Summary
The mission of the Antitrust Division is to promote competition by enforcing the antitrust laws to protect economic freedom and opportunity on behalf of the American people.
The Antitrust Division has an opening for a Supervisory Paralegal Specialist to join its dedicated team and gain invaluable experience working in the public interest to protect the competitive process.
Are you ready to contribute to matters of national importance that promote a competitive and productive American economy?
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
U.S. Citizens and Special Hiring Authorities.
Duties
The Antitrust Division (Division) is seeking to fill Supervisory Paralegal Specialist positions in at least three sections within the Civil Enforcement Program:
- The Financial Services, FinTech, and Banking Section (FFB), which is responsible for blocking anticompetitive mergers and challenging anticompetitive conduct in those industries and other professional services. In recent years, FFB successfully litigated to block a merger between two large book publishers-Penguin RandomHouse and Simon & Schuster-and recently filed suit to challenge anticompetitive practices by Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster.
- The Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section (TEA), which is responsible for blocking anticompetitive mergers and challenging anticompetitive conduct in those industries. In recent years, TEA successfully litigated cases through trial to block JetBlue Airways' acquisition of Spirit Airlines and unwind an anticompetitive joint venture between American Airlines and JetBlue.
- The Civil Conduct Task Force (CCTF), which is responsible for challenging anticompetitive agreements and monopolization across a range of industries. In recent years, CCTF successfully resolved cases involving agreements between poultry processors to share information about their workers' pay, salary caps in e-sports leagues, and a fee that penalized farmers. CCTF is actively litigating cases in important digital and agricultural markets.
In addition to their enforcement efforts, these sections are also responsible for competition advocacy and competition policy efforts within federal, state, and local governments, and, when appropriate, coordination with enforcement agencies from around the world.
The Supervisory Paralegal Specialist in each section serves as part of that section's management team, working closely with the chief and assistant chiefs of those sections to ensure the effective enforcement of the antitrust laws.
As a Supervisory Paralegal Specialist, responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
- Supervising a staff of paralegal specialist supporting the section's investigations and litigated cases.
- Establishing policy for subordinates and communicating policies and priorities.
- Establishing guidelines and performance expectations for subordinates.
- Assigning and reviewing the work product, providing feedback and guidance to improve work.
- Assisting in hiring and onboarding new paralegals and conducting performance evaluations.
- Developing and overseeing the maintenance of a reporting and record-keeping system capable of tracking the progress of investigations and litigation cases.
- Establishing and maintaining an organized system for controlling subject matter, witness and documents files, and all material to be used as exhibits at depositions and trials.
- Analyzing, identifying, and developing training programs to meet training and employee development needs.
- Organizing documents, selecting and organizing material, analyzing transcripts, summarizing testimony, and evidence during trial.
- Coordinating witness interviews and appearances, preparing drafts of questions for minor witnesses, and gathering and organizing facts for inclusion in closing arguments during trial.
- Assisting attorneys in conducting interviews with investigative sources and prospective witnesses.
- Assisting in case preparation for litigation and analyzing facts and legal questions.
- Performing legal research and other duties as assigned.
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 a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
Please note: Additional selections may be made beyond the total number of vacancies specified using this vacancy announcement. Further selections may also be made for additional organizational divisions and/or units within the duty location(s) listed above. Also, a writing sample and a combination of three to five business and academic references may be requested of individuals identified as best qualified, to be forwarded to the selecting official along with your application package, upon referral.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for this position.
- You must undergo a pre-employment security investigation.
- You may be required to take and successfully clear a drug test.
- You must submit a complete application package by the closing date of this announcement.
- SELECTIVE SERVICE: All male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must have registered for the selective service (see SSS.gov). If selected for this position, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
- DIRECT DEPOSIT: All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
- This position is ineligible for inclusion in a bargaining unit.
- This position offers career mobility opportunities to qualified Legal Division/Office of Solicitor General employees, who are encouraged to apply.
- This is a full-time, supervisory, permanent appointment in the competitive service, subject to a one-year probationary period in accordance with 5 C.F.R. 315.801 and 5 C.F.R. 315.904.
- The Antitrust Division participates in the E-Verify program.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, your resume must reflect at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level. Specialized experience is experience that has provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position as described above, and that is typically in or related to this position being filled. This experience must be identified in your resume.
Examples of qualifying specialized experience at the GS-09 level include:
- Taking accurate and detailed notes during attorney proffers or witness interviews and drafting memoranda from those notes that are clear, thorough, logically organized, and accurate;
- Helping attorneys prepare for grand jury proceedings, depositions, witness interviews, hearings, and trial, including reviewing and coding relevant documents, researching each witness' background, and assembling potential exhibits;
- Serving as a trial team leader, distributing and balancing workloads, and monitoring the status of work assigned to staff;
- Performing factual research for inclusion in memoranda, briefs, and similar legal documents;
- Tracking exhibits and other materials for grand jury proceedings, hearings, trials, and investigations;
- Preparing charts, graphs, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials to be used as exhibits in court, grand jury proceedings, hearings, trials, and investigations;
- Using enterprise document review software systems-such as Relativity, Concordance, or Summation-to search for, identify, collect, and organize documentary evidence; and
- Training paralegal specialists to conduct searches within databases comprised of large volumes of electronic documents (e.g., 100,000 records or more).
Education: For consideration at GS-11 grade level only, education may also be used to qualify for this position based on the below qualification requirements:
- A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR
- Three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR
- A LL.M.; OR
- A combination of successfully completed graduate level education, in excess of 2 full years, and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements.
To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, your resume must reflect at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level.
Examples of qualifying specialized experience at the GS-11 level include:
- Experience as a team leader, monitoring the status and progress of work assigned to staff;
- Demonstrated ability to identify, distribute, and balance workload and tasks among employees in accordance with established workflow, skill level, and/or occupational specialization;
- Resolving simple, informal complaints of employees and referring others, such as formal grievances and appeals, to an appropriate management official;
- Training and providing guidance to staff paralegals in office procedures, researching and writing, pre-trial and trial duties;
- Preparing for and conducting interviews with investigative sources and prospective witnesses;
- Drafting memorandum reflecting facts, sources, citations discovered during the course of legal research or witness interview; and
- Performing preliminary screening of substantive materials prior to review by attorneys.
Education may not be used to qualify at the GS-12 grade level.
Education
All academic degrees and course work must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see U.S. Department of Education website.
Applicants MUST submit copies of college transcripts or a list of college courses taken that identify for each course the college or university, semester or quarter hours earned, grade and grade-point received. An unofficial transcript is acceptable to qualify, but it must include your full name and you may be asked to submit an official transcript prior to appointment, if you are selected.
Foreign Education*: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation
*All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.
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.
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 basic qualifications for the position listed in this announcement. Please note: Basic qualifications will be determined based on a comparison of your resume against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in the position requirements.
The evaluation process consists of an online assessment and a subject matter expert review of your resume. Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Your resume should demonstrate how you meet all aspects of the specialized experience statement. SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume.
If you are found to be qualified for this position, your resume and supporting documentation will be further assessed and compared to the responses of your occupational/assessment questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive will be based on your responses to the questionnaire. The rating is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the competencies required for this position, and will determine the rank in which you place (Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Best Qualified). The "Best Qualified" candidates will be contacted to submit a job market paper or relevant writing sample prior to being referred for selection.
Candidates within the "Best Qualified" category who are eligible for veteran preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.
Your application will be further assessed based upon the following competencies:
- Information Management
- Research and Investigative Skills;
- Teaching Others; and
- Writing.
If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully as errors or omissions may affect your rating.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete application package which includes:
1. A copy of your resume or equivalent - Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their resume and cover letter. Applicants are encouraged to ensure work experiences, as represented in their resume, clearly show the possession of knowledge of the subject matter pertinent to the position, and the competencies and technical skills to successfully perform the duties of the position. A cover letter is optional.
RESUME REQUIREMENTS: ALL APPLICANTS: you must submit a resume supporting your specialized experience and responses to the online questionnaire. The federal government has very specific resume requirements. If you have not written a federal resume before, you may want to watch this Resume Writing Tutorialvideo on the USAJOBS YouTube channel, or read through a helpful Resume Writing FAQon the USAJOBS Help Site to learn what details you should, and should not, include in your resume. A CV (curriculum vitae) may not contain enough information to meet these resume requirements.
- Your resume should list all work experience (paid and unpaid); you must list the full name and address of each employer.
- For all types of work experience, you should indicate the start and end date (include month and year); you must also list the average number of hours per week that you worked.
- Your resume should also include any education and training you have completed (list the program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
2. A completed assessment questionnaire. A preview is available here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12427563
3. A copy of your transcript - If you are qualifying based on education, or a combination of education and experience, you must submit a copy of your transcript.
4. Documentation of eligibility for special hiring authorities (if applicable) to prove appointment eligibility. Examples include Schedule A disability letter, Peace Corps volunteer letter and:
- Documentation of eligibility for CTAP and ICTAP (if applicable) - You must provide written notification of your eligibility for CTAP and/or ICTAP; your most recent Performance Appraisal, and your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action.
- Veterans' Preference Documentation (if applicable) - If you are a discharged, non-disabled veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character discharge (Member Copy-4), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions. 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, and 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 a completed SF-15 and all additional proof required by the SF-15, as applicable. If you don't have your Department of Veterans Affairs letter establishing proof of disability, you may request it online or call 1-800-827-1000.
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
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 07/05/2024 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.
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account ( https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Please note: Applications mailed using government postage and/or internal federal government mailing systems are in violation of agency and postal regulations and will not be accepted.
These instructions outline our application process. You must complete the online application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, you must contact us by noon ET on the announcement's closing date. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact the Human Resources Sectionby email at ATR.personnel@usdoj.gov or by phone at 202-514-2469 to obtain an alternative application.
If you require a reasonable accommodation for disability during any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Karen Jung by phone at 202-514-8885 or by email at Karen.Jung@usdoj.gov. The Antitrust Division provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. You must contact us by 5:00 p.m. ET on the announcement's closing date to request accommodation. Callers with hearing or speech impairment can access their state's telecommunications relay service (TRS) to make TTY calls by dialing 7-1-1.
In addition to the availability of telework, applicants may also be considered for remote work based on mission needs and at the discretion of the Division.
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the announcement closes, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications based on the application we receive. Ranking will be determined based on responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. The most highly qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30 to 60 days of the closing date of this announcement.
|