Summary For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. For more information on the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx. 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 27-SDTX-13110841-MS. This position is located in Brownsville, TX. Responsibilities If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for Legal Assistant work. The duties and responsibilities for a GS-0986-Legal Assistant (Office Automation)-5/6/7 generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Using knowledge of a variety of legal regulations, precedents, and practices, examines, prepares and processes technical legal correspondence and documents. Conducting factual and legal research in legal and non-legal databases and provide requested information. Preparing trial exhibits such as statistical charts, graphs, and timelines to be presented in court. Managing paper and electronic documents and evidence, correspondence, briefs, witness interviews, and other documentary materials. Arranging travel by preparing itinerary, and securing transportation and hotel reservations. 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 Legal Assistant (Office Automation), at GS-0986-5/6/7, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below. GS-5: To be eligible at the GS-5 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level; or four years of education above the high school level; or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below. Specialized experience is defined as experience reviewing documents with legal implications for accuracy and completeness (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other @types of legal documents); typing and formatting correspondence and forms; maintaining file systems; and obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources. This experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 level in the Federal service and could have been gained in the federal, public, or private sector. Education: Four years of education above high school leading to a bachelor's degree in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the prerequisite. One year of full-time study is defined as 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) or the equivalent or 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for 36 weeks in business, secretarial or technical school. Combining Education and Experience: Successfully completed post-high school education may be used to meet the total one year of specialized experience requirement equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. GS-6: To be eligible at the GS-6 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience reviewing legal documents such as complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels for completeness of information; retrieving and assembling information for hearing and/or trial use; researching a variety of legal sources to obtain and/or verify information; and using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence and related materials. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the GS-05 grade/level in the federal service. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. GS-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience as defined below: Specialized experience is defined as experience providing trial support to attorneys by preparing complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, or other hearing and/or trial documents accurately and in proper format; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; assisting with discovery, hearing or trial preparation by performing duties such as compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, and compiling witness and exhibit lists; and using software applications and legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs, and prepare courtroom presentations. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the GS-06 grade/level in the federal service. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. To be qualified, you must @type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.) 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/. You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the 11/18/2026 of this announcement. 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 11/18/2026 to complete the assessment which is part of your application. Education If you are relying on your education to meet the GS-5 qualification requirements, please see the statements below. Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, in order for it to be creditable towards your qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from accredited institution. If you are using education to qualify for this position, or education is required: You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award. Your transcript must come from a nationally accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education. Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document. If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website. If you are qualifying on foreign education, you MUST submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Transcripts must be uploaded with your application to verify education. 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; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. 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. 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, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism. Current or Former Political Appointees: 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
