Paralegal 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 26-ME-13005750-MS.

Duties

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maine has a position available for a Paralegal Specialist in our Criminal Division. The Paralegal Specialist vacancy is in our branch office, located in Bangor, central Maine's largest city. Bangor is a vibrant, livable small city located on the Penobscot River and less than one hour from Acadia National Park and Maine's famous rocky coast. As a paralegal, you will have the opportunity to work with federal prosecutors on cases that have a direct impact on the lives of Americans who live in Maine and across the country. Paralegals provide assistance in legal research and writing as well as reviewing evidence in cases involving violent crimes and various aspects of litigation. If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty, and the property of citizens. For additional information regarding our office, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me. The Office has one opening for a Paralegal Specialist in our Bangor branch within the Criminal Division. First round consideration will be given to applications submitted by September 18, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST. Thereafter, the applicant list will be reviewed every 30 days. As needed, additional positions may be filled. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing legal and litigative support to the Criminal Division for the District of Maine. Typical work assignments will include: Review and organize complex factual material and other documentary data for investigations and trials. Prepare a variety of substantive legal documents to include extradition requests, grand jury and trial subpoenas, interrogatory requests, and documentation relevant to acquiring evidence or testimony. Provide advice on the most efficient method for preparing legal documents. Use tables and citation checking with efficiency. Develop and enter various case material into a computer database. Prepare charts, graphs, and tables to illustrate results. Prepare, develop, compile, or maintain jury instructions in preparing for trial. Prepare exhibits for trial, which typically involve a wide range of visual materials. Provide litigation case management and organize cases for court presentation. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-7 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-05 level. Specialized experience is defined as work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions to include drafting a variety of legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; reviewing legal documents to extract information related to specific issues; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; utilizing various computerized database programs to include automated legal research tools and public information to organize extensive documents; conducting research. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice Law): One full year of graduate level education leading to a Master's degree or higher; or a completed Bachelor's Degree or equivalent, with Superior Academic Achievement, as defined by the Office of Personnel Management's Qualification Standards. Superior Academic Achievement is the completion of a full four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree and meets one of the following provisions: (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for all completed undergraduate course work or for all courses completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work; (2) a GPA of 3.5 or higher for all courses in the major field of study, or those courses in a major completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work; (3) ranking in the upper one-third of a college, university, or major subdivision or (4) membership in a national scholastic honor society. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be more than one full year. 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-07 level. Specialized experience is defined as work which demonstrates knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions to include examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; document findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice Law): Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); or two full years of progressively higher-level education leading to such a degree. Applicants with a J.D. are strongly encouraged to apply. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be more than two full years. 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-09 level. Specialized experience is defined as work which demonstrates knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions to include analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; composing legal briefs, summaries of analysis and decisions, and pre-trial documents; interviewing witnesses and various individuals who can provide insight into cases under review; preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice Law): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the education requirement. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be more than two full years. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. 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;...

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maine has a position available for a Paralegal Specialist in our Criminal Division. The Paralegal Specialist vacancy is in our branch office, located in Bangor, central Maine's largest city. Bangor is a vibrant, livable small city located on the Penobscot River and less than one hour from Acadia National Park and Maine's famous rocky coast. As a paralegal, you will have the opportunity to work with federal prosecutors on cases that have a direct impact on the lives of Americans who live in Maine and across the country. Paralegals provide assistance in legal research and writing as well as reviewing evidence in cases involving violent crimes and various aspects of litigation. If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty, and the property of citizens. Our office places a high value on diversity of experiences and perspectives and encourages applications from individuals with cultural competence. For additional information regarding our office, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me. The Office has one opening for a Paralegal Specialist in our Bangor branch within the Criminal Division. First round consideration will be given to applications submitted by September 18, 2026, at 11:59 pm EST. Thereafter, the applicant list will be reviewed every 30 days. As needed, additional positions may be filled. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing legal and litigative support to the Criminal Division for the District of Maine. Typical work assignments will include: Review and organize complex factual material and other documentary data for investigations and trials. Prepare a variety of substantive legal documents to include extradition requests, grand jury and trial subpoenas, interrogatory requests, and documentation relevant to acquiring evidence or testimony. Provide advice on the most efficient method for preparing legal documents. Use tables and citation checking with efficiency. Develop and enter various case material into a computer database. Prepare charts, graphs, and tables to illustrate results. Prepare, develop, compile, or maintain jury instructions in preparing for trial. Prepare exhibits for trial, which typically involve a wide range of visual materials. Provide litigation case management and organize cases for court presentation. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-7 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-05 level. Specialized experience is defined as work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions to include drafting a variety of legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; reviewing legal documents to extract information related to specific issues; verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; utilizing various computerized database programs to include automated legal research tools and public information to organize extensive documents; conducting research. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice Law): One full year of graduate level education leading to a Master's degree or higher; or a completed Bachelor's Degree or equivalent, with Superior Academic Achievement, as defined by the Office of Personnel Management's Qualification Standards. Superior Academic Achievement is the completion of a full four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree and meets one of the following provisions: (1) a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher for all completed undergraduate course work or for all courses completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work; (2) a GPA of 3.5 or higher for all courses in the major field of study, or those courses in a major completed in the last two full years of undergraduate work; (3) ranking in the upper one-third of a college, university, or major subdivision or (4) membership in a national scholastic honor society. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be more than one full year. 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-07 level. Specialized experience is defined as work which demonstrates knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions to include examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; document findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice Law): Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); or two full years of progressively higher-level education leading to such a degree. Applicants with a J.D. are strongly encouraged to apply. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be more than two full years. 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-09 level. Specialized experience is defined as work which demonstrates knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions to include analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; composing legal briefs, summaries of analysis and decisions, and pre-trial documents; interviewing witnesses and various individuals who can provide insight into cases under review; preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations; assisting in trial preparation by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice Law): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the education requirement. To qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be more than two full years. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. 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/.