Paralegal Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Solicitor, San Francisco Regional Office. This position maybe filled in Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, or Seattle, WA. The work of the organization requires continuous contact with United States District Judges, Administrative Law Judges, Clerks of Courts, United States Attorneys, the public, and the media. The work generates considerable interest from members of Congress, bar associations, and officers of state and local governments.

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Duties

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Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

GS-07

• Draft routine pleadings, correspondence, memorandas, and other legal documents using established formats.
• Review legal documents for completeness (proper format, grammatical accuracy, and compliance with established legal procedures) before submission to attorneys.
• Conduct basic legal research using statutes, regulations, agency policies, court decisions, legal databases, and reference materials to locate applicable authorities.
• Prepare factual chronologies, document summaries, and case information for attorney review.

GS-09

• Verify citations and legal authorities to support attorneys.
• Draft routine pleadings, correspondence, memoranda, and other legal documents using established formats.
• Participates in interviewing potential witnesses, union representatives, claimants, grievants, and employees to gather information and arranging for subpoenas and indexing/abstracting depositions.
• Assists in E-Filing, and responding to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and requests for agency testimony and record in third-party actions (Third Party Subpoena cases).

GS-11

• Summarizes findings or documents for use by attorneys in preparing legal documents.
• Identifies the need for uniform procedures and standards to facilitate legal activities and related administrative processes and avoid duplication of effort and undue delay in accomplishing objectives.
• Interview potential witnesses, union representatives, claimants, grievants, and employees to gather information and arranging for subpoenas and indexing/abstracting depositions.
• Review discovery materials, identifying appropriate objections, gathering documents, and making redactions to those documents consistent with the governmental privileges permitted in federal litigation.

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

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.

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.

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

For GS-07 : Applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-05 in the Federal Service. Applicants must demonstrate at least two (2) of the specialized experience statements listed here: (1) Utilize basic legal principles, terminology, legal research techniques to perform basic litigation support assignments using established methods and procedures. (2) Knowledge of the litigation activities of the agency sufficient to gather and analyze data and to evaluate its usefulness in researching legal issues. (3) Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing to obtain factual information, prepare written summaries, and support attorneys throughout the litigation process.

OR- 1 full year of graduate level education

OR- A Bachelor's degree in a related field that provides me with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position with Superior Academic Achievement based on one of the following: Graduating in the upper 3rd of my class; or having a cumulative undergraduate GPA of or at least 3.0 out of 4.0, or a GPA of at least 3.5 out of a 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in my major field; or being elected to a national scholastic honor society.

OR - A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education that provided the specific knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position.

For GS-09 : Applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-07 in the Federal Service OR meet the substitution of education OR combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described below. Applicants must demonstrate at least three (3) of the specialized experience statements listed here: (1) Utilize principles, concepts, and methods of legal research and analysis sufficient to perform recurring case development and documentation assignments which are typically covered by established precedents. (2) Knowledge of the litigation activities of the agency sufficient to gather and analyze data and to evaluate its usefulness in researching complex legal issues. (3) Advanced knowledge of office automation software, legal case management systems, and document preparation techniques sufficient to prepare legal correspondence, presentations, spreadsheet software, reports, pleadings, and maintain electronic case files. (4) Communicate effectively orally and in writing to convey research findings to attorneys and other parties, and obtain information.

OR - Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of graduate level education, or LLB. or J.D.; if related.

OR - A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education that provided the specific knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position.

For GS-11 : Applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-09 in the Federal Service OR meet the substitution of education OR combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described below. Applicants must demonstrate at least three (3) of the specialized experience statements listed here: (1) Recommend and make tentative arguments and provide justification and information and documents required to support the arguments made by attorneys assigned to the case. (2) Developing and refining evidence, and knowledge of how to incorporate additional evidence into case files and presentations. (3) Advanced knowledge of office automation software, legal case management systems, and document preparation techniques sufficient to prepare legal correspondence, presentations, spreadsheet software, reports, pleadings, and maintain electronic case files. (4) Communicate independently and effectively orally and in writing to convey research findings to attorneys and other parties, and obtain information. (5) Work with legal reference sources in agency manuals, administrative decisions, and court decisions to perform applicable legal research.

OR - 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 graduate level education that provided the specific knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties 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

Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements.

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 ACCOMMODATIONS, 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 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 Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click for more information on Pay, Leave, and Workforce Flexibilities.

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.

The salary includes the minimum and maximum pay for the listed locations. Upon selection, your salary will be set based on the duty location assigned.

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.