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Paralegal Specialist (ACE)

Department of Justice
Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys
United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas
This job announcement has closed

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

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

This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 23-NDTX-11803210-MS.
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Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/20/2023 to 02/02/2023
Salary
$89,848 to - $116,803 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Dallas
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-NDTX-11803209-DE
Control number
701160200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

Duties

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If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE). Typical work assignments will include:

  • Performing legal and factual research in support of Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) investigations and litigation;
  • Researching and analyzing case law, statutes, legislative intent, judicial precedents, etc., as they relate to assigned cases;
  • Utilizing a variety of automated legal research tools, including Westlaw, Westlaw-Next, and Lexis, as well as public information databases and other automated resources to perform case- or program-specific legal research;
  • Ensuring that ACE referrals meet the agency's and United States Attorney's Office's standards for litigation;
  • Reviewing and evaluating referrals and planning a comprehensive approach to obtaining additional information and evidence;
  • Advising the ACE attorneys on merits and weaknesses of ACE referrals and case strategy, and recommending for or against commencement of judicial proceedings;
  • Assisting with managing discovery to include assisting with responding to propounded discovery;
  • Assisting in drafting and issuing subpoenas and civil investigatory demands; Managing large document productions, including establishing a database for documents, indexing documents, and managing, retrieving, and producing documents;
  • Assisting in pretrial preparations by preparing, scheduling, reviewing, and organizing the assembly of evidence, exhibits, discovery and other documents;
  • Supporting attorneys in court proceedings by briefing attorneys on pertinent facts, issues, and case law, and by compiling, organizing, and indexing exhibits;
  • Providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and systems capabilities to facilitate trial preparation and trial presentation;
  • Assisting and/or training attorneys in organizing voluminous case information for efficient retrieval through automated means;
  • Overseeing the development and preparation of courtroom presentations for assigned cases and trial presentation programs.

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

To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service as defined below.

Specialized Experience is defined as experience examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to requests; drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; using automated legal research tools such as Westlaw, Lexis, as well as public information databases to research case-specific legal matters; managing discovery; managing large document productions including establishing databases for documents, indexing documents, and managing, retrieving, and producing documents; assisting in the presentation of evidence in civil or criminal trials; using automated litigation support technology such as Relativity, Sanctions, Summation, Concordance, Case Map, or related programs to organize case information for retrieval, prepare computerized trial presentations, and index digital evidence.

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: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.


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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized

A relocation incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications.

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 www.sss.gov.

Current or Former Political Appointees: 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.

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: The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or non-membership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism.

Diversity Statement: As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) will be evaluated and rated using DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The OPM Website for definitions):
Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Legal, Government and Jurisprudence, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, Teamwork, and Technical Competence



To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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