Paralegal Specialist

Summary

See below for important information regarding this job.

Position may be filled at:

GS-09: $64,406 - $83,733

GS-11: $77.926 - $101,309

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Duties

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• If selected at the GS-09 level, duties will be performed in a developmental capacity:
• Provide assistance to any practice area or program team within the office, as assigned, to include contracts, fraud, litigation, employment, administrative, and installation law actions
• Assist in employment, labor, ethics, suspension or debarment, acquisition matters, and court and administrative hearings regarding complaints, appeals, protests, investigations, and mediation's.
• Prepare narratives, collect exhibits, compile evidentiary files and correct file deficiencies in support of the agency position and assist attorneys at administrative hearings as necessary.
• Analyze and evaluate claims and other matters arising from various legislative acts (e.g., Federal Tort Claims Act, Civilian Employees' Claim Act, Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act) and programs.
• Select, review, assemble, summarize, and/or compile substantive, procedural, and office administrative information through utilization of Agency files, databases, statutes, regulations, and legal materials as necessary to process assignment.
• Interview potential witnesses and perform discovery in case preparation as requested by the attorney.
• Interact and network with persons both inside and outside Government, including attorneys, investigators, auditors, contracting officials, corporate officers, and others.
• Research and write legal memoranda on a wide variety of issues, i.e. personnel, installation, procurement fraud, debarment/suspension, contracts, Ethics for Executive Branch Employees, jurisdictional, environmental, and non-appropriated funds.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Tour of Duty: 1st Shift; Flexible (
• Security Requirements: Non-Critical Sensitive with Secret Access
• Appointment is subject to the completion of a favorable suitability or fitness determination, where reciprocity cannot be applied; unfavorably adjudicated background checks will be grounds for removal.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-Exempt
• Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Bargaining Unit Status: No
• Selectees are required to have a REAL ID or other acceptable identification documents to access certain federal facilities. See for more information.

Qualifications

To qualify for a Paralegal Specialist, your resume and supporting documentation must support:

A. Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position and is directly in or related to this position. To qualify at the GS-09 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. To qualify at the GS-11 level, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level or equivalent under other pay systems in the Federal service, military, or private sector. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements including time-in-grade (General Schedule (GS) positions only), time-after-competitive appointment, minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Creditable specialized experience includes:

GS-09:

• Develop cases, constructs case files, ensures case completeness, and makes recommendations to the assigned attorney(s).
• Research and summarize factual aspects of cases; analyzes reports, testimony, interviews, and files; drafts memoranda concerning facts of cases.
• Drafting and editing legal memoranda, draft opinions, research reports and other correspondence relating to cases or diverse legal issues

GS-11

• Preforms legal research for various cases and types, working with attorneys to prepare for trial, and analyzing precedent setting cases to determine the impact to current assignments.
• Determines legal, policy, and administrative issues involved and the nature of analysis and legal research required to come to a successful conclusion and to support recommendations.
• Preparing and editing legal memoranda, draft opinions, research reports and other correspondence relating to cases or diverse legal issues

B. Education Substitution: Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Education must be from a college or university accredited by an organization approved by the U.S. Department of Education. See If using education to meet basic qualifications, YOU MUST SUBMIT A TRANSCRIPT as supplemental documentation. To qualify based on education in lieu of specialized experience, you must possess:

• GS-09: Master's Degree or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or an LL.B. or J.D, if related.
• GS-11: 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.

C. Combination: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for grade levels GS-09 and GS-11 and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-09 and GS-11.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Are you using your education to qualify? You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

As required by 5 C.F.R. § 302.106, DLA will provide Section 508 conformant ICT to employees with disabilities. All ICT interfaces with the public related to vacancy announcements and career transition opportunities must conform to the applicable requirements in the current ICT Standards and Guidelines (36 C.F.R. § 1194).

For Important General Applicant Information and Definitions go to :

Reemployed Annuitants: This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at:

Information for Veterans is available at: As of 23 December 2016, Military retirees seeking to enter federal service in the Department of Defense now require a waiver if they would be appointed within 180 days following their official date of retirement.

Drug-Free Workplace Policy

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to maintaining a safe, drug-free workplace. All DLA employees are required to refrain from illegal drug use on and off duty. DLA conducts pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug testing.

Applicants tentatively selected for employment in testing designated positions will undergo a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Refusal to undergo testing or testing positive for illegal drugs will result in withdrawal of the tentative job offer and a six-month denial of employment with DLA from the date of the drug test. Employees in drug testing designated positions are subject to random drug testing. A negative drug test result must be received by HR within 30 calendar days after the EOD (i.e., start date). The selectee's inability successfully pass; or refusal to conduct the test may result in: 1) the tentative or FJO being withdrawn during the recruitment process; or 2) subsequently being removed from Federal service for failure to meet a condition of employment. You may be required to sign a "Drug Test Statement of Understanding" if you are selected for this position.

The DLA drug testing panel tests for the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, fentanyl, norfentanyl, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and opioids.

ADVISORY: Use of cannabidiol (CBD) products may result in a positive drug test for marijuana. DLA employees are subject to Federal law and under Federal law, Marijuana is illegal .

Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

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.