Summary The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is distinct among United States Attorney's Offices due to the breadth and scale of its work. It acts as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. Locally, it handles cases ranging from misdemeanor drug possession to murders, while federally, it handles cases ranging from child pornography to gang, financial fraud, and terrorism. The Office represents the district in civil suits. Responsibilities This is an exciting opportunity for recent college graduates interested in pursuing a career involving criminal justice and public service. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team in the Superior Court Division (SCD) of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC) that is responsible for providing legal support to Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) that prosecute criminal cases in a high-volume, fast-paced, collaborative environment. The SCD handles the highest volume of felony and misdemeanor cases prosecuted by the Office. Types of cases include, but are not limited to, homicides, sexual assaults, carjackings, kidnapping, robberies, burglaries, domestic violence, and narcotics and weapons possession. Typical work assignments will include: -Assists with drafting a variety of substantive and technical legal documents. -Assists attorneys with interviews of witnesses in preparation for grand jury or trial. -Reviews evidence, including police body worn camera footage and surveillance video. -Prepares and organizes evidence for discovery. -Monitors the progress of pending cases to ensure compliance with established deadlines. -Assists with organizing cases for grand jury and trial presentation by performing duties such as preparing and compiling exhibits and witness files. -Performs basic legal and data searches and other data retrieval assignments. You will have the opportunity to learn to perform these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this developmental position. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program. This appointment is a one-year career development program. At the successful completion of the program requirements, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional appointment. For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To be eligible for a recent graduate appointment, ALL of the following requirements must be met: Recent Graduates must have obtained a qualifying career, technical, associates, bachelors, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying accredited educational institution within the previous 2 years unless military service interfered with a veteran's eligibility to apply during that two year time frame. Veterans meeting the above exclusion may apply within 2 years of discharge or 6 years from the date of receipt of the degree whichever comes first. (Go to http://www.ed.gov/accreditation?src=rn to verify accreditation status). Recent graduates must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.) You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment. All recent graduates are required to sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement. Recent Graduates serve a trial period for the entire duration of their excepted service appointment. Qualification requirements as outlined below: To be qualified for the Paralegal Specialist GS-07 you must have either one year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level in federal service; or one full year of graduate level education (related field): or Superior Academic Achievement or a combination of education and experience. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal and/or legal work to include legal research involving criminal prosecutions under the assistance of a senior or higher-grade employees. Examples of specialized experience include assisting with examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research; assisting with the drafting of briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; assisting in searching and reviewing legal references, case files, or other sources for information or data required by attorneys or court personnel involving criminal prosecution. OR Education: one full year of graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Education at the graduate level must have be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Possess a Bachelor's Degree 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. OR Combining Education and Experience: a combination of specialized experience and graduate education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Education All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at an institution that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov Foreign Education Note: You may use foreign education to meet qualification requirements if you send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency in with your transcript. 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 http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. Additional Information Payment 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. Travel: Occasional travel may be required for training. Recent Graduates who successfully complete Program requirements may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a term or permanent position in the civil service. Veterans' Preference: If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the @type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the documentation as specified in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. 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 http://www.sss.gov Reasonable 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.
