Duties
As a GS-0950-11, Paralegal Specialist, you will:
Provide ancillary legal work to state/territory SJA and other assigned Army National Guard (ARNG) and Air National Guard (ANG) attorneys servicing the state/territory National Guard's case load. Conduct legal research of Federal and state/territory code, regulations, policies, procedures, case law, legal and administrative decisions and opinions, etc., and summarize findings to aide staff attorneys in case or project resolution. Research is performed on a variety of legal subjects which may include, but are not limited to: Federal and state/territory code, and legislative proposals or intent; military justice and status issues for Title 10 and Title 32 members; claims; labor relations; equal opportunity; administrative actions; contractual agreements; ethics; environmental concerns; law enforcement; bankruptcy; taxation; legal assistance; and a wide variety of miscellaneous legal issues. Interview clients and potential witnesses; collect and organize pertinent factual and research material to build case files; and prepare and organize exhibits. Compose, prepare, and ensure accuracy of various legal or legislative documents. Draft and edit non-legal memoranda, research reports and correspondence relating to cases. Maintain case files and identify and correct file deficiencies or discrepancies.
Provide research, analysis, guidance, and support to administer courts-martial, non-judicial punishment, administrative boards and other legal actions and administrative processes. Review procedures, timing criteria and documents relative to the administration of justice under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and associated state/territory code. Perform research to identify factual and legal issues to uncover relevant information for summaries of precedent cases, interviews, testimony, depositions, and related case material for use by the attorneys. Perform research and preparation of notes and memoranda regarding allegations and possible charges, maintain logs and files, and file motions. Prepare and file charge sheets, disposition sheets, and other records. Maintain transcript files and exhibits. Provide assistance to serviced units concerning the administrative preparation, coordination, and implementation of documents regarding military justice.
Manage the Preventative Law Program. Facilitate legal training for unit readiness non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and Directorate of Manpower and Personnel (J1) personnel, or others by request, on a variety of topics including but not limited to: the military justice system (both Federal and state/territory), inquiries and investigations, unlawful command influence, adverse administrative actions, administrative separations, the Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968, urinalysis testing and other issues affecting traditional guard members and NG full-time employees. Manage the SJA portion of the state/territory Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program. Advise senior leaders and organizational managers on the suitability of various disputes for resolution through the use of ADR methodologies by promoting program awareness, as well as planning for and providing timely advice or support needed to employ ADR program interventions. Develop, plan, or generate guidance for existing dispute processes to ensure they interface with National Guard Bureau (NGB) ADR goals. Work to implement the most appropriate form of ADR that both meets and is able to address the needs of the disputants. Analyze the qualifications, experience, training and subject matter expertise of neutrals and recommend the selection of specific one. Work with managers, supervisors, and employees to prevent and resolve problems and to build constructive relationships in the work environment. Identify needed resources and track and evaluate services provided, program administration, and results.
Serve as the primary point of contact for claims. Accept complaint, summons, documents, or inquiries; identify the type or purpose; screen for completeness; and identify the action to be performed. As required by the action, perform preliminary investigation and gather pertinent information, research legal and factual issues, interview claimant, involved parties and potential witnesses and build case files, and recommend disposition of claim. Serve as the primary point of contact for ethical determinations. Screen requests for ethics opinions and gather the applicable facts. Analyze the specifics of each situation. Conduct legal research and apply cumulative knowledge to the factual element and recommend a course of action or refer that recommendation to the SJA. Assist the Staff Judge Advocate with implementation of the joint ethics regulatory annual reporting requirements.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Federal employment suitability as determined by a background investigation.
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
- Participation in direct deposit is mandatory.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate security clearance of the position.
- Irregular and/or overtime (compensatory) hours may be required to support operational requirements or contingencies or may be required to work hours outside of the normal duty day.
- This position is designated as Essential Personnel and may be subject to duty in preparation for, or in response to, a state emergency or disaster declaration.
- This designation will not exceed 14 calendar days per year unless otherwise approved in advance by the TAG.
Qualifications
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.
Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is
in this document.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: To qualify based on your experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience is defined as: legal and administrative responsibilities to include serving as a point of contact for claims, ethics determinations, legal assistance for Army and Air National Guard personnel and their families and providing technical legal guidance and support to National Guard unit commanders and their assigned legal personnel. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
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, such as: Organizational Development, Human Resource Management or Business Administration (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)
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. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)
Volunteer Experience: 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.
You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated.
Education
To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
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. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our 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.
Required Documents
You are required to provide documentation that supports the eligibility and qualification claims made in your resume and assessment questionnaire. You must submit the applicable documents listed here and those listed with the eligibilities you select in the announcement questionnaire with your application package. Applicants who do not provide supporting documentation that fully support their claims will not be referred to the hiring manager. Cover letter is optional.
A complete resume is required. Your resume must show relevant experience, job title, duties and accomplishments. Your resume must show complete information for each job entry to support minimum qualifications. The following information should be provided in your resume, but it is acceptable to provide elsewhere in your application package: employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr.), hours per week, and pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09) for relevant federal experience. TIP: A good way to ensure you include all essential information is to use the Resume Builder in USAJOBS to create your resume.
Are you applying for a promotion? If you are a current GS employee applying for a higher grade than the grade that you currently hold you must provide an SF-50 that shows that you have held the next lower grade for at least one year. Some SF-50s effective within the last 52 weeks will not demonstrate you have held the next lower grade for at least one year (e.g. General Adjustment SF-50 from this year). In many cases, we need to see two (2) SF-50s to determine time-in-grade and eligibility for promotion. If you are a DoD employee, you can obtain a copy of your SF- 50(s) from MyBiz.
Are you claiming membership in any professional organizations, or possession of a license, certificate or credentials? Check the Conditions of Employment section above to see if any are required. If you claim membership, license, certification, or credentials, you must submit a copy of said document in your application package.
Are you using education as a substitute for some or all of the experience requirement? Is there a basic education requirement for this position? Check the Education section above to see what is allowed and what is required. Any claims you make in your resume or assessment questionnaire regarding education or degrees MUST be supported by official or unofficial transcripts or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned issued from your school. While unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application, an official transcript will ultimately be required if you are selected for the position. You may submit a copy your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified. Claims for approved "grandfather" clauses must be fully supported with documentation.
Are you a veteran claiming 5-point veterans' preference or claiming sole survivorship preference? You must submit a copy of your latest DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (any copy that shows all dates of service, as well as character of service [Honorable, General, etc.] is acceptable) OR a VA letter that shows dates of service or service connected disability AND character of service. If you have more than one DD-214 for multiple periods of active duty service, submit a copy for each period of service. If you were issued a DD-215 to amend aforementioned information on the DD-214 you must submit that too. If you are not sure of your preference eligibility, visit the Department of Labor's website: Veterans' Preference Advisor
Are you a disabled veteran or claiming 10-point veterans' preference?If you are eligible to claim 10 point veterans preference you must submit a DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty as described above for 5-point preference.
You must also provide the applicable supporting documentation of your disability (e.g. disability letter from the VA) as described on Standard Form-15 (SF-15). http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf.
Are you an active duty service member? Active Duty Service Members are required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).
Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents contain personal information such as SSN and DOB and some documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove said personal information before you submit your application. You must provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected.???????
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
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application/Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To view the Occupational Questionnaire, click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12608603
A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement 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.
Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.