Paralegal Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Office of Solicitor, in Kansas City, Missouri. The regional offices have responsibility for civil litigation before U.S. District Courts and administrative law judges under the laws enforced by the Department of Labor.

This position is outside the bargaining unit..

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Duties

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• Prepares and organizes exhibits, case files, and records.
• Prepares drafts & documents subject to attorney approval.
• Prepares & reviews legal documents for content, legal sufficiency, & administrative accuracy.
• Files & serves documents as required by local rules including using court electronic filing systems to file & track litigation case documents and Court orders.
• Accompanies attorneys to trials/hearings, mediations, & depositions to assist in logistical aspects of presenting the Secretary's case.
• Assists attorneys in locating witnesses & arranging for subpoenas & indexing depositions.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.

Qualifications

You must meet the Specialized Experience and/or Education Substitution to qualify for Paralegal Specialist, as described below.

Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Position titles alone cannot be used to determine if you are qualified. Please list dates in MM/DD/YY format. This is imperative in determining if whether you have at least one year of creditable specialized experience. Dates will not be assumed.

GS-09: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-07, in the Federal Service. To qualify, applicants must successfully complete 3 out of the 4 statements below. Examples of specialized experience include:

1) Utilize best practices, including programs such as MS Excel and AI, to index and summarize trial and deposition/statement testimony and organize and review case files prior to filing legal documents.

2) Utilize all internal and external sources of information (including Google search, CLEAR, etc.) to locate witnesses and arrange for witness attendance at depositions//trials, and informal attorney interviews, including answering witness' questions, arranging for service of subpoenas, and preparing witness attendance vouchers to support the agency's litigation activities.

3) Communicate effectively orally and in writing in order to convey research findings, and create compliant document filings for attorneys, office management, courts/administrative adjudicatory bodies, and other parties.

4) Use various automated systems and software technologies such as word processing, presentation, and spreadsheets to complete paralegal assignments.

Or

Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree that provided the knowledge's, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position

Or

Successful completion of two full years of progressively higher level graduate education that provided the knowledge's, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position

Or

Successful completion of a LL.B or J.D that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Additional information

The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

For more information, Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information

For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy.

Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.

The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.

Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.

All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the résumé uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration.

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.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.