Clarification from the agency

You may apply if you are a current or former career/career conditional Federal employee with competitive status, VEOA eligible, or are eligible for a non-competitive hiring authority (i.e. 30% or more Compensable Veterans, reinstatement eligibles, interchange agreements, etc.). Please read the "This job is open to" section above, to ensure you are eligible for consideration.

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 an inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the multitude of experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

If selected as a Lead Paralegal Specialist GS-0950-12, typical work assignments may vary based upon the needs of the individual sections, their practice areas, and a host of other factors. Typical assignments include:

• Conveys to the team the assignment, project, problem to be solved, actionable events, milestones, and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion.
• Instructs team members in specific tasks and job techniques, serving as the Section expert on court rules, circuit-specific filing procedures, and advanced litigation software (Westlaw, LexisNexis, Relativity, CourtLink, and PACER).
• Distributes and balances workload among team members to ensure timely completion of legal support, legal research, and trial preparation tasks. Adjusts workflows to handle compressed deadlines, oversized filings, and successive rounds of multi-office edits.
• Monitors and reports on the status, quantity, and quality of work produced by the team. Ensures that all legal briefs, motions, and documents are meticulously checked and finalized in accordance with the Bluebook and the Office of the Solicitor General's Style Manual.
• Utilizes online databases such as Westlaw and LexisNexis, the specialist performs exhaustive analyses of legislative histories, precedent cases, judicial decisions, and legal opinions to address novel or complex issues in precedent-setting matters and special projects.
• Independently develops, tracks, and processes case documentation, managing diverse legal issues and conducting supplemental investigations when warranted. Monitors compliance with court orders, settlement agreements, and consent decrees.
• Using Microsoft Office and/or Adobe, drafts a wide range of professional work products, including legal correspondence, memoranda, formal justifications, and responses to high-level external requests such as FOIA requests, congressional inquiries.
• Serves as the primary paralegal or team lead directing litigation support for the Section's largest and most complex cases, providing expert technical guidance to attorneys and staff throughout all phases of investigation, trial preparation, litigation, enforcement, and compliance.
• Independent evaluates voluminous evidence and investigative reports to determine prosecution viability. Fills evidentiary gaps by drafting subpoenas and organizes findings into structured courtroom exhibits.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration).
• DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.
• You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
• You may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Resume cannot exceed two (2) pages.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment may be terminated unless you receive written certification that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience Requirements

To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, candidates must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or other pay system. Examples of specialized experience includes but is not limited to: (1) Experience leading a team of paralegal specialists or legal support professionals performing complex litigation support tasks, including distributing and balancing workload, providing technical coaching, monitoring work quality, and ensuring compliance with federal and court specific rules in accordance with recognized leadership; (2) Experience conducting highly complex legal and factual research and analysis-including legislative histories, precedent interpretation, and case strategy development-and serving as a subject matter expert on legal research methods, court rules, and citation standards while reviewing the work of others for legal and factual accuracy; and (3) Experience providing advanced litigation support for large or high-profile cases, such as managing voluminous evidence, preparing exhibits or trial materials, coordinating multistage filings, administering specialized legal databases (e.g., Relativity, PACER, Westlaw), and developing or improving workflows or data systems to support litigation and program operations.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

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 skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

During the eligibility review process, the Human Resources Specialist will only review the latest document uploaded to USA Jobs. Therefore, if you submit duplicate documents, ensure the last version uploaded to USA Jobs is the necessary document required to meet the criteria/qualifications described in this job announcement.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

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.

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/.

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 Merit Promotion Procedures. Once the announcement closes, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist. This information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position. If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your application materials, you may be deemed ineligible, or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities.

If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three groups: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• 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: most recent performance appraisal, a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of our separation personnel action, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, tenure, and duty station.