Legal Administrative Specialist

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. This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 27-NH-13084567-MS.

Duties

If selected for the Legal Administrative Specialist position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and systems capabilities to facilitate litigation decisions, trial preparation and presentation. Typical work assignments will include: Providing advice and technical assistance to Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in facilitating the management of incoming and outgoing documents in support of eLitigation in accordance with e-Discovery and other procedural requirements to facilitate litigation decisions, trial preparation and trial presentation. Helping AUSAs specify what type of ESI (electronically stored information) to request and how to capture and preserve metadata from discovery provided by opposing parties. Utilizing a variety of Automated Litigation Support (ALS) software applications to locate, organize, analyze, characterize and present information that is pertinent to the case. Assists AUSAs in developing the most effective trial presentations using ALS resources. Assisting and training AUSA and legal support staff in organizing and processing voluminous case information for efficient retrieval through automated means such as scanning, indexing and organizing documents in a data base. Reviewing incoming discovery and other requested information. Managing and operating a variety of computer hardware such as printers, plotters, audio-visual devices, and other state-of-the-art equipment to conceptualize exhibits and complete special presentation projects. Preparing exhibits for legal proceedings, which may involve a wide range of visual materials including charts, diagrams, photographs and models. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

GS-07 - To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience: providing litigation support by scanning and coding documents and creating DVDs or CDs; assisting attorneys in preparing for court by preparing exhibits, compiling trial notebooks, compiling witness and exhibit lists and/or preparing computerized trial presentations and exhibits; preparing a variety of legal documents; utilizing software packages such as spreadsheets and word processing applications to present evidence. OR Education: One (1) full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field (e.g., Legal Studies, Law, Criminal Justice). Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Possess a Bachelor's Degree or expect to complete the requirements for a Bachelor's degree within the next 9 months AND possess at least one of the following criteria: class standing in the upper third of the graduating class; an overall GPA of 3.0 OR at least a 3.0 based on courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; a GPA of at least 3.5 based on the average of required courses completed in my major field OR based on the average of required courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; OR election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. GS-09 - To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience: providing litigation assistance such as maintaining records regarding electronic case materials; assisting attorneys in trial preparation such as preparing subpoenas, trial exhibits, information requests, pleadings, and/or correspondence; providing legal and administrative support to attorneys including examining and preparing legal documents, editing, cite-checking, tracking cases, and/or discovery processing; using automated legal research tools such as Westlaw, Lexis, as well as public information databases to research case-specific legal matters. OR Education: 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 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 1 full year. GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience: providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and system capabilities; organizing and managing voluminous case information; Providing legal support to attorneys in trial preparation such as preparing subpoenas, trial exhibits, information requests, pleadings, and/or correspondence; analyzing litigation support requirements to develop or recommend appropriate strategies to meet litigation needs; using automated legal research tools such as Westlaw, Lexis, as well as public information databases to research case-specific legal matters. OR Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Law, Criminal Justice or IT): LL.B. or J.D., if related; 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. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combining Education and Experience: A combination of specialized experience and graduate education (as described above), which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate level education must be in excess of 2 full years. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of study). 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/.

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 evaluated and rated using 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 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 it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified). 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 submit 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, 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 applicable: Veterans' Preference documentation. -Required for Veterans' Preference- If you are entitled to Veterans' Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming in your application and submit the appropriate documentation, as specified below. In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, please submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorabl...

GS-07 - To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience: providing litigation support by scanning and coding documents and creating DVDs or CDs; assisting attorneys in preparing for court by preparing exhibits, compiling trial notebooks, compiling witness and exhibit lists and/or preparing computerized trial presentations and exhibits; preparing a variety of legal documents; utilizing software packages such as spreadsheets and word processing applications to present evidence. OR Education: One (1) full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field (e.g., Legal Studies, Law, Criminal Justice). Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Possess a Bachelor's Degree or expect to complete the requirements for a Bachelor's degree within the next 9 months AND possess at least one of the following criteria: class standing in the upper third of the graduating class; an overall GPA of 3.0 OR at least a 3.0 based on courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; a GPA of at least 3.5 based on the average of required courses completed in my major field OR based on the average of required courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; OR election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. GS-09 - To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience: providing litigation assistance such as maintaining records regarding electronic case materials; assisting attorneys in trial preparation such as preparing subpoenas, trial exhibits, information requests, pleadings, and/or correspondence; providing legal and administrative support to attorneys including examining and preparing legal documents, editing, cite-checking, tracking cases, and/or discovery processing; using automated legal research tools such as Westlaw, Lexis, as well as public information databases to research case-specific legal matters. OR Education: 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 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 1 full year. GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience: providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and system capabilities; organizing and managing voluminous case information; Providing legal support to attorneys in trial preparation such as preparing subpoenas, trial exhibits, information requests, pleadings, and/or correspondence; analyzing litigation support requirements to develop or recommend appropriate strategies to meet litigation needs; using automated legal research tools such as Westlaw, Lexis, as well as public information databases to research case-specific legal matters. OR Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Law, Criminal Justice or IT): LL.B. or J.D., if related; 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. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combining Education and Experience: A combination of specialized experience and graduate education (as described above), which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate level education must be in excess of 2 full years. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of study). 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/.