Summary The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania 's mission is to investigate, prosecute and deter violations of federal statutes, enforce and represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, uphold civil, constitutional and victims' rights, and foster partnerships with other federal, state and local government agencies and community groups. This position is also being announced to applicants under Merit Staffing procedures under 26-PAE-12931875-MP. Responsibilities This Supervisory Paralegal Specialist provides technical guidance and advice to division personnel, develops policies and procedures for legal support staff to meet litigation mission requirements and performs the most complex paralegal research and writing assignments on high-profile criminal cases, exercising discretion and independent judgment in applying laws, regulations, and precedents. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Supervisory Paralegal Specialist support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing in the areas of leadership, advisory, and writing services. Typical work assignments will include: Directing the review, organization, and analysis of complex factual materials and evidence for investigations and trials; supervising legal research to determine issues and case merit. Providing guidance on preparing legal documents; reviewing and approving filings such as extradition requests, subpoenas, interrogatories, and related evidentiary materials. Overseeing evidence coordination for court, managing discovery, and ensuring timely responses to pre-trial motions and stipulations. Supervising staff by planning and assigning work, setting deadlines, approving leave, conducting corrective interviews, and evaluating performance. Leading recruitment by interviewing candidates, recommending selections, and ensuring staffing meets operational and case deadlines. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying: To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing (5) of the (6) duties listed below: Utilizing legal terminology, docket and case reporting procedures, laws, court and administrative decisions, and interpreting rules, regulations, policies, and procedural requirements to support litigation and legal operations. Reviewing incoming legal documents to determine preparation needs and utilizing automation support hardware and software to perform legal and office support functions. Gathering and analyzing data to evaluate its usefulness in resolving legal issues; preparing summaries, court presentations, legal documents, and briefs including drafting materials for review and approval. Conducting criminal litigation legal research for case development, including locating, logging, indexing, filing, retrieving materials, developing discovery and exhibit lists, and organizing trial exhibits containing visual material. Reporting status codes for caseloads, verifying citations and statutory references, and conducting research and analysis for legal relevance; coordinating efforts, summarizing data, drawing conclusions, and recommending appropriate actions to deliver services and work products to customers. Supervising subordinate staff by approving or denying leave and overtime requests, assigning and scheduling work with clear deadlines, interviewing and recommending candidates, and preparing work plans, performance standards, and evaluations. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here. Education Additional Information Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Justice requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a clearance as a condition of placement in this NonCritical Sensitive/High Risk position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (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 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 rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility, click here. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced 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 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 rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about CTAP eligibility, click here. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
