Paralegal Specialist

Clarification from the agency

You may apply if you are a current or former career/career conditional Federal employee with competitive status, VEOA eligible, or are eligible for a non-competitive hiring authority (i.e. 30% or more Compensable Veterans, reinstatement eligibles, interchange agreements, etc.). Please read the "This job is open to" section above, to ensure you are eligible for consideration.

This job is also open in another announcement to:

The public

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 an inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the multitude of experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

The incumbent will serve as a Paralegal Specialist. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Update and supplement tracking system ensuring that the established file system remains logically organized with files and documents that are easily accessible and able to be quickly retrieved.
• Prepare correspondence, memoranda, justification, and other written documentation involved in providing information about the researched aspects of the cases or issues.
• Prepare interview notes, memoranda, and reports for review by attorneys summarizing the allegations, facts, results of investigations and recommended disposition of cases.
• Prepare legal documents including declarations, memoranda, interview summaries, factual summaries, subpoenas, discovery documents and responses and legal correspondence.
• Proofread, cite-check, finalize, and file legal documents such as briefs and other papers of substance with the relevant court consistent with governing practices and style conventions, court-specific rules, and Department practice.
• Conduct preliminary analysis of the legal sufficiency of information contained in declarations, complaints, FOIA/Privacy Act requests, and similar documents.
• Review and analyze investigative reports and evidence to determine if a particular case is supported by sufficient evidence to provide a basis for enforcement.
• Independently conduct or assist attorneys in conducting interviews with investigative sources and prospective witnesses to gather information.
• Efficiently use document management tools to assist with document review and production, as well as court presentation.
• Effectively handle all arrangements for depositions, including securing court reporting services and office space, and drafting subpoenas and obtaining process servers.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31,1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• Status candidates must meet time-in-grade requirements (52 weeks at the next lower grade level) by the closing date of this announcement. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
• ALL APPLICANTS, regardless of eligibility(ies) selected, MUST submit their most recent completed (within the past 18 months) performance evaluation or appraisal, which shows a final rating. If an evaluation or rating is not available, you must provide a statement indicating the reason. If you do not submit an appropriate appraisal or statement, you WILL NOT receive consideration for this position.
• DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.
• 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.
• Resume cannot exceed two (2) pages.

A probationary or trial period may be required as a condition of employment for this position. If required, you will be expected to serve either a 1-year probationary period or a 2-year trial period. During this time, we will evaluate your fitness for continued employment and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining whether your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment may be terminated unless you receive written certification that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To be eligible at the GS-09 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below:

Specialized Experience: For the GS-09, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, public or other private sectors that is directly related to the position as listed above and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes ALL of the following:

• Take notes during attorney proffers and witness interviews and prepare memoranda from those notes: AND
• Perform legal research to supply information for inclusion in memoranda, briefs, and similar documents.

OR

Education: Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

OR

Combination of 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 one full year.


To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below:

Specialized Experience: For the GS-11, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, public or other private sectors that is directly related to the position as listed above and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position includes ALL of the following:

• Take notes during attorney proffers and witness interviews and prepare memoranda from those notes; AND
• Perform legal research to supply information for inclusion in memoranda, briefs, and similar documents; AND
• Provide guidance and advice to junior paralegals and/or distribute assignments to junior paralegals on behalf of attorneys.

OR

Education: Successful completion of 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., if related.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Combination 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 two full years.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees applying for a higher grade must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You MUST provide an SF-50, which shows position, type of service appointment, tenure group, grade, duty location, and salary. If your most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year (52 weeks) time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. Consider providing an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include: Promotions; Within Grade/Range Increases; and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/position. No award SF-50s will be accepted). Failure to submit the required SF-50 document will result in an ineligible rating under merit promotion procedures.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement and current Federal employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, in the Federal service, public or other private sectors, and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

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.

All qualifications and education requirements (if applicable) must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement. If you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Note: Applicants are required to have completed their degree prior to submitting an application.

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: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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 Merit Promotion Procedures. Once the announcement closes, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist. This information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position. If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your application materials, you may be deemed ineligible, or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/02/2026 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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order 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.

Please Note: If you meet the qualifications required for the job, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessment. The invitation to the USA Hire Assessment will be sent from email address: assessments@USAHire.opm.gov. You must complete the USA Hire Assessment within (48 hours) hours of being sent the email invitation. Your results will be kept on record, one (1) year, for use when applying for future jobs that require this USA Hire Assessment.

Requests to re-send invitations to the USA Hire Assessment must be received by helpdesk@usahire.opm.gov BEFORE expiration of the (48 hours) window described above.

All qualified Non-Competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

APPRAISALS/AWARDS: Hiring Managers use objective methods and consider previous performance appraisals and awards in the selection process. Current Federal Civilian employees should list any relevant performance related rating and/or awards in your resume.

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:

1. Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
2. Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and
3. Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: most recent performance appraisal, a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of our separation personnel action, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, tenure, and duty station.

The following documents are required for your application to be complete.

• Required, Resume - All Applicants: Resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and clearly demonstrate how your experience meets the specialized experience described in the vacancy announcement. To receive credit, your employment history must include start and end dates in MM/YYYY format and the number of hours worked per week. Part-time work will be prorated. Missing or incomplete information may result in disqualification or an ineligible rating. For guidance, see: USAJOBS - What should I leave out of my resume? For additional information: "USAJOBS - What should I leave out of my resume?".
• Required, if you are a current or former Federal employee:
  • SF-50: If you are a current or former federal employee applying under merit promotion procedures, you must submit a copy of your SF-50 (or an equivalent personnel action form) that verifies your permanent, competitive status. The SF-50 must show the following: Block 24 - Tenure: 1 -Permanent or 2 - Conditional; and Block 34 - Position Occupied: 1 - Competitive Service. See QUALIFICATIONS for additional information.
• Performance Appraisal: ALL APPLICANTS, regardless of eligibility(ies) selected, MUST submit their most recent completed (within the past 18 months) performance evaluation or appraisal, which shows a final rating. If an evaluation or rating is not available, you must provide a statement indicating the reason. If you do not submit an appropriate appraisal or statement, you WILL NOT receive consideration for this position.
• Required, Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable: If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, you must submit proof by the closing date of the announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(u) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. The proof includes a copy of the Agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action for Competitive Appointment.
• Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
• Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
• Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
• Required, if you are applying as a Schedule (A) applicant: Must be signed by a licensed medical professional (such as a physician or other state-certified provider), a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (state or private), or a representative of a federal, state, or D.C./territorial agency that issues disability benefits. The letter must confirm your eligibility under 5 CFR 213.3102(u) to apply using Schedule A. It does not need to include details about your specific disability, medical history, or need for accommodation. This letter must be separate from any Veterans' Preference documentation. If you are selected and your Schedule A letter is more than three years old, you may be asked to provide an updated version. See "Sample" Letter.
• Required, if you are applying as a Veterans Employment Opportunity Act or 30% Disabled Veteran Eligible applicant: SF-15 Form, VA letter, and DD214 or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty within 120 days, under honorable conditions.
• Required, if you are eligible under Certain Family Members Eligible under E.O. 12721: Your most recent non-award SF-50 and performance appraisal.
• Required, if you are eligible under Certain Military Spouses Eligible under E.O. 13832: A copy of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders; 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). You must include verification of the marriage to the service member (i.e., a marriage license or other legal documentation verifying marriage) AND Member 4 copy of the DD-214. See more information at USAJOBS Help Center - Military spouses
• Required, if you are eligible under Interchange Agreement with Other Merit Systems Eligible: Documentation of eligibility as listed in each individual interchange agreement.
• Former or current Political Appointees: OPM must authorize employment offers for former or current 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. Submit proof of your former or current status, such as your SF-50. Please see here.

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