Clarification from the agency

Well-qualified surplus/displaced Federal employees (CTAP/ICTAP) in the local area and current/former Federal employees in permanent competitive service positions (status candidates). VEOA eligibles and those eligible for non-competitive appointment under special hiring authority, e.g., Individuals with Disabilities, Military Spouses, former Overseas employees, VISTA/Peace Corps, some Land Management employees, Interchange Agreement Eligible, and certain veterans, e.g., VRA, 30% Disabled.

This job is also open in another announcement to:

The public

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

This Paralegal Specialist provides substantive legal support to Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) in a variety of specialized litigative activities related to investigations and prosecutions of Federal criminal violations of international narcotics trafficking and money laundering laws. The incumbent provides support in litigative activities related to long-term and complex investigations and prosecutions that target international drug trafficking cartels and their related money laundering organizations, as well as the investigation and prosecution of narco-terrorism cases. Duties include serving as a technical authority performing work which is characterized by a depth and variety of problem- solving analysis, interpretation, and evaluation associated with the resolution of unusually complicated legal matters. The incumbent is required to use considerable ingenuity to anticipate program or case requirements, develop legal arguments and supporting evidence, resolve conflicting statements, or search for corroborating or contravening precedents. Available guidelines and references are often limited to basic legislation, implementing regulations, and agency policies which must be carefully analyzed for general application. Duties performed require discretion and independent judgment in the application of specialized knowledge of particular laws, regulations, precedents or agency practices and directly affect the outcome of USAO cases. Legal knowledge required is less than that represented by graduation from a recognized law school.

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Paralegal Specialist support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing in the areas of International Narcotics and Money Laundering.

Typical work assignments will include:

• Review and organize complex factual material and other documentary data for investigations and trials.
• Provide advice on the most efficient method for preparing legal documents.
• Use tables and citation checking with efficiency.
• Prepare a variety of substantive legal documents to include extradition requests, grand jury and trial subpoenas, interrogatory requests, and documentation relevant to acquiring evidence or testimony.
• Develop and enter various case material into a computer database.
• Prepare charts, graphs, and tables to illustrate results.
• Prepare, develop, compile, or maintain jury instructions in preparing for trial.
• Prepare exhibits for trial which typically involve a wide range of visual materials.
• Provide litigation case management and organize cases for court presentation.

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

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National to apply for this position.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• 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.
• A probationary period may be required.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
• Time-in-Grade: Current or former Federal employees applying under merit promotion considerations must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements for consideration within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.
• As needed, additional selections may be made using this announcement.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must possess ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of both Education and Specialized Experience.

Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below:

Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and the ability to interpret legal decisions. Examples of specialized experience may include the following:

• 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
• using software applications and legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual legal research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs, and prepare courtroom presentations

OR

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year.

To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must possess ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of both Education and Specialized Experience.

Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below:

Specialized Experience is defined as experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal work which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. Examples of specialized experiences may include the following:

• examining and processing a variety of legal documents
• conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence
• using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information
• document findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel.

OR

Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

OR

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 2 full years.

To qualify at the GS-12 level, you must meet the following specialized experience condition statement defined below.

Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below:

Specialized Experience is defined as experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates an elaborate knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures. Examples of specialized experiences may include the following:

• analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence
• conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions
• composing legal briefs, summaries of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents
• interviewing witnesses and various individuals who can provide insight into cases under review and preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR 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.

If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-07is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. One year at the GS-09is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. One year at the GS-11is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level.

• You must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted; recommended SF-50s include promotions and step increases (within grade increases).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Promotion Potential (Career Ladder) Statement: This position is being filled at the GS-09/GS-11/GS-12 level with promotion potential to the GS-12. Promotion or assignment into this career ladder position does not guarantee future advancement. Advancement to the GS-12 is not automatic and depends on the individual's ability to perform the higher-grade duties, the availability of a sufficient quantity of higher-grade work that would constitute a major duty, and management's decision to assign these higher-grade duties to the employee.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. 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

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12947562

Note: Failure to submit a resume or supporting documentation may result in elimination for further consideration. You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume: Your resume showing relevant experience, job titles, duties, dates (must include MM/DD/YY for full consideration) of employment and work schedule for each (part-time XX hours per week or full-time). Limit your resume to 2 pages. Only resumes 2 pages in length will be accepted to determine eligibility and qualifications. For more information, view the following link: USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirement
• A complete Assessment Questionnaire
• Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50): If you are a current Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status.
  • You may need to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate that you meet time-in-grade requirements.
  • If you are a former Federal employee, you must submit a copy of your separation SF-50 or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status.
  • If you are a former Federal employee who previously held a career or career-conditional position in the competitive service, separated from the Federal Government over a year ago, and your last performance rating on record as a Federal employee was at least Fully Successful (or equivalent), you must submit a copy of your separation SF-50 or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status AND your last Federal performance appraisal plan.
• Other supporting documents:
  • College transcripts If you meet qualifications based on education:
    • An unofficial college transcript. (If you are selected for this position, official transcript will be required prior to your first day.)
  • Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable:
    • In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates:1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
    • In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" dated October 2013 and all the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.
• Veteran applying under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA):
  • You must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing an honorable discharge to be considered. To be eligible, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of continuous active service. NOTE: Current employees applying under VEOA must submit a qualifying SF-50 to show they meet time-in-grade requirements.
• 30% or more Disabled Veteran.
  • You must submit your DD214, a completed SF-15, and letter from the VA dated 1991 or later to be considered.
• Documentation supporting eligibility for non-competitive appointment (severely disabled, eligible veterans, certain military spouses, etc.)
• CTAP/ICTAP Documentation
  • A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  • A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
  • A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  • Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit 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.

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