Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens or National

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.

A probationary or trial period may be required as a condition of employment for this position. If required, you will be expected to serve either a 1-year probationary period or a 2-year trial period. During this time, we will evaluate your fitness for continued employment and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining whether your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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.

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.

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).

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/20/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click "Apply" to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

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
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Please Note: If you meet the qualifications required for the job, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessment. The invitation to the USA Hire Assessment will be sent from email address: assessments@USAHire.opm.gov. You must complete the USA Hire Assessment within (48 hours) hours of being sent the email invitation. Your results will be kept on record, one (1) year, for use when applying for future jobs that require this USA Hire Assessment.

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 will result in your removal from consideration.

Requests to re-send invitations to the USA Hire Assessment must be received by helpdesk@usahire.opm.gov BEFORE expiration of the (48 hours) window described above.

If you do not meet the qualifications required for the job, you will not receive an invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessment, and

1. You will receive an email message notifying you of your ineligibility.
2. Your USAJOBS account will be updated to reflect your ineligibility for the position.
3. You will not be considered further for the position.