Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees in permanent competitive service positions (status candidates) of the U.S.Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. Merit Promotion/Internal Employees Only.

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for complex civil, immigration and habeas litigation. The duties and responsibilities for a GS-0950-Paralegal Specialist (Civil/Habeas)-12 generally include, but are not limited to, the following:

• If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for complex civil, immigration, and habeas litigation. Typical work assignments will include:
• Performing legal and factual research in support of complex civil, immigration and habeas investigations and litigation;
• Researching and analyzing case law, statutes, legislative intent, judicial precedents, etc., as they relate to assigned cases;
• Utilizing a variety of automated legal research tools, including Westlaw, Westlaw-Next, and Lexis, as well as public information databases and other automated resources to perform case- or program-specific legal research;
• Reviewing and evaluating incoming defensive cases and planning a comprehensive approach to obtaining additional information and evidence;
• Advising the Civil Division attorneys on merits and weaknesses of civil, immigration and habeas cases and case strategy, and recommending defensive strategies;
• Assisting with managing discovery to include assisting with responding to propounded discovery;
• Assisting in drafting and issuing pleadings, discovery documents, and other pre-trial and trial documents;
• Managing large document productions, including establishing a database for documents, indexing documents, and managing, retrieving, and producing documents;
• Drafting various legal documents including correspondence, subpoenas, memoranda, pleadings, affidavits, motions, complaints, briefs, and settlement agreements for attorney's review and signature;
• Assisting in pretrial preparations by preparing, scheduling, reviewing, and organizing the assembly of evidence, exhibits, discovery and other documents;
• Supporting attorneys in court proceedings by briefing attorneys on pertinent facts, issues, and case law, and by compiling, organizing, and indexing exhibits;
• Providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and systems capabilities to facilitate trial preparation and trial presentation;
• Assisting and/or training attorneys in organizing voluminous case information for efficient retrieval through automated means;
• Preparing computerized trial presentation programs;
• Overseeing the development of courtroom presentations for assigned cases

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.
• 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 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.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
• A USA Hire assessment is required. An email will be sent with additional information after you submit your application. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of (USAJOBS Title), at (Pay Plan - Series - Grade Range), you must meet the qualification requirements listed below.

To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service as defined below.

Specialized Experience is defined as having the following experience: independently performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of law and legal reference materials; researching legal and factual issues for complex civil, immigration, and habeas cases; and analyzing legal issues, factual issues, and subject matter details involved in complex civil, immigration and habeas matters to determine whether referred claims are adequately supported by admissible evidence and legal precedent

You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, (Close Date).

Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the 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.

After you submit your application, you will receive notification indicated whether or not the USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (Close Date) to complete the assessment which is part of your application.

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 qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the application 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

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Competencies Bullets

• Decision Making
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Self Management

If it is determined that you meet minimum qualification requirements and the technical or alternative assessment, your application will then be placed in one of three categories based on the assessment results: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories veterans' preference eligibles will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Your USAHIRE assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.

If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: Application Preview.

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility.

Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

• Official position title,
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (including month and year),
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

Notification of Personnel Action: Most recent SF-50 showing current/former position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location.

Performance Appraisal: Your most recent performance appraisal (USA-265)

Veterans Preference Documentation: If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit:

(1) a copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service, OR

(2) a certification letter from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. This letter must contain (a) military service dates including the expected discharge or release date and (b) character of service.

If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference as a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF-15, and if applicable, a completed SF-15.

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