Duties
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.
The duties and responsibilities for a Paralegal Specialist generally include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Communicate well orally and in writing with individuals and peers, conducting meticulous research of legislative materials and case law via various libraries, sources, legal databases, and online research data banks to find information specific to assignments.
- Manage and organize multiple assignments with varying deadlines and conflicting priorities.
- Correct erroneous or incomplete citations, references, assertions and quotations in briefs and other case documents.
- Review or edit a variety of briefs, amicus briefs, briefs in opposition, merits briefs, reply to briefs, petitions, appendices, applicable titles of law; jurisdictional statements, implementing laws-and regulations; court decisions, Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States; Uniform System of Citation (Blue Book); and Rules of Citations and practice.
- Proofread, distribute, and review page proofs (final document for publication) for accuracy and completeness of legal citations for all briefs.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
- You may be required to complete a one-year probationary or trial period.
- Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
- You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
- Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
- Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
- This vacancy is open to COLLEGE GRADUATES who have completed a bachelor's or graduate degree within the last two years (certain veterans may have up to six years) to apply.
Qualifications
To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist, (GS-0950-9/11), you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to the series and grade you are applying to.
To qualify for the Paralegal Specialist GS-0950-09, you MUST meet the eligibility requirements and possess specialized experience: Your resume must demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing duties which include but are not limited to: researching and reviewing legal, policy, or scholarly memoranda, publications, or other comparable documents.
OR
Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.
To qualify for the Paralegal Specialist GS-0950-11, you MUST meet the eligibility requirements and possess specialized experience: Your resume must demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service performing duties that include, but are not limited to: advanced legal research and writing (involving sources such as legislative history, judicial decisions, and other legal precedents), or comparable advanced policy research and writing.
OR
Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M., if related.
You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/12/2025.
Your resume must support your responses to the questionnaire and qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.
Education
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the 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.For more information about this requirement, please visit the
U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.
All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.
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.
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 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 Occupational 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.
When addressing the specialized experience statement, applicants must present evidence of the experience in their resume. If the specialized experience statement is repeated, in the applicant's resume, Human Resources will deem the applicant as ineligible.
Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:
- Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
- Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and
- Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
How to Apply
The APPLY button is deactivated on this Direct-Hiring Authority (DHA) Public Notice, application packages are being accepted directly by DOJ. Your resume MUST include the following information for each job listed: Job title; duties (be as detailed as possible); month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008); and full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week). Interested applicants must submit resumes/application package to the below email:
- Resumes and transcript(s) should be sent directly to OSGRecruit@usdoj.gov
- Email subject line MUST include the Announcement Number: OSG-25-12790535-DE
- If you are applying under CTAP (Career Transition Assistance Program) or ICTAP (Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program) authority, the email subject line MUST also reflect CTAP and/or ICTAP.
- Please include the lowest and highest grade levels you are interested in being considered for in your email.
- Resumes that are not sent to the correct email address will not be considered.
- In addition, resumes should NOT be sent as a link to another website, they must be a PDF or Word attachment. We will not download an external link to access the resume, it must be an attachment. Please DO NOT send additional attachments with Personal Identifiable Information (PII) through unencrypted email.
There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer.
Notice of result letter will NOT be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.
Facsimile applicants will not be considered.
All resumes/applications must be received no later than the closing date of this flyer.
It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that all information in their resume and documents, legible, and accurate. HR will not modify answerers/documents submitted by an applicant.
Please note: This is a Direct-Hiring Authority Public Notice that vacancies may exist, however applicant notifications will
NOT be sent. If a hiring official determines you have the needed skillset for the vacancy, a member of the DOJ team will contact you.
Due to the large number of applications received for all vacancies, status inquiry emails will not be answered.
Thank you for your interest in employment with Department of Justice, Offices, Boards and Divisions, Justice Management Division, Office of the Solicitor General.
If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side). Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS:
If you are unable to apply online due to a disability or overseas deployment, you must request an alternative application, which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Rhonda Douglas at Rhonda.D.Douglas@usdoj.gov or 202-286-0085 to discuss your situation. Accommodations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Indicate that you're asking for a
reasonable accommodation in your e-mail subject so the HR Specialist knows where to direct you.
Next steps
Qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager. The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews. Our evaluation will be based on the information you provide. You should expect that we will verify performance, suitability, and security information and take that information into account in making employment offers.
This is a public notice flyer to notify interested applicants of anticipated vacancies.
Applications will not be accepted through this flyer. Interested applicants must follow the directions in the "How to Apply" section of this flyer to be considered.There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer. Notice of Result letters will not be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.