Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

Summary

U.S. Attorneys serve as the nation's prosecutors under the direction of the United States Attorney General. Each U.S. Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in the Federal District where they are appointed. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed in 94 Federal Districts throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Each U.S. Attorney's Office has a staff of lawyers and support personnel who are critical to achieving the office's mission.

Duties

This Legal Assistant (Office Automation) serves as legal assistant responsible for supporting Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) by providing a variety of legal assistance and office support services. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Legal Assistant (Office Automation) support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, located in Albany, New York; Alexandria, Virginia; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta, Georgia; Binghamton, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Charleston, West Virginia; Detroit, Michigan; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Pierce, Florida; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Hato Rey, Puerto Rico; Huntington, West Virginia; Jefferson City, Missouri; Juneau, Alaska; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami, Florida; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; New York, New York; Newark, New Jersey; Oxford, Mississippi; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Plattsburgh, New York; Seattle, Washington; Sherman, Texas; Springfield, Missouri; Syracuse, New York; Tacoma, Washington; Tyler, Texas; West Palm Beach, Florida, focusing in the areas of legal support; case management; and administrative support. Typical work assignments will include: Examining, preparing and processing a variety of technical legal documents, e.g., complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels; Proofreading and cite checking legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents; Providing assistance to attorneys in trial preparation by conducting non-complex research of litigation, statutes, regulations and court cases; Assembling exhibits, affidavits, and other legal documents; Assembling and organizing files and records material for disposition or transfer to records depository; Maintaining calendar of assigned active cases; Tracking filing, hearing, and trial dates, and scheduling conferences and interviews; Arranging travel by preparing itinerary and securing transportation and hotel reservations; Producing a variety of written documents and materials using a wide range of office software applications. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: To qualify at the GS-05 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) the duties listed below: Reviewing documents with legal implications for accuracy and completeness (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other types of legal documents). OR Successfully completed four academic years of education above the high school level or possess a bachelor's or higher degree; or a combination of the required experience and education for this grade level. (You must provide a copy of your transcripts prior to the closing date of this announcement) To qualify at the GS-06 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below: Reviewing legal documents such as complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, or libels for completeness of factual information; Retrieving or assembling information for hearing and/or trial use; Researching a variety of legal sources to obtain and/or verify information; Using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence or related materials. To qualify at the GS-07 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below: Providing trial support to attorneys by preparing complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, or other hearing and/or trial documents accurately and in proper format; Verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents; Assisting with discovery, hearing or trial preparation by performing duties such as compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, or compiling witness and exhibit lists; Using software applications or legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs or prepare courtroom presentations. Typing Proficiency: To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.) IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. 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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.

Evaluations

Promotion Potential (Career Ladder) Statement: This position is being filled at the (GS-05, 06, OR 07) levels with promotion potential to the (GS-07). Promotion or assignment into this career ladder position does not guarantee future advancement. Advancement to the (GS-07) is not automatic and depends on the individual's ability to perform the higher-grade duties, the availability of a sufficient quantity of higher-grade work that would constitute a major duty, and management's decision to assign these higher-grade duties to the employee. 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), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. 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. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13008285 Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures and placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position; Highly Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors. Names of all candidates in the best qualified category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration (unless a sufficient number of qualified veterans are found - in which only those names will be initially certified). Candidates within the best qualified category who are eligible for veteran preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.

How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. 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 11:59 PM (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 application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Staff Acquisition at SAG-E-Appeals@opm.gov or to obtain an alternative application.

Other information A relocation OR recruitment incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications. Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Justice requires each and every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully complete a background investigation for a clearance as a condition of placement in this Special Sensitive/High Risk position. This review includes financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (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 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 rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility, click here. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced 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 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 rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria. Additional information about CTAP eligibility, click here. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments: Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.