Summary
This Pathways Internship appointment located in the Division of Federal Employees' and Energy Workers Compensation (FEEWC), a national office division in the Office of the Solicitor. Open to currently enrolled graduate students seeking an LL.M, J.D., or law related degree. This position will be part time. This position will have an in-person requirement at the Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
Open to students currently enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, seeking a graduate degree at an accredited, college or university, graduate or professional school, on a full or half-time basis as defined by the educational institution. You must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a program leading to award a LL.M, J.D., or law related degree.
Duties
Incumbent serves as a student trainee paralegal specialist in the FEEWC Division and is responsible for their own personal case load of subrogation matters. The FEEWC Division is responsible for thousands of cases referred to FEEWC by OWCP in order to determine whether FECA claimants should be required to seek damages from third parties potentially liable for FECA-covered injuries and illnesses and for monitoring any litigation seeking such damages.
This is a developmental position designed to provide interns with challenging assignments that will broaden their perspectives on issues facing the government and prepare them for future positions throughout the government in the legal field.
The Pathways Student Trainee (Paralegal) will:
- Create, monitor, research and track cases.
- Collect, record, and organize data.
- Assist office staff with assigned technical tasks under the supervision of attorneys or other legal staff.
- Research and verify points of law cited by attorneys in legal documents.
- Drafts a variety of legal correspondence.
- Communicate with clients, private attorneys, and other federal employees as necessary via phone, email, in person, or other electronic communication.
The entire duration of the Student Intern Pathway Student Appointment constitutes a trial period. This position is located inside of the bargaining unit.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a law degree or (law related) student.
- Must be at least 16 years old and a U.S. Citizen.
- Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
- Requires a trial period for the duration of the Internship.
- Appointees must sign a DOL pathways Program Participant agreement.
- Must be enrolled at least half-time at a qualifying educational institution at the time of appointment and must maintain such enrollment throughout the duration of the appointment.
- Must be in good academic standing as defined by the agency as 3.0 GPA or higher.
- Must be a currently enrolled student and must maintain at least half-time enrollment status as defined by your school.
Qualifications
To be eligible for the DOL Pathways - Internship Program, an individual must be currently enrolled and seeking a degree in the field of law, in a qualifying educational institution/program on a full or half-time basis for current semester. Must maintain at least half-time status as defined by your school. Additional proof of enrollment for the upcoming semester will be required before a final job offer can be extended. Click here for a definition of a qualifying education institution/program. Applicants for this position must meet the definition of a CURRENTLY ENROLLED STUDENT as outlined throughout this announcement. If you do not meet this definition, you will not be considered.
Must Possess and maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on the unweighted 4.0 scale. GPA is based on current enrollment. Must be in good academic standing.
Applicants who graduate from their degree seeking programs in the current semester can be considered for internships only if they are enrolled and/or accepted for enrollment in the upcoming semester in a proceeding degree seeking program.
For GS-7: Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education; or Eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision and completion of a bachelor's degree.
One full academic year of undergraduate; graduate; is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university, or school to represent 1 year of full-time study. All education beyond high school must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
GS-07: Completed one full academic year of graduate level education toward a law degree, beyond a bachelor's degree (e.g. LL.M, J.D., etc.).
GS-09: Completed two full academic years of graduate level education toward a law degree, beyond a bachelor's degree (e.g. LL.M, J.D., etc.).
Education requirements must be met prior to appointment. Updated transcript is required to verify requirements have been met.
If selected:
- Be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution on a half to full-time basis (as determined by the educational institution).
- Be seeking a degree that is relevant to this position. (For this internship you must be seeking a degree in Law.)
- Be able to work at least 16 hours per week during the academic semester, depending on your academic schedule, and preferably full-time during the summer. This is not a summer only position.
- Grade qualifications must be met prior to start date.
- Must furnish course registration information at the start of each school term.
- Must provide verification of academic status (transcripts) at the end of each academic term.
Education
Enrolled and pursuing a LL.M, J.D., or a law related degree.
You must submit an academic transcript from your academic institution showing the date that you most recently completed the academic requirements described above. See the Required Documents section of this announcement. If you do not submit a transcript indicating your possession of the required education, you will not be considered for this position.
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.
If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
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.
Applicants meeting both eligibility and qualification requirements will be evaluated against the competencies described below and will be placed into one of the following quality categories, based on responses to the vacancy questionnaire:
Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying the critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.
Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies by this position.
Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualification requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.
Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:
- Customer Service
- Manages and Organizes Information
- Oral Communication
- Organizational Awareness
- Research
- Writing
Click here for Evaluation details.
You may preview questions for this vacancy here:
The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).
The examining DOL-SOL Office of Human Resources (HRO) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the HRO may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.
Required Documents
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.
The following documents are required from ALL applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):
- Resumes: Required and must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your computer and USAJOBS profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
- Proof of Eligibility: Academic transcript or other official documentation from the qualifying educational institution showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for a Pathways Internship appointment, as described in the Qualifications and Evaluations section of this announcement. If your school's transcripts, letter of acceptance, or other documentation does not provide all the necessary information listed above, you should include additional official academic documentation that meets the requirements.
- Proof of Qualifications: Academic transcripts are sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, as described in this announcement, where you are seeking to qualify, at least in part, on the basis of your education. Unofficial Transcripts must state the student's name, name of the school, current GPA/academic standing, past and current coursework with credits for each course, enrollment status, degree program, and proof of enrollment for the current semester. See Qualifications and Evaluations. If you are a graduate-level student, you should also submit your undergrad transcripts with your application.
- Proof of Enrollment: Academic transcript or other official documentation from the educational institution proving your status as a student who is currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution. See Qualifications and Evaluations.
The following documents are required if applicable:
- Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point (TP) preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214, Certificate of Release, or Discharge from Active Duty. Your DD 214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. If claiming a 10-point preference, you will need to submit a Standard Form (SF-15), "Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference". To claim a 10-point (CP/CPS, XP) preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214 and the proof of entitlement to this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). Without this documentation, you will not receive the veteran's preference. For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference.
- Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English) - If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.
NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.
Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.
Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.
Do not upload password-protected documents.
Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.
To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration.
Application Limits: Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the date the application limit was reached or the vacancy closing date, whichever occurs first, to receive consideration.
Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.
Important - Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center.
STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.
STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS) Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button.
STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.
STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button.
STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, thenUpdate Application.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days of the issuance date of the certificate.
For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to USAJOBS Help Guide.
USAJOBS will no longer send status alert email notifications. You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency's point of contact on the job announcement.
To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the Application Status link, and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
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