Paralegal Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all US Citizens as well as current/former federal employees and individuals eligible under one or more of the following: veterans eligible for VEOA, disabled veterans receiving 30% or more disability compensation from the VA, military spouses under E.O. 13473, certain former overseas employees, present/former Peace Corps volunteers/employees or VISTA members; present and former Foreign Service officers and employees and Schedule A.

The position is responsible for providing analytical planning and evaluative work related to administrative and operational aspects of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) programs. As the Paralegal Specialist in this position, you will:

• Conduct comprehensive legal research using the United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, case law, Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) decisions, Office of General Counsel (OGC) precedent, legislative histories, administrative decisions, and other applicable legal authorities.
• Research and interpret applicable statutes, regulations, policies, and judicial and administrative decisions to determine their applicability to assigned matters.
• Perform a broad range of substantive paralegal work involving the interpretation and application of Federal laws, regulations, and agency policies in determining the validity, sufficiency, and acceptability of court orders, pleadings, administrative filings, and other legal documents.
• Assist attorneys in preparing administrative and judicial litigation by organizing documentary evidence, exhibits, witness files, deposition materials, and litigation notebooks.
• Monitor the status of special legal projects assigned throughout the division.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
• You must be able to pass a background investigation.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see Legal and regulatory guidance below).
• You may be required to serve a 2 year probationary period.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• You must meet eligibility and qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
• Status candidates must meet time-in-grade/band requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade).

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements described below. To qualify based on experience, your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience that meets the specialized experience requirements listed below. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial or official transcripts must be provided with your application.

Specialized Experience Requirement for GS-11: Applicants must have at least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in private or public sectors) performing paralegal or legal work such as: (1) conducting substantive legal research and providing technical legal support to attorneys engaged in enforcement, litigation, advisory, policy, and administrative law matters; (2) assisting attorneys in preparing administrative and judicial litigation by organizing documentary evidence, exhibits, witness files, deposition materials, and litigation notebooks; (3) reviewing and editing legal memoranda, briefs, correspondence, pleadings, and other legal documents for organizational compliance; and (4) managing competing deadlines and coordinating work across several legal practice areas while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

OR,

Education Requirement for GS-11: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.

OR,

Combination Requirement for GS-11: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education as listed above. To compute this, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required above; then determine your total qualifying graduate education as a percentage of the education required above; add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal 100 percent to qualify. (Note: You may only use graduate education beyond the first 2 years (36 semester hours) in determining your creditable education).

Status candidates must meet time-in-grade/band requirements: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 grade level. (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).

In addition, you must provide a cover letter describing your experience with the competencies identified below:

Administrative Law- Knowledge of state and federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements.

Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.

Program Management -Applies principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating, and managing projects and resources, including technical performance.

Writing- Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.


Part-time or unpaid experience: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

Volunteer or unpaid experience: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement closes, we will conduct a review of your application package to verify your eligibility and qualifications. If you are found qualified, your application will move forward to the Subject Matter Expert (SME) review process which will determine the best qualified candidates.(Note: Candidates who advance in the selection process may be required to participate in an in-person interview).

Please follow all instructions carefully and upload all required documents. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Administrative Law
• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence
• Program Management
• Writing

For those applying under "the public":

Category Rating: Your application will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating selection procedures. Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this position. If, after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, your category rating may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities, or you may be rated ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The quality categories are:

Best Qualified: Candidates in this category possess exceptional skills and experience to exceed well above the minimum requirements for this position.

Highly Qualified: Candidates in this category possess good skills and experience above the minimum requirements for this position.

Qualified: Candidates in this category meet the minimum education and/or experience requirements for this position.

The Category Rating Process does not add veteran's preference points, but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent must be listed in the highest quality category (except for scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher).

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

1. Your Resume listing hours worked per week, dates of employment (month/year) and duties performed for each position held. Limit your resume to 2 pages or less.
2. Transcripts if qualifying based on education.
3. Cover Letter which addresses the competencies identified in the Qualifications section above.
4. Other supporting documents if applicable:

• Veterans documents:
  • If you are a Discharged, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
  • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
  • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
• Current Federal Employee (including FEC employees):
  • To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50), or equivalent personnel action, reflecting your permanent competitive or excepted service status with Block 24 as "Tenure 1 or 2" and in Block 34 as "Competitive Service" or "Excepted Service." No award SF-50s will be accepted as proof of eligibility.
  • In addition to submitting your most recent SF-50, if you have held a higher grade than the one you're applying for on a permanent basis, please submit an SF-50, or equivalent personnel action, which documents the highest grade you have held on a permanent basis.
  • Performance Appraisal of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating.
• Former Federal Employee (including FEC employees):
  • To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50), or equivalent personnel action, reflecting your permanent competitive or excepted service status reflecting one of the criteria listed below:
    • You are a former Federal employee who previously attained Career status identified on your last Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) in Block 24 as "Tenure 1" and in Block 34 as "Competitive Service" or "Excepted Service."
    • You are a former Federal employee without veterans' preference who separated within the past three years and previously attained Career-Conditional status as identified on your last SF-50 in Block 24 as "Tenure 2" and in Block 34 as "Competitive Service" or "Excepted Service."
    • You are a former Federal employee with veterans' preference who previously attained Career-Conditional status identified on your last SF-50 in Block 24 as "Tenure 2" and in Block 34 as "Competitive Service" or "Excepted Service."
    • Performance Appraisal of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating.
    • If you have held a higher grade than the one you're applying for on a permanent basis, please submit an SF-50, or equivalent personnel action, which documents the highest grade you have held on a permanent basis.
• Certain Family Members of Overseas Employees Eligible under E.O. 12721: Your most recent non-award SF-50 and performance appraisal.
• Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13473: Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, issued within the last 2 years, that lists you as authorized to accompany the Military member to the new duty permanent station; OR verification of the member's 100% disability (VA Letter); and/or verification of the member's death while on active duty (DD-1300 and Death Certificate) AND verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage).
• Peace Corps volunteers and VISTA members: submit a copy of your description of service or other proof of non-competitive eligibility. If you are a former Peace Corps volunteer or VISTA member who is requesting an extension of your non-competitive eligibility, please also provide the necessary documentation to support your request.
• Schedule A, Persons with Disabilities Appointment Eligibles: Schedule A letter from a physician, local, state or federal rehabilitation or benefits office citing disability - eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102 (u).

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