Legal Administrative Specialist

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

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Duties

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If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for supporting Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) in either the criminal or civil division. Typical work assignments will include supporting investigative or trail teams in a variety of ways, including:

• Researching, analyzing, and summarizing relevant legal precedents for applicability to assigned cases.
• Analyzing records to isolate facts pertinent to distinct legal issues.
• Supporting the investigative or trial team in its interviews of agents and potential witnesses to assist the AUSA in preparation for grand jury or trial.
• Organizing, reviewing, summarizing and outlining grand jury and/or trial testimony to assist to AUSA in preparation for grand jury or trial.
• Providing advice to attorney and other legal support staff on the most effective and efficient ways to prepare, present and maintain a variety of administrative legal documents.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

Applicants must possess and demonstrate in their application packages that they meet the following minimum qualifications:

GS-07 : To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions:

Specialized Experience : One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level.

Specialized experience is defined as: performing routine litigation support assignments such as assisting with organizing case information, including creating grand jury logs and organizing grand jury responses; preparing discovery productions, including scanning and coding documents and creating CDs; assisting attorneys in preparing for court such as preparing exhibits, compiling trial notebooks, compiling witness and exhibit lists; verifying citations; and preparing a variety of legal documents; assisting in the use of technology to organize digital evidence; and editing a variety of legal documents, such as information requests, subpoenas, correspondence and memos.

OR

Education : One full year of graduate education in a closely related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law, Paralegal Studies)

OR

Completion of a full four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree and meet one of the following superior academic achievement provisions: (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for all completed undergraduate course work or for all courses completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work; (2) a GPA of 3.5 or higher for all courses in the major field of study, or those courses in a major completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work; (3) ranking in the upper one-third of a college, university, or major subdivision or (4) membership in a national scholastic honor society.

OR

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements.

GS-09 : 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-07 level.

Specialized experience is defined as analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; assisting in the presentation and preparation of evidence for trials; organizing voluminous case information for retrieval; preparing computerized presentations; drafting a variety of legal documents, such as information request, subpoenas, correspondence, and memos.

OR

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law, Paralegal Studies): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.

OR

Combining Education and Experience : 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:

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

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see

OR

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at 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; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

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

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/Policy: 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 factor. More information can be found here:

Political Appointees (Current or Former ): 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.

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.