Summary With a talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team enforcing Federal criminal laws to protect life, liberty, and the property of citizens. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 26-MIE-12907338-DE. Responsibilities As a Legal Administrative Specialist (Litigation Support) in the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing a variety of technical, analytical, and legal support services to the Eastern District of Michigan. Your duties will include (but are not limited to): Performing routine litigation support duties necessary to process common electronically stored information (ESI). Developing and analyzing litigation support plans to meet litigation needs. Using software applications to extract electronic case materials from storage devices or download electronic case materials from secure file transfer sites. Reviewing case team's technical requirements and developing plans for processing electronic files consistent with those requirements. Organizing and assisting attorneys in organizing and managing voluminous case information for efficient retrieval through automated means such as scanning, indexing, and controlling of documents into a data base. Building and maintaining document review databases for case team use, including by loading images, native, and text files into databases. Ensuring quality control and maintaining accurate and current records regarding outgoing discovery productions. Preparing computerized trial presentations using trial presentation programs. Using and appropriately employing a variety of software packages including database, spreadsheet and word processing applications such as: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Trial Director, Concordance, Everlaw, Eclipse, Time Map, Case Map, eScan It, etc., based on which software would be most effective for presentation of complex and voluminous evidence or to production of graphic demonstrative evidence, as well as meeting individual user needs. Preparing and maintaining a variety of trial-related documents, e.g., discovery letters, exhibit lists, jury instructions, trial subpoenas, etc., by applying a thorough knowledge of the Federal Rules of Evidence and Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and applying practical litigative experience. 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 is experience assisting with computerized presentations using a variety of software packages including database, spreadsheet, trial presentation, audio editing and video editing applications; Supporting attorneys in preparing for court such as preparing exhibits, subpoenas, information requests, pleadings and/or correspondence; or preparing discovery productions, including scanning, processing, and coding documents. Education: One of the following @types of education in any field: One full year of graduate level education or a bachelor's degree (or expect to complete within 9 months all the requirements for 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 2 years of the curriculum; or (3) election to a membership in a national scholastic honor society. GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service as defined below; or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education or master's degree in a field to include, but not limited to, information technology, computer science, criminal justice, law, English, history, paralegal studies, sociology, or degree programs in the humanities, social sciences and STEM; or an equivalent graduate degree such as an LL.B or J.D.; or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below. Specialized Experience is experience performing routine litigation support assignments such as assisting with organizing case information (i.e., scanning and creating CDs); assisting attorneys in preparing for court such as preparing exhibits, compiling trial notebooks, compiling witness and exhibit lists and preparing computerized trial presentations and exhibits; verifying citations; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to requests; using automated legal research tools such as Westlaw, Lexis, as well as public information databases to perform basic research of case-specific legal matters; preparing a variety of legal documents; or managing discovery. Combination of experience & graduate level education can be used if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of the first full year can be used in this calculation. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service as defined below; or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education, LL.M., Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field to include, but not limited to, information technology, computer science, criminal justice, law, English, history, paralegal studies, sociology, or degree programs in the humanities, social sciences and STEM; or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below. Specialized Experience is working in a legal environment providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and systems capabilities; organizing and managing case specific discovery; analyzing complex litigation support requirements to develop or recommend appropriate strategies to meet litigation needs; using automated litigation support technology such as Trial Director, Concordance, Case Map, Eclipse, or related programs to organize voluminous case information for retrieval, prepare computerized trial presentations, and index digital evidence; researching, analyzing and summarizing relevant legal precedents; or preparing and maintaining a variety of trial-related documents. Combination of experience & graduate level education can be used if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of the first two years can be used in this calculation. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. See the "Additional Information" section below regarding qualifications for the following programs: Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), and Special Employment Consideration. 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. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA): VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement. Special Employment Consideration: Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, click on the links provided below . You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility. Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=Types-of-Appointments 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.
