Summary For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao. Responsibilities If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for complex civil, immigration and habeas litigation. The duties and responsibilities for a GS-0950-Paralegal Specialist (Civil/Habeas)-12 generally include, but are not limited to, the following: If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for complex civil, immigration, and habeas litigation. Typical work assignments will include: Performing legal and factual research in support of complex civil, immigration and habeas investigations and litigation; Researching and analyzing case law, statutes, legislative intent, judicial precedents, etc., as they relate to assigned cases; Utilizing a variety of automated legal research tools, including Westlaw, Westlaw-Next, and Lexis, as well as public information databases and other automated resources to perform case- or program-specific legal research; Reviewing and evaluating incoming defensive cases and planning a comprehensive approach to obtaining additional information and evidence; Advising the Civil Division attorneys on merits and weaknesses of civil, immigration and habeas cases and case strategy, and recommending defensive strategies; Assisting with managing discovery to include assisting with responding to propounded discovery; Assisting in drafting and issuing pleadings, discovery documents, and other pre-trial and trial documents; Managing large document productions, including establishing a database for documents, indexing documents, and managing, retrieving, and producing documents; Drafting various legal documents including correspondence, subpoenas, memoranda, pleadings, affidavits, motions, complaints, briefs, and settlement agreements for attorney's review and signature; Assisting in pretrial preparations by preparing, scheduling, reviewing, and organizing the assembly of evidence, exhibits, discovery and other documents; Supporting attorneys in court proceedings by briefing attorneys on pertinent facts, issues, and case law, and by compiling, organizing, and indexing exhibits; Providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and systems capabilities to facilitate trial preparation and trial presentation; Assisting and/or training attorneys in organizing voluminous case information for efficient retrieval through automated means; Preparing computerized trial presentation programs; Overseeing the development of courtroom presentations for assigned cases Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for the position of (USAJOBS Title), at (Pay Plan - Series - Grade Range), you must meet the qualification requirements listed below. To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service as defined below. Specialized Experience is defined as having the following experience: independently performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of law and legal reference materials; researching legal and factual issues for complex civil, immigration, and habeas cases; and analyzing legal issues, factual issues, and subject matter details involved in complex civil, immigration and habeas matters to determine whether referred claims are adequately supported by admissible evidence and legal precedent You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, (Close Date). Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. After you submit your application, you will receive notification indicated whether or not the USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (Close Date) to complete the assessment which is part of your application. Education Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone. No substitution of education for experience is permitted. Additional Information Additional selections may be made from this announcement. 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. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. EEO Statement/Policy: 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. DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: 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. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy Selective Service: If you were born male, on or 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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov. Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to rasheda.devaney@usdoj.gov. Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act.
