applies to persons who have completed all the requirements for a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university as evidenced by one of three methods described below:
1. Class standing -- Applicants 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.
2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants 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. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9.
3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies.

GS-9:
A. Must have a masters or equivalent degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or LL.B or J.D. that demonstrates the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position or
B. Must have at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-7 Federal grade level performing legal research; reviewing and summarizing information in a prescribed form on case precedents and decisions; and preparing written analysis of legal questions containing well-supported conclusions and citations or
C. Must have a combination of education and specialized experience described above that when combined is equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation).

NOTE: An academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours 45 quarter hours or the equivalent in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement.

You must submit an unofficial transcript or a list including courses grades earned completion dates and quarter and semester hours earned. For qualification purposes degree requirements must be met within 30 days of the closing date of this job announcement and your transcript(s) submitted must reflect this.

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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience including volunteer experience.

To preview questions please click here: 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

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 documentation must be in English or include an English translation. 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.