Summary For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 25-VT-12779160-MS. Responsibilities At the full performance level, you will provide a variety of legal and technical support services to the United States Attorney's Office. If selected, you will receive formal and/or on-the-job training as needed. Duties include: - Provide technical assistance to attorneys on legal automation requirements and systems capabilities to facilitate litigation decisions, trial preparation and trial presentation. - Work with attorneys, investigators, federal agents and support staff to recommend the most effective strategy to meet litigation needs. - Assist and/or train attorneys and legal support staff in organizing voluminous case information for efficient retrieval through automated means such as scanning, indexing, and controlling of documents into a data base. - Prepare pleadings, stipulations, motions, briefs, affidavits, and other legal documents. - Proofread and cite-check legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents. - Assemble tables of authorities and tables of contents for legal briefs. - Manage discovery and evidence in paper copies and electronically and present the exhibits using trial presentation software in court. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications GS-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must have: at least one year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-5 level; or Education, or a Combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is defined as experience performing routine litigation support assignments such as assisting with organizing case information, including creating grand jury logs and organizing grand jury responses; preparing discovery productions, including scanning and coding documents and creating CDs; assisting attorneys in preparing for court such as preparing exhibits, compiling trial notebooks, compiling witness and exhibit lists; verifying citations; and preparing a variety of legal documents; assisting in the use of technology to organize digital evidence; and editing a variety of legal documents, such as information requests, subpoenas, correspondence and memos. Education: One of the following @types of education in a related field (e.g., Information Technology, Computer Science, Law, Criminal Justice): One full year of graduate level education or a bachelor's degree AND meet one of the following Superior Academic Achievement provisions: (1) class standing in the upper one-third of the graduating class; (2) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher 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 a GPA of 3.5 or higher 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 2years of the curriculum; or (3) election to a membership in a national scholastic honor society. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must have: at least one year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-7 level; or Education, or a Combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is defined as experience assisting attorneys and legal support personnel with court rules, regulations and procedures, analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; recommending automated support methods for trials; customizing databases and programs for user needs; assisting with trial preparation and presentations, and assisting attorneys with automatic evidence presentation in court; preparing motions, orders, pleadings, subpoenas and legal briefs, summaries of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents. Education: One of the following @types of education in a related field (e.g., Information Technology, Computer Science, Law, Criminal Justice): a Master's 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. 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 the first two years may be used to meet total qualification requirements. 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: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. 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 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.
