Summary For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. Under this announcement, there is one (1) position to be filled in either Albany, NY or Syracuse, NY. The General Schedule (GS) salary range applicable to the location in which the position is filled is as follows: Albany: $76,282 to $99,162 Per Year Syracuse: $73,939 to $96,116 Per Year As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. Responsibilities If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team as a Paralegal Specialist responsible for providing substantive legal support to Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) for the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Northern District of New York (NDNY) in a variety of specialized litigative activities related to financial litigation. Typical work assignments require discretion and independent judgment in the application of specialized knowledge of particular laws, regulations, precedents, or agency practices that directly affect the outcome of cases and will include: Legal Research - Developing, analyzing, and evaluating information on complex/unusual financial assets. Researching statutes, legal and factual issues, and other information sources using online systems. Organizing/preparing research material to determine pertinent information, reconcile conflicting facts, and identify/gather additional information. Weighing diverse/complex facts to make sound interpretations, prepare initial summaries, and make recommendations. Legal Writing - Drafting initial legal and administrative briefs, motions, and oppositions to defense motions. Drafting legal documents and correspondence detailing legislative history, precedent cases, decisions, and opinions and summarizing case files, depositions, and/or interrogatories. Presenting facts, law, and analysis to meet case requirements and support legal arguments. Analyzing, interpreting, and adapting legal guidelines to draft correspondence and legal documents. Verifying citations and statutory references against original sources. Analysis of Debtors' Financial Assets - Analyzing a debtor's financial information to determine present/future ability to pay. Determining appropriateness/cost effectiveness of pursuing obligations by suit or proceedings to enforce collection. Interpreting and enforcing judgments imposed by criminal prosecution, such as fines, assessments, interest, penalties, restitution, appearance bond forfeitures, criminal forfeitures, and court costs. Researching financial asset information, performing financial computations, and approving acceptable payment amounts. Communicating with debtors to present payment options, answer questions, explain procedures, clarify information, and bring cases to resolution. Preparation/Management of Evidence and Discovery - Coordinating production of administrative records and responses to requests for discovery. Preparing/organizing voluminous documentation and evidence for production as discovery and use in trial. Managing discovery and evidence in electronic/hard copy formats for use in each stage of litigation. Case Support - Participating in pre-trial witness conferences, noting case deficiencies (e.g., missing documents, conflicting statements) and other matters requiring investigation. Selecting and interpreting pertinent guidelines and policies to support work assignments. Compiling case files for attorneys and coordinating with various sources to obtain documentation. Evaluating case files, following agency standards regarding litigation worthiness and appropriate titles of law. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To be qualified at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience; Education; OR a Combination of Specialized Experience and Education. Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least work at the GS-09 level in Federal service, which has equipped you with the competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work, which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. Examples of specialized experience include: analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; composing legal briefs, summaries of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents; interviewing witnesses and various individuals who can provide insight into cases under review; and preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations. OR Education: One of the following @types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. 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. OR Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: A combination of specialized experience and successfully completed graduate education as described above may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of two full years. Career 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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. 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 http://www.ed.gov 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 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. 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.
