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.
GS-12: To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must meet at least ONE full year of Specialized Experience as defined below. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level. Specialized Experience is defined as performing the following types of duties: providing paralegal support to a professional attorney staff; performing extensive legal research in support of complex case work; conducting analysis of statutes, legislative intent, judicial precedents, agency rules and regulations, etc.; and providing and organizing legal staff support for civil cases. 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/
If selected for this position, you will support Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Civil Division representing the United States in civil lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout the Southern District of Texas. Typical work assignments will include: Performs substantive paralegal projects for attorneys working on complex civil cases; Analyzes and making recommendations on management issues in office operations, use of personnel, money and materials; Interfaces with administrative staff and management officials to assure legal support services and administrative requirements are met; Acts as a liaison between the district and other government offices to ascertain records, reports, documents, etc., requested with pending legal matters; Reviews and analyzes directives, orders, manuals, and guidance correspondence to support compliance with district policies, procedures, and Department of Justice/Executive Office of the United States Attorney regulations; Plans and organizes work projects and assignments to be accomplished by subordinates, prepares schedules for completion of work in order to meet deadlines and ensure an even workflow of work; Implements and advises staff of new policies and/or modifies existing procedures; Provides trial team management by assigning legal support for each civil trial; Plans work to be accomplished by staff; Identifies the developmental and training needs of staff; Hears and resolves complaints and grievances from employees; effects minor disciplinary measures as required. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.