Legal Administrative Specialist (Financial Litigation)

Summary

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Duties

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team in the Financial Litigation Unit (FLU) in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, providing a variety of paralegal and legal assistance technical work requiring a specialized knowledge of processes, procedures, and practices to support the work of the Financial Litigation Unit. Typical work assignments will include: Researching case law, regulations, and policy, analyzing facts and evaluating approaches and making recommendations for course of action. Conducting legal research of federal, state and local laws, and the evaluation of property. Preparing legal documents related to foreclosure and sale of property, as well as complaints, summons, pleadings, and judgments. Preparing, reviewing, and organizing discovery and researching case law. Preparing, reviewing, and organizing exhibits to be introduced at court hearing. Preparing a variety of substantive legal documents to include various motions, garnishments, and other legal actions to effect necessary post-judgment action regarding debts owed to the U.S. government. Reviewing and analyzing claims for legal merit and compliance with the Federal Debt Collection Act. Reviewing, summarizing and outlining financial situation of the debtor and determining the most appropriate legal action. Evaluating debtors declared financial assets compared with records obtained from open sources and/or third parties and identifying attempts to deceptively conceal assets. Conducting interviews of debtors, employers and agency officials to determine the effectiveness pursuing legal action against debtors in default. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

GS-9: To be qualified at the GS-9 grade level you must meet at least one of the following conditions below. Specialized Experience: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as performing the following types of duties: performing technical processing activities associated with debt collection for both criminal and civil debts; obtaining and analyzing financial information to determine a debtor's ability to pay; initiating contact with debtors concerning their obligations, ability to pay, and negotiating written payment schedules to ensure successful collection of debts; conducting skip-tracing activity to locate debtors; performing legal research for assigned cases; determining and initiating the appropriate pleadings and orders needed to initiate post judgment remedies such as garnishment, examination of judgment debtors in aid of execution, and the issuance of writs of execution. -OR- Education: Education in a related field: a J.D. or LL.B; OR a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or higher (in a related field, e.g. Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Criminal Justice, Law); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. -OR- Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of specialized experience and graduate education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. (Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year is creditable.) GS-11: To be qualified at the GS-11 grade level you must meet at least one of the following conditions below. Specialized Experience: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing the following types of duties: interpreting and enforcing criminal judgments, imposing monetary obligations, and performing all functions to collect amounts imposed as a result of the prosecution of criminal cases; evaluating debtors declared financial assets compared with records obtained from open sources and/or third parties and identifying attempts to deceptively conceal assets; conducting in-depth analysis of debtor income tax returns to ascertain the existence of income earning assets and acquisitions or sales of real and personal property; performing fact-finding, research, and analysis on issues under investigation or related to cases; preparing required legal instruments (i.e., document demands, interrogatories, requests for admission, inspection demands) and coordinating debtor exams, oral depositions and witness statements as required. -OR- Education: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g. Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Criminal Justice, Law): a LL.M., Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. -OR- Combining 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 two (2) years. 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/.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework 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 http://www.ed.gov OR Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your complete application package (resume/supporting documentation, online questionnaire, and USA Hire Competency Based Assessment) will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the online 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. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. You will be rated on the following Competencies (see The OPM Website for definitions): Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork 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. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes: - Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process). - Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job: Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade), Employer name and contact information, Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year), Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and A list of duties performed and accomplishments. 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. - Required if you meet qualifications based on education: An unofficial college transcript (Note: If you are selected for this position, an official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation, if applicable, as described under the "Qualifications" section of this vacancy announcement. - Required if you are a current or former Federal employee: a recent copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing title, series, grade, and full performance level (FPL); AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. Please note your SF-50 must include your FPL in the remark section (e.g., appointment, reassignment, promotion actions), pay adjustments and awards do not include this information so they are not acceptable. - Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation (a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal. - If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you must submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire - Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/14/2026 the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: 1. To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button. 2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. 3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on 08/14/2026. 4. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you both on screen and via email notification. 5. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements) 6. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account. To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, please click the following link:https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13024858To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account: https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. All of your applications will appear on the Welcome page. The application record in your USAJOBS account provides an Additiona...

GS-9: To be qualified at the GS-9 grade level you must meet at least one of the following conditions below. Specialized Experience: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as performing the following types of duties: performing technical processing activities associated with debt collection for both criminal and civil debts; obtaining and analyzing financial information to determine a debtor's ability to pay; initiating contact with debtors concerning their obligations, ability to pay, and negotiating written payment schedules to ensure successful collection of debts; conducting skip-tracing activity to locate debtors; performing legal research for assigned cases; determining and initiating the appropriate pleadings and orders needed to initiate post judgment remedies such as garnishment, examination of judgment debtors in aid of execution, and the issuance of writs of execution. -OR- Education: Education in a related field: a J.D. or LL.B; OR a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or higher (in a related field, e.g. Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Criminal Justice, Law); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. -OR- Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of specialized experience and graduate education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. (Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year is creditable.) GS-11: To be qualified at the GS-11 grade level you must meet at least one of the following conditions below. Specialized Experience: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing the following types of duties: interpreting and enforcing criminal judgments, imposing monetary obligations, and performing all functions to collect amounts imposed as a result of the prosecution of criminal cases; evaluating debtors declared financial assets compared with records obtained from open sources and/or third parties and identifying attempts to deceptively conceal assets; conducting in-depth analysis of debtor income tax returns to ascertain the existence of income earning assets and acquisitions or sales of real and personal property; performing fact-finding, research, and analysis on issues under investigation or related to cases; preparing required legal instruments (i.e., document demands, interrogatories, requests for admission, inspection demands) and coordinating debtor exams, oral depositions and witness statements as required. -OR- Education: Possess one of the following types of education in a related field (e.g. Public Administration, Business Administration, Finance, Criminal Justice, Law): a LL.M., Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. -OR- Combining 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 two (2) years. 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/.