This position is located in the Environmental Defense Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division. The Section represents the United States in complex litigation arising under a broad range of environmental statutes and defends the United States against challenges to its cleanup and compliance actions at Superfund sites, federally owned facilities and private sites. The incumbent will perform legal support tasks associated with Section litigation.
Summary
This position is located in the Environmental Defense Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division. The Section represents the United States in complex litigation arising under a broad range of environmental statutes and defends the United States against challenges to its cleanup and compliance actions at Superfund sites, federally owned facilities and private sites. The incumbent will perform legal support tasks associated with Section litigation.
This vacancy is also being announced concurrently with Annt# ENRD-26-035-MP for employees with Federal status or eligibility and applicants eligible for special appointment authorities. Please review that announcement to determine if you are eligible to apply.
As a Legal Assistant, you will join a well-respected team of Legal Assistants who are responsible for performing a wide range of administrative and legal support tasks to support the Section's federal district court litigation practice:
Reviewing and analyzing case materials to become familiar with the case or matter.
Creating and maintaining litigation case files of pleadings, discovery documents, and correspondence.
Organizing and maintaining legal and other reference materials.
Utilizing word processing software including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat to draft, edit, and prepare a variety of routine documents and correspondence.
Utilizing automated legal databases, including Relativity, Westlaw, Lexis, or other similar database to conduct searches for or retrieve legal documents, court cases, and statutory references.
Retrieving, organizing, and assembling trial exhibits, affidavits, legal documents, briefing books, and other case materials to prepare for trials or other litigation projects.
Arranging travel reservations; preparing and completing necessary travel authorizations and vouchers; and coordinating with appropriate offices to ensure prompt payment.
Directing inquiries from visitors and callers to the appropriate individuals for action.
Preparing correspondence and administrative forms using proper format, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Conveying information to customers and staff in a clear and convincing manner.
Composing routine legal documents e.g., motions or requests for extension of time or proposed orders, requiring knowledge of legal procedures.
Facilitating the exchange of information between litigation support staff, paralegals, and attorneys.
You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.
Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.
You must complete or have completed a one-year probationary period.
You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.
If this is your first appointment in the Federal government, your pay will be set at Step 1 of the grade selected.
Qualifications
To qualify for GS-5, you must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-4 Federal grade level or above applying standardized rules, processes, and procedures concerning commonly utilized general reference sources and legal research tools to perform a variety of legal support work. This experience must include preparing correspondence and administrative forms using proper format, grammar, punctuation, and spelling; OR
Successful completion of 4 years of education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite is creditable and fully meets the qualification requirements at GS-5. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial, or technical school, junior college, or university: OR
A combination of post-high school education in excess of the first 60 semester hours and specialized experience may also be used to meet the qualification requirements at GS-5. Note: One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.
To qualify for GS-6, you must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-5 Federal grade level or above composing standardized legal forms needed for specific actions; preparing trial exhibits, affidavits, and legal documents in preparation for trials; and maintaining litigation case files. There is no substitution of education for experience to qualify at the GS-6 level.
To qualify for GS-7, you must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-6 Federal grade level or above conducting searches of legal documents and court cases; verifying statutory references and legal citations; and developing tables of authorities, tables of contents, and indices to briefs; OR
One full year of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position (e.g., law or paralegal studies) may be substituted for the specialized experience; OR
A combination of specialized experience and directly related graduate education may also be used to meet 100% of the qualification requirements at GS-7. Note: Nine (9) semester hours of graduate education directly related to the work of the position is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.
To qualify for GS-8, you must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 Federal grade level or above applying legal regulations and procedures to coordinate all aspects of court/trial proceedings including court filings; establishing and maintaining litigation case files which include pleadings and discovery documents; and performing legal research including verifying case citations.There is no substitution of education for experience to qualify at the GS-8 level.
Typing Requirement: This position requires a qualified typist with a minimum typing speed of 40 words per minute. If you do not self-certify on the occupational/assessment questionnaire that you have the required typing proficiency, you will be rated ineligible for this position. This position requires office automation skills. Some examples of office automation skills include database management and various word processing software packages (MS Office Suite: Excel, PowerPoint, and Word) and database applications.
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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.
Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
Career Transition Programs: The Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in DOJ with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If you have received written notification of your eligibility for consideration under CTAP/ICTAP, you may receive special priority consideration for this position if you satisfy all qualification requirements and rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria.
Veterans Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veteran preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/
To verify your veteran preference entitlement, submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214; official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty; or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions. If you are claiming 10-point preference, you must submit Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 in addition to the supporting documentation required and identified on the reserve side of the SF-15, Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference. If you are claiming 10-point DERIVED PREFERENCE as a relative you must submit Member Copy 4 of the veteran's DD-214 and an SF-15 in addition to the supporting documentation required and identified on the reverse side of the SF-15. If you fail to do so, you will receive consideration as a non-veteran.
Benefits: DOJ 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: Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.
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.
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.
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.
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 our Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your qualifications will be reviewed based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and the responses you provide on the application questionnaire. When addressing the education and/or specialized experience qualification statement, you must present evidence of that education and/or experience in your resumé. If the specialized experience statement is merely repeated in your resume, you may be deemed ineligible.
If you meet the minimum qualifications, your application will then be compared to your responses to the online assessment questionnaire(s) that measure important competencies required to perform the job. If you self-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.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
Attention to Detail
Customer Service
Decision Making
Flexibility
Integrity/Honesty
Interpersonal Skills
Reading Comprehension
Reasoning
Self-Management
Stress Tolerance
Teamwork
Based on your assessment responses, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within each category, Veteran Preference eligibles will be listed at the top of that category and will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Applicants in the Best Qualified category are referred to the hiring official for employment consideration.
*Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire
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.
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.
You must submit a detailed resumé containing the following information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Official position title;
Employer name and contact information;
Start and end dates (month and year);
A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
Your highest salary (or Federal grade/step) achieved; and
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time.
Additional required documents must be submitted by the closing date of the job announcement. Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list below to determine which documents are required for your application.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
Resume (not to exceed two pages)
Cover letter (optional)
Unofficial school transcripts if you are using education to qualify, in whole or in part
Documentation to support your claim for veteran preference, if applicable
CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable
Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.
If you are using education to qualify for this position, or if education is required:
You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.
If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit:
A copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service, OR
A certification letter from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. This letter must contain (a) military service dates including the expected discharge or release date and (b) character of service.
If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference as a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15.
If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP:
Submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency.
If you have not yet been separated, provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of a RIF.
Also submit your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential and duty location.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
Click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Environmental Defense Section
150 M Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
US
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualification requirements. Based on your qualifications and assessment scores, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
You must submit a detailed resumé containing the following information for each job entry listed in your employment history:
Official position title;
Employer name and contact information;
Start and end dates (month and year);
A detailed list of duties & accomplishments,
Your highest salary (or Federal grade/step) achieved; and
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time.
Additional required documents must be submitted by the closing date of the job announcement. Documentation requirements may vary from applicant to applicant based on your eligibility claims. It is your responsibility to carefully review the list below to determine which documents are required for your application.
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
Resume (not to exceed two pages)
Cover letter (optional)
Unofficial school transcripts if you are using education to qualify, in whole or in part
Documentation to support your claim for veteran preference, if applicable
CTAP/ICTAP documentation, if applicable
Your online responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.
If you are using education to qualify for this position, or if education is required:
You must submit a transcript, which may be unofficial, as long as it contains a full listing of courses, credit earned, grade and grade-point-average, subject area, degree(s) earned, and dates of award.
Your transcript must come from a nationally-accredited educational institution recognized by the Department of Education.
Please do not submit electronic transcripts with documentation security protection. These may prevent our application system from accepting and processing the document.
If submitting a foreign transcript, you must have the transcript reviewed by an approved foreign education review organization recognized by the Department of Education. Your transcript must also be in English or have an English translation included.
If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit:
A copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service, OR
A certification letter from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. This letter must contain (a) military service dates including the expected discharge or release date and (b) character of service.
If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference as a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15.
If you are a displaced Federal employee claiming eligibility under CTAP or ICTAP:
Submit your separation notice or agency RIF letter from your agency.
If you have not yet been separated, provide the letter of intent to separate you from the agency because of a RIF.
Also submit your most recent performance appraisal and SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential and duty location.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
Click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Environmental Defense Section
150 M Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
US
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
To be considered for the position, you must meet all qualification requirements. Based on your qualifications and assessment scores, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation. We expect to make a final job offer within 80 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
