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. Responsibilities If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team in the Financial Litigation Unit (FLU) in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, providing a variety of paralegal and legal assistance technical work requiring a specialized knowledge of processes, procedures, and practices to support the work of the Financial Litigation Unit. Typical work assignments will include: Researching case law, regulations, and policy, analyzing facts and evaluating approaches and making recommendations for course of action. Conducting legal research of federal, state and local laws, and the evaluation of property. Preparing legal documents related to foreclosure and sale of property, as well as complaints, summons, pleadings, and judgments. Preparing, reviewing, and organizing discovery and researching case law. Preparing, reviewing, and organizing exhibits to be introduced at court hearing. Preparing a variety of substantive legal documents to include various motions, garnishments, and other legal actions to effect necessary post-judgment action regarding debts owed to the U.S. government. Reviewing and analyzing claims for legal merit and compliance with the Federal Debt Collection Act. Reviewing, summarizing and outlining financial situation of the debtor and determining the most appropriate legal action. Evaluating debtors declared financial assets compared with records obtained from open sources and/or third parties and identifying attempts to deceptively conceal assets. Conducting interviews of debtors, employers and agency officials to determine the effectiveness pursuing legal action against debtors in default. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications GS-9: To be qualified at the GS-9 grade level you must meet at least one of the following conditions below. Specialized Experience: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as performing the following @types of duties: performing technical processing activities associated with debt collection for both criminal and civil debts; obtaining and analyzing financial information to determine a debtor's ability to pay; initiating contact with debtors concerning their obligations, ability to pay, and negotiating written payment schedules to ensure successful collection of debts; conducting skip-tracing activity to locate debtors; performing legal research for assigned cases; determining and initiating the appropriate pleadings and orders needed to initiate post judgment remedies such as garnishment, examination of judgment debtors in aid of execution, and the issuance of writs of execution. -OR- Education: Education in a related field: a J.D. or LL.B; OR a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or higher (in a related field, e.g. Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Criminal Justice, Law); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. -OR- Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of specialized experience and graduate education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. (Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year is creditable.) GS-11: To be qualified at the GS-11 grade level you must meet at least one of the following conditions below. Specialized Experience: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing the following @types of duties: interpreting and enforcing criminal judgments, imposing monetary obligations, and performing all functions to collect amounts imposed as a result of the prosecution of criminal cases; evaluating debtors declared financial assets compared with records obtained from open sources and/or third parties and identifying attempts to deceptively conceal assets; conducting in-depth analysis of debtor income tax returns to ascertain the existence of income earning assets and acquisitions or sales of real and personal property; performing fact-finding, research, and analysis on issues under investigation or related to cases; preparing required legal instruments (i.e., document demands, interrogatories, requests for admission, inspection demands) and coordinating debtor exams, oral depositions and witness statements as required. -OR- Education: Possess one of the following @types of education in a related field (e.g. Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Criminal Justice, Law): a LL.M., Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. -OR- Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of two (2) 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/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. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline. 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.
