Paralegal Specialist
Substitution of education for specialized experience is not applicable to this vacancy.
As a Paralegal Specialist, you will perform the following duties:
- Serve as a Paralegal Specialist in developing legal research strategies for the Office of General Counsel (OGC) on implementing acts, to include the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Merchant Marine Act, Endangered Species Act, Administrative Procedures Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act. Assist attorneys with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), requests.
- Act as administrator of the OGC Litigation Database, supervising the data that is entered, and responding to queries regarding litigation affecting NOAA from the White House, the Secretary of Commerce, members of the Legislative Branch, and internal NOAA search requests. Locate, interpret, and summarize statutes, regulations, treaties, legislative histories, and other legal documents at requests of attorneys or other National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials.
- Perform legal and factual research and conduct analyses of precedents, statutes, and regulations to draft legal correspondence, memoranda, briefs and similar documents. Review and edit controlled correspondence and provide clearance for correspondence relating to general issues. Respond to general requests from NOAA legal offices nationwide, and prepare response memos or letters and records requests.
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/
EDUCATION: There is no positive education requirement for this position.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government.
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.
To qualify at the GS-13 level:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
- Researching and drafting legal documents;
- Analyzing litigation data and responses to external and internal queries; and
- Developing voluminous, detailed responses to records requests.
