Clarification from the agency

This position is being advertised under delegated examining procedures and is open to all U.S. Citizens. Preference for eligible veterans will be applied.

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.

The duties and responsibilities of a Paralegal Specialist generally include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Research and review public records related to the judicial nominations process.
• Review, prepare, and process documents related to the judicial nominations process.
• Assist attorneys in the review and preparation of nominations filings.
• Interact directly with potential federal judges, the White House Counsel's Office, and the Senate Judiciary Committee to track the vetting process, make productions, and perform other tasks integral to the nomination and confirmation process.
• Draft and edit documents, reports, and correspondence.
• Compile and interpret data from legal and non-legal reference material.
• Verify citations and legal references in documents related to the judicial nominations process.
• Process Presidential and Attorney General Commissions.
• The duties listed above are generally written for one grade level. If the position is advertised at multiple grades, the duties will be adjusted in difficulty, complexity, and level of supervision, for higher or lower grades, as appropriate.
• OLP may also add other duties based on what is included and allowed by the position description.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary 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.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
• A USA Hire assessment is required. An email will be sent with additional information after you submit your application. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist, (GS-0950-7/9/11), you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to the series and grade you are applying to.

For the GS-07
Specialized experience is defined as: or the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-05 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Reviewing, preparing, and processing standard legal documents related to the judicial nominations process; 2) Drafting and editing standard legal documents, reports, and correspondence; 3) Applying knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts to interpret a body of law, regulations and legal precedents; and 4) Gathering information associated with statutes, regulations, legislation, judicial decisions, and administrative actions.

OR

Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - You 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.) - You 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 my 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 - You 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: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

For the GS-09
Specialized experience is defined as: For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Reviewing, preparing, and processing standard legal documents related to the judicial nominations process; 2) Drafting and editing standard legal documents, reports, and correspondence; 3) Applying knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts to interpret a body of law, regulations and legal precedents; 4) Gathering information associated with statutes, regulations, legislation, judicial decisions, and administrative actions; and 5) Preparing replies to correspondence researching specific problems.
OR

Education: 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 field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.

For the GS-11
Specialized experience is defined as: For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Reviewing, preparing, and processing standard legal documents related to the judicial nominations process; 2) Drafting and editing standard legal documents, reports, and correspondence; 3) Applying knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts to interpret a body of law, regulations and legal precedents; 4) Gathering information associated with statutes, regulations, legislation, judicial decisions, and administrative actions; and 5) Preparing written products and verifying citations and legal references in prepared legal documents.

OR

Education: 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 field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/24/2024.

Your resume must support your responses to the questionnaire and qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.

After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (05/24/2024) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated and rated under 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 Occupational 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.

When addressing the specialized experience statement, applicants must present evidence of the experience in their resume. If the specialized experience statement is repeated, in the applicant's resume, Human Resources will deem the applicant as ineligible.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Legal Reporting and Statistical Analyses
• Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Research
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

1. Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
2. Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and
3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.