Clarification from the agency

U.S. citizens and U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.

As a Paralegal Specialist, you will:

• Review legal and administrative files to analyze facts and issues. Determine if jurisdiction is correct.
• Review petitioner's settlement proposal. Communicate settlement recommendation, if appropriate, to supervising attorney. Draft counsel settlement memorandum and decision documents. Schedule and conduct conferences with petitioner and/or their representative.
• Assist with trial preparation. Conduct legal, IDRS and internet research. Locate witnesses, draft subpoenas, interview witnesses. Assist attorneys in the maintenance of compilation of trial exhibits, stipulation of facts, etc. Monitor trial deadlines.
• Assist with identifying and hiring expert witnesses and preparation of the expert witness procurement package. Monitor the status of expert witness contracts. Assist with closing cases taking into account the statute of limitations.
• Assist with the review of taxpayer Offers-in-Compromise to determine whether all necessary documents are present and accurate and whether Counsel approval is warranted. Assist attorneys with handling cases filed in the U.S. District Court or the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

If selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform the following but limited to the following duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

This is not an all-inclusive list. If selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform the duties of the position, and will receive training to help you grow in the position.

Conditions of employment

• Refer to "Other Information".
• Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

To qualify for this position of Paralegal Specialist, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

For GS-07:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-05 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience is defined as: Conducting legal research; writing opinions, legal memoranda, litigation reports, discovery requests, and affidavits; drafting settlement agreements; participating in the preparation of paperwork necessary for processing and completion of the case; assisting the attorney in the presentation of the case; conducting information collection and researching statues and precedents. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05).

OR

Education Substitution: You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: One full year of graduate level education.

OR

You may substitute Superior Academic Achievement for specialized experience as follows: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:

(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR

(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR

(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions.

For GS-09:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience is defined as: Conducting legal research; reviewing facts and evidence; drafting pleadings, including motions, answers, stipulations of fact, settlement documents; determining what evidence is needed for resolution of a case; assisting attorneys with preparing cases for trial; reviewing Offers-in-Compromise for legal sufficiency; and assisting with summons enforcement cases. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

OR

Education Substitution: You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D. in a related field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions.

For GS-11:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience is defined as: Independently conducting legal research; reviewing facts and evidence; drafting pleadings, including motions, answers, stipulations of fact, settlement documents; determining what evidence is needed for resolution of a case and recommending settlement where appropriate; assisting attorneys with preparing cases for trial; reviewing Offers-in-Compromise for legal sufficiency; and handling summons enforcement cases. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

OR

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M. in a related field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions.

NOTE: If qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application package.

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Attention to Detail, Decisiveness, Oral Communication, and Technical Credibility. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories, Category A, Category B or Category Cdepending on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position.

Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

Referral:If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.

If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)), you must be assigned to Category B or better to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.