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Paralegal Specialist

Department of Justice
Offices, Boards and Divisions
Office of Legal Counsel
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This flyer serves as a public notice for the use of the College Graduate Direct Hire Authority in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3327. This is a Paralegal Specialist located in the Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel. Applicants must follow the directions of the " How to Apply" section, as applications are not being accepted through USAJOBS.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
02/21/2024 to 03/06/2024
Salary
$68,405 to - $107,590 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Announcement number
OLC-24-12321115-DE
Control number
777693000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to individuals who received a bachelor or advanced degree from a qualifying educational institution within two years (or longer for certain veterans) of submitting an application for employment under this authority.

Duties

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The Office of Legal Counsel provides legal advice in response to requests from the Counsel to the President, Executive Branch agencies, the Attorney General, and other officials and components of the Department of Justice. Such requests typically deal with complex and important legal issues or matters of inter-agency disagreement. The Office also reviews Attorney General Orders including Department regulations, presidential Executive Orders and substantive Proclamations, and pending legislation.

Typical work assignments include:

  • Review, edit, and proofread legal memoranda and Department regulations for accuracy and completeness of legal citations in accordance with the Harvard Uniform System of Citation (Blue Book) and OLC Style Guides.
  • Perform research relating to legislative history, judicial decisions, and past OLC advice in support of the provision of accurate legal advice.
  • Assist with maintaining OLC law library to ensure publications are up-to-date.
  • Assist in responding to Freedom of Information Act requests.
  • Support the implementation of records management program that includes standard handling/retention procedures, conversion from paper to electronic data, and document searches.



Requirements

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Conditions of employment

This vacancy is open to RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATES who have completed a bachelor's or graduate degree within the last two years (Certain veterans may have up to six years) to apply.

Learn more about the College Graduate Hiring Authority .

In addition, you must also meet the specific qualifications requirements for this announcement and the occupational series and grade of this position as described in the Qualifications section below. Please pay careful attention to the entire announcement to ensure you understand these important requirements.

  • You must be a United States Citizen or National.
  • You must successfully pass a security/background investigation and drug screening.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • You may be required to complete a one-year probationary or trial period.
  • Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
  • Under Recent College Graduate regulations, you are eligible only if you have received a bachelor or advanced degree within the last two years.
  • You must meet all eligibility requirements by the submission date of your application and meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
  • Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
  • Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of Justice will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist, (GS-0950-9/11), you must meet eligibility requirements and possess specialized experience specific to the series and grade you are applying to.

To be eligible you must be a RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATE who received a bachelor or advanced degree within the past two years.
Learn more about the College Graduate Hiring Authority .

To qualify for the GS-0950-09, you MUST meet the eligibility requirements and possess specialized experience:Have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing duties which include, but are not limited to: researching and reviewing legal, policy, or scholarly memoranda, publications, or other comparable documents.
OR
Have a 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., if related.

To qualify for the GS-950-11 you MUST meet the following specialized experience: Have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service performing duties that include, but are not limited to: advanced legal research and writing (involving sources such as legislative history, judicial decisions, and other legal precedents), or comparable advanced policy research and writing.
OR
Have a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree; or three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related.

You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/06/2024.

See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

This is a Direct Hire Authority Flyer and applications are not being accepted through this Job Opportunity Announcement.

This announcement uses an OPM Direct Hire Authority to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Telework eligibility and security clearance requirements may vary for such similar positions.

Positions may be filled at either grade level.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

Veteran's preference does not apply when selecting individuals under this specific hiring authority.

Notice of Result letters will not be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.

Salaries for each grade level can be found at: Pay & Leave: Salaries & Wages - OPM.gov

DOJ EEO STATEMENT: The U.S. Department of Justice fosters an inclusive and diverse workforce, find our EEO statement online at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/download

SELECTIVE SERVICE: If you were born male, on or 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. Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.

How you will be evaluated

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

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered.

Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience. As vacancies occur, the Human Resources Office will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this flyer.

You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume, along with your supporting documentation. If selected, you may be required to provide additional supporting documentation. If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All qualification requirements must be met before being considered for any vacancies.

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