Paralegal Specialist (Summary and Consent Paralegal)

Summary

This position is located in the Division of Enforcement Litigation, Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Branch. The Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Branch represents the National Labor Relations Board in all cases involving enforcement or review of the Board's Orders in all Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court. The Branch also represents the Board in all Supreme Court litigation involving the Board and the National Labor Relations Act.

Duties

As a Paralegal Specialist (Summary and Consent Paralegal), GS-0950-11, your typical work assignments may include: Assisting with the preparation of ad-hoc statistical reports, monthly reports for the Branch, and with the preparation of compiling, formatting, organizing, and indexing court decisions to create annual reporting metrics for conferences. Preparing proposed judgments in contested cases whenever a court of appeals' decision enforces only part of a Board order in conformance with the FRAP Rule 19. Providing expert guidance on procedures regarding summary and consent cases, unclear Board procedures, and/or formal settlements. Independently researching individual case procedural facts, organizing case files, and drafting other legal documents as necessary. Preparing and e-filing applications for summary entry of judgement and docketing statements in default judgement and other uncontested cases, and drafting related correspondence and responsive supplemental filings.

Qualifications

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT The ideal candidate for the Paralegal Specialist position will have a demonstrated ability to work independently, manage multiple deadlines, and exercise sound judgment; general knowledge of the law and court procedures to prepare legal documents and various correspondence; strong research and analytical skills; and interpersonal skills to interact with colleagues, senior leadership, and the courts. Excellent communication skills are desired. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Applicants must have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level, which has provided them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Paralegal Specialist (Summary and Consent Paralegal) at the GS-11 grade level. Specialized experience includes: Experience drafting and preparing motions, forms, and similar documents for court filings consistent with federal and/or local court rules; and Experience reviewing and analyzing court orders, documents, and correspondence from a variety of sources such as court clerks and outside counsel to make determinations for court filings; and Experience performing legal research utilizing legal reference materials and legal databases such as Westlaw, PACER, Hein Online, Cite Net, KnowVation, and/or NxGen. This experience must be fully supported and articulated in your resume to receive consideration. Please do not cut and paste the specialized experience from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. or J.D., if related from an accredited college or university. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100 percent. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) For more detailed information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website here. *NOTE* 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.

Education

Education must be accredited by an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Applicants can verify accreditation here. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. Special Instructions for 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 accredited U.S. education programs; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information regarding Foreign Education, please click here.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents) and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies: Written Communication Reasoning Self-Management Attention To Detail Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Optional Four Essay Questions At the time of application, applicants will be provided with four short, free-response essay questions designed to ascertain their dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee) to review. Responses are not required and will not be scored. If applicants choose to provide a response to the essay questions, they will be required to certify that they are using their own words and did not use a consultant or AI (such as a large language model [LLM]). The responses to each question cannot exceed 200 words per question. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. For evaluating the quality of applicants for referral to the selecting official, a multi-phased process will be used. Phase 1: Applicants' resume and supporting documents will be reviewed by Human Resources (HR) to determine whether they meet the basic qualification requirements. Phase 2: Applicants who are minimally qualified may be advanced to complete a USA Hire assessment to evaluate critical general competencies for this position. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Phase 3: Applicants who successfully pass the USA Hire assessment may be advanced to a Structured Resume Review assessment conducted by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) panel. SMEs may review applicants' resumes to evaluate technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. Phase 4: A final score, which may combine the results from one or more assessments, may be used to identify the top-rated applicants. Applicants meeting the established cut-off score may be referred to the selecting official for consideration and may be required to participate in one or more additional interviews as part of the hiring process. The Rule of Many The NLRB uses the Rule of Many which ranks job applicants numerically and allows for selection from a broader, top-ranked pool. Applications will be evaluated and rated using the Rule of Many procedures under 5 C.F.R. §332.402 based on a set number, score or percentage of highest ranked eligibles. Preference eligibles will receive 5 or 10 points added to their score based on the adjudicated preference. All eligibles at or above the pre-determined number, score or percentage, including any preference eligibles with a service-connected disability of 10 percent or more, at any score, will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. For this job opportunity announcement applicants will be referred to the selecting official using the Rule of Many under 5 C.F.R. §332.402 based on a predetermined score.

Required Documents

Please submit the supporting documents outlined below for your claimed eligibility status. RESUME In compliance with Executive Order 14170, Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service resumes must not be longer than two pages in length. The resume must address minimum qualifications and other requirements listed in the job announcement. If the two-page resume criteria and/or the resume formatting requirement is not met, candidates will be rated as ineligible and will not be referred for hiring consideration. Resumes must include all of the following information outlined below: Contact Information: Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number. Relevant Work Experience Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions) Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 -08/2022 or present) The number of hours you worked per week Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement. OTHER DOCUMENTS (if applicable) For more information, please click on the applicable link Most Recent Performance Appraisal (Current/Former Federal Employees) If performance appraisal is not dated within the last 18 months or if you are unable to provide a copy, an explanation of why must be provided. Please include a document in your application package explaining why the performance appraisal is not available. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) (Current/Former Federal Employees) Most recent SF-50 showing current grade and tenure or showing highest (permanent) grade ever held, if different from your current grade. Performance Award, Realignment/Reassignment, Name Change and Detail SF-50s will not be accepted as proof of grade and tenure. If you are applying for a higher grade, provide an SF-50 or SF-50s which show the length of time in the current/highest grade (i.e., Promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with dates that show proof of you holding the grade for at least a year) to support meeting time-in-grade requirements. As a current or previous Career or Career Conditional employee in the Competitive Service, you may determine your current status by checking block 24 on your SF-50. The block must reflect "1" or "2". Also, block 34 must reflect "1". A copy of your SF-50 must be provided for verification. Transcripts An unofficial copy of your transcripts is sufficient for this application package. The unofficial transcripts must be verifiable; contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses (with grades), semester hours, and GPA. If the position has a positive education requirement (i.e., LL. B. or J.D.), as indicated under the "Education" section, the unofficial transcripts must show type of degree and degree date received (conferred). If selected, an official copy of the transcripts is required and must be received before employment. Schedule A - Disability Letter Veterans: DD-214 (member copy-4) Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty Disabled Veterans: DD-214, SF-15, and proof of disability, Department of Veterans Affairs letter dated 1991 or later Certain Military Spouses: Copy of service member's PCS order authorizing the spouse to accompany the service member AND Proof of marriage to the service member; OR Proof the service member was released or discharged from active duty due to a service-connected disability AND documentation of the service member's 100% disability AND proof of marriage to the service member; OR Proof of the service member's death while on active duty AND proof of marriage to the service member. Family Member Preference (Derived Preference) Reinstatement Former Peace Corps or VISTA Volunteers Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting the minimum requirements for the position and scoring at least an 85) and provide all of the following documents: Your most recent performance appraisal; AND The proof of eligibility letter from the Agency; AND Your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade. Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USAJOBS does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes: Resume; and Any other documents needed to verify your qualifications or eligibility (see the Required Documents section). Please follow the instructions listed below for submitting your complete application package. Application procedures are specific to this vacancy announcement. Please read all instructions before you begin. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this app...

All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. IDEAL CANDIDATE STATEMENT The ideal candidate for the Paralegal Specialist position will have a demonstrated ability to work independently, manage multiple deadlines, and exercise sound judgment; general knowledge of the law and court procedures to prepare legal documents and various correspondence; strong research and analytical skills; and interpersonal skills to interact with colleagues, senior leadership, and the courts. Excellent communication skills are desired. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Applicants must have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level, which has provided them with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Paralegal Specialist (Summary and Consent Paralegal) at the GS-11 grade level. Specialized experience includes: Experience drafting and preparing motions, forms, and similar documents for court filings consistent with federal and/or local court rules; and Experience reviewing and analyzing court orders, documents, and correspondence from a variety of sources such as court clerks and outside counsel to make determinations for court filings; and Experience performing legal research utilizing legal reference materials and legal databases such as Westlaw, PACER, Hein Online, Cite Net, KnowVation, and/or NxGen. This experience must be fully supported and articulated in your resume to receive consideration. Please do not cut and paste the specialized experience from this announcement into your resume, as this will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. or J.D., if related from an accredited college or university. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position if the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100 percent. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.) For more detailed information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website here. *NOTE* 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.