LEGAL ASSISTANT (OFFICE AUTOMATION)

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys’ Offices, visit .

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 25-ILC-12631547-DE.

Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

  12/16/2024 to 12/30/2024

• Salary

  $39,576 – $63,733 per year

  
  
• Pay scale & grade
  

  GS 5 – 7

• Location

  1 vacancy in the following location:

  
  
• Remote job
  

  No

• Telework eligible

  Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

  
  
• Travel Required

  Occasional travel – You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed
  

  No

• Appointment type
  

  Permanent

• Work schedule
  

  Full-time

• Service
  

  Competitive

• Promotion potential
  

  7

• Job family (Series)
• Supervisory status
  

  No

• Security clearance
• Drug test
  

  Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk
• Trust determination process
• Financial disclosure
• Bargaining unit status
• Announcement number

  25-ILC-12631546-MS

• Control number
  

  823868100

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Duties

If selected for this position, typical work assignments will include:

• Serving as legal assistant responsible for supporting Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) by providing a variety of legal assistance and office support services. Requiring knowledge of the processes, procedures, and practices of legal support activities in conjunction with a knowledge of clerical skills, and an ability to apply these skills to increase the effectiveness of the assigned AUSA.
• Using a variety of office software, providing automated litigation assistance to attorneys by preparing charts and other materials relating to trial preparation and presentations. Producing a variety of written documents utilizing a range of office automation software.
• Reviewing incoming material and, based on established policy and procedure, determining the need for assembly and preparation of a variety of legal documents, e.g., complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels.
• Obligating funds for litigation expenses and monitors for continued necessity. Reviewing bills and invoices and submits to budget office for payment. Maintaining calendar of assigned active cases.
• Tracking filing, hearing, and trial dates, and scheduling conferences and interviews. Developing and maintaining suspense system for ongoing cases and informs the AUSA of pending dates and deadlines.
• Contributing to reports summarizing the case status, including legal issues, factual issues, and case developments. Aiding in summarizing the factual situation, the basis of the complaint, legal Issues presented and relevant case law.
• Coding and indexing discovery documents using legal case management software. Conducting document searches, organizing documents, conducting first level document review, and coordinating document production.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-05: To be eligible at the GS-05 level, you must meet at least one of the following conditions below:
Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level which could have been gained in the federal, public, and/or private sector. Specialized experience is defined as

• reviewing documents with legal implications for accuracy and completeness (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other types of legal documents);
• typing and formatting correspondence and forms;
• maintaining file systems; and
• obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources.

-OR-
Education: Completion of at least four (4) years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.
-OR-
Combination of Experience and Education: Combinations of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, college education must be in excess of 60 semester hours or beyond the second year.

GS-06: To be eligible at the GS-06 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level which could have been gained in the federal, public, and/or private sector.
Specialized Experience : Specialized experience is defined as

• reviewing legal documents such as complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels for completeness of information;
• retrieving and assembling information for hearing and/or trial use;
• researching a variety of legal sources to obtain and/or verify information; and
• using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence and related materials.

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level which could have been gained in the federal, public, and/or private sector.
Specialize Experience: Specialized experience is defined as

• providing trial support to attorneys by preparing complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, or other hearing and/or trial documents accurately and in proper format;
• verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents;
• assisting with discovery, hearing or trial preparation by performing duties such as compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, and compiling witness and exhibit lists; and
• using software applications and legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices of briefs, and prepare courtroom presentations.

Typing Proficiency Requirement:To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.)

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: .

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 .

Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) -VEOA allows eligible veterans to apply and compete for positions announced under merit promotion procedures when the hiring agency is recruiting from outside its own workforce. To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three (3) or more years of continuous active military service. If you are applying for a Merit Promotion announcement and wish to be considered under VEOA, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214, in addition to any other required documents listed on this announcement.

Special Employment Consideration – Persons with disabilities, veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the armed forces, and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for non-competitive appointments. For further information, click on the links provided below . You must specify in your online questionnaire under what authority you wish to be considered and submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.
Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities Links:

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see

OR

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at . All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Additional information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

The Department of Justice 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: If you are a male applicant born 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. See .

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement: The Department of Justice is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment for all employees and applicants. See for complete details.

Diversity Statement: 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.

Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

• Benefits
  

  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. .

  
  
  

  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 complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) 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 you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The for definitions):
Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Reading Comprehension, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job..

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 may also result in your removal from consideration.

• Benefits
  

  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. .

  
  
  

  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.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have – whether you’re a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you’re eligible under their policies.

  
  
  

  To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes:
  -Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
  -Required: Your resume MUST show relevant experience and dates (month/day/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time). 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. (cover letter optional)
  -Required if you meet qualifications based on education: An unofficial college transcript (Note: If you are selected for this position, an official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation, if applicable, as described under the “Qualifications” section of this vacancy announcement.
  -Required if you are a current or former Federal employee: a recent copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing title, series, grade, and full performance level (FPL); AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. Please note your SF-50 must include your FPL in the remark section (e.g., appointment, reassignment, promotion actions), pay adjustments and awards do not include this information so they are not acceptable.
  -Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.
  – Required, if applicable: VEOA documentation (your DD-214, Member Copy 4).
  –If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you must submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at:

  Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:

  
  
  
  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
  
  

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

  
  

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

  
  
  

  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.

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