Legal Administrative Specialist

Responsibilities Serving as the primary support specialist responsible for managing discovery in a variety of criminal matters. Responsibilities include coordinating with agency partners to collect materials, reviewing incoming materials in a variety of paper and electronic formats to assess responsiveness, organizing voluminous materials for efficient review by the case team, preparing materials for production, and maintaining detailed indices of materials received and produced. Other duties include organizing discovery, assisting with hearing and trial preparation, maintaining witness lists and schedules, drafting subpoenas, preparing exhibits, operating trial presentation software, researching legal and factual databases, drafting routine legal documents, providing administrative support, entering and updating case management software, closing case files, procuring transcripts, managing budgets, scheduling meetings and witnesses, tracking deadlines, electronically filing pleadings, and proofreading and editing legal briefs. Managing discovery in a variety of criminal matters, coordinating with agency partners to collect materials. Reviewing incoming materials in paper and electronic formats to assess responsiveness and organizing voluminous materials for efficient review. Preparing materials for production and maintaining detailed indices of materials received and produced. Assisting attorneys with hearing and trial preparation: maintaining witness lists, drafting subpoenas, preparing and assembling exhibits, and operating trial presentation software. Conducting legal and factual research in legal and non‑legal databases and drafting routine legal documents such as motions, orders, and notices. Providing administrative support: entering case management software, closing case files, procuring transcripts and expert witness contracts, calculating deadlines, and electronically filing pleadings via e‑mail or PACER. Proofreading and editing legal briefs, completing research as needed. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre‑employment adjudication, including fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable background investigation adjudication. You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable. If selected, you may be required to complete a one‑year probationary period. Time‑in‑Grade: Federal employees must meet time‑in‑grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement. You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position unless a particular timeline has been outlined for a specific grade level. Qualifications – GS‑7 To be eligible at the GS‑7 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions: Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS‑5 level in the Federal service or equivalent paid/non‑paid experience. Experience must involve routine legal assistance assignments that demonstrate a basic knowledge of litigation procedures. Examples include: Assisting attorneys by preparing routine legal documents (e.g., basic motions, notices, subpoenas, proposed orders, or routine correspondence). Assisting attorneys with discovery, such as indexing and organizing discovery items, transmitting productions, maintaining logs, and tracking productions with opposing counsel. Assisting attorneys with hearing and trial preparation (compiling, organizing and indexing evidentiary exhibits; compiling witness and exhibit lists; assembling trial notebooks). Assisting attorneys with case development and preparation (performing basic legal or factual research; preparing written summaries of evidentiary materials). Assisting attorneys with trial preparation and courtroom presentations (preparing trial exhibits such as charts, graphs, timelines; presenting exhibits using trial presentation software). Education: One full year of graduate‑level education in a related field leading to a Master’s degree or higher. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Superior Academic Achievement: Possess a Bachelor’s Degree or expect to complete the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree within the next 9 months in a related field and possess at least one of the following: Class standing in the upper third of the graduating class. Overall GPA of 3.0, or at least a 3.0 based on courses completed during the final two years. GPA of at least 3.5 based on the average of required courses completed in the major field or during the final two years. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. Qualifications – GS‑9 To be eligible at the GS‑9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions: Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS‑7 level in the Federal service or equivalent paid/non‑paid experience. Experience must involve routine litigation support assignments in discovery that require a basic knowledge of processing, review, and/or production of commonly found ESI. Examples include: Managing discovery in a variety of formats (receiving, indexing, organizing materials; preparing, transmitting, tracking productions). Assisting attorneys in evaluating discovery or evidentiary materials’ value or relevance to assigned cases. Conducting factual and legal research in support of cases, utilizing legal databases and public sources. Drafting routine legal documents and correspondence (requests for extensions, letters transmitting discovery, routine notices, summaries of witness statements or evidence). Assisting attorneys with hearing or trial preparation (preparing subpoenas, assembling exhibits, maintaining witness lists and schedules, preparing demonstrative exhibits). Supporting attorneys during court proceedings or live presentations (using trial presentation software and equipment to display exhibits; maintaining exhibit accounting; managing witnesses). Education: One of the following: a Master’s or equivalent graduate degree (e.g., LL.B. or J.D.) or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Graduate education must be in an accredited institution and demonstrate required knowledge and skills. Combining Education and Experience: Successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Graduate education must exceed one full year for qualification by combination. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS‑9. If selected, you may be non‑competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor, contingent upon regulatory and legal requirements, satisfactory performance, availability of higher‑level work, and funding availability. Promotion is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied. Benefits The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, telework, life insurance, health benefits, and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. Recruitment and/or relocation incentives may be authorized if the position is difficult to fill, if supported by the skills of the selected candidate, and subject to the availability of funds. A relocation incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications. Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. Career Transition Assistance (CTAP / ICTAP) The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at the provided URLs. 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 under the Selective Service Law. Reasonable Accommodation 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. Political Appointees The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non‑Career SES employees. If you have held such a position within the last five years, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) Eligible veterans may apply for positions announced under merit promotion procedures. Requirements include honorably separated status and either preference eligibility or at least three years of continuous active military service. Applicants for VEOA appointments must submit a copy of DD‑214, Member Copy 4, and any other required documents. Special Employment Consideration Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service‑connected disability of 30 % or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain armed‑forces members, and returning Peace Corps volunteers may be eligible for non‑competitive appointments. Candidates should specify the authority under which they wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement 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 factors. More information can be found at Additional Information Additional information about recruitment, relocation incentives, and benefits is available on the official Department of Justice website. Contact the hiring agency for any specific queries regarding the position. #J-18808-Ljbffr United States Attorneys' Offices