The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is unique in the size and the scope of its work. It serves as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation's capital. On the local side, AUSAs assigned to the Superior Court Division prosecute cases ranging from misdemeanors to homicides. On the federal side, AUSAs assigned to the Criminal Division prosecute federal crimes. The Civil Division further defends the United States in civil suits brought in the District of Columbia.
To be qualified for the GS-11 Paralegal Specialist, you must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal Service; or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related; or a combination of specialized experience and education. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience must be in relation and support of the Civil litigation process. It is defined as applying knowledge of defensive or affirmative litigation and the litigative process. to include: performing legal research to compose legal documents (i.e., pleadings, memoranda of law, dispositive motions and briefs, subpoenas, complaints, various motions, and responses to defense motions) correspondence, finding legislative history, documenting agency determinations, and providing case precedent; analyzing, summarizing and providing relevant facts and precedents to attorneys in determining litigation strategy and preparing for court hearings; providing legal assistance, technical support and case management in preparing, organizing and indexing documents, evidence, exhibits and witnesses for and during court proceedings; and contributes to division-wide objectives and tasks, including; accepting service packages (summons and complaints, etc) and accurately logging them in electronic service system; correctly scanning and saving service packages; providing general support (copying, mailing, etc.); scheduling due dates for required filings and hearings in database; establishing contact between attorneys and agency counsel; assisting with editing documents and preparing Table of Contents and Table of Authorities. OR Education: a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combining Education and Experience: a combination of specialized experience and education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. 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 1 full year. 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/.
If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team with the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia's Civil Division that is responsible for performing a variety of complex paralegal assignments in a variety of civil cases. Typical work assignments will include: -Provides direct paralegal support to attorneys in support of the mission and function of the Civil Division. -Communicates regularly with attorneys, office staff, client agencies and witnesses to request documentation, information and keeping them up-dated on case status. -Maintains a calendar of required filings and due dates from case load of active cases to ensure that legal pleadings, forms, reports, correspondence, and other documents are prepared and submitted with established deadlines.. -Prepares and maintains case files including documents, evidence, exhibits, witness lists and jury instructions. -Searches, analyzes and summarizes data, makes conclusions, and recommends appropriate action in consultation with the responsible AUSA. -Performs legal research in the areas of employment discrimination law, information and privacy law, and tort law. -Drafting various documents for electronic filing, (i.e., motions, pleadings, briefs and etc.). -Performs other related duties as assigned. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. 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.