Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate)

The Civil Division is the largest litigating component of the Department of Justice, representing the interests of the United States in some of the nation's most significant civil litigation matters. Our teams handle cases involving constitutional law, national security, immigration, government programs, consumer protection, civil fraud, and other matters of critical public importance. 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 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 https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications.

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. As a GS- 0950-7/9, your typical work assignments may include the following:

GS-0950-07 Grade Level:
- Conduct legal and factual research to support litigation and case preparation.
- Review and analyze case materials, court filings, and other records to become familiar with legal issues and assist attorneys in developing case strategies.
- Collect, organize, index, summarize, and maintain case documents and other litigation materials using electronic databases and case management systems.
- Verify legal citations and references in court filings and ensure documents comply with applicable federal, state, and local court rules.
- Assist attorneys in preparing court filings, including compiling appendices and record excerpts, creating tables of contents and authorities, and coordinating filing and service requirements.
- Review and manage electronic case records to ensure accuracy and completeness throughout the life of a case and upon case closure.
- Assist with legislative history research and other specialized research projects as needed.
- Prepare reports, respond to information requests, and help track case-related data.
- Sort, file, distribute, and maintain legal documents and correspondence, ensuring materials are routed to the appropriate individuals and organizations.

GS-0950-09 Grade Level:
- Assist attorneys in drafting and preparing pleadings, motions, briefs, subpoenas, correspondence, and other litigation documents.
- Review and analyze case documents, identify relevant evidence, and prepare summaries and case materials to support attorneys in litigation.
- Participate in witness interviews and pre-trial preparation activities, helping identify additional facts and issues that require investigation.
- Communicate with federal courts, client agencies, U.S. Attorneys' Offices, and opposing counsel to gather information and coordinate litigation-related matters.
- Conduct legal and factual research to support case development, emergency litigation, and other time-sensitive matters.
- Help manage communications, document requests, and information exchanges among litigation teams, client agencies, and other stakeholders.

To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate), at GS-0950-07-09, you must meet the basic requirements listed below.

Basic Requirement: To be eligible, applicants must apply within two years of degree or certificate completion (except for veterans precluded from doing so due to their military service obligation, who have up to six years after degree completion to apply). For additional information on the Recent Graduates Pathways Program, please click here.

NOTE: You must submit transcripts or official documentation, to verify Recent Graduate Program eligibility. Transcripts MUST reflect the degree/ certificate program and the degree conferred date (official transcripts are required upon selection). If you've graduated in May, please inlcude that information on your resume or in your cover letter if you chose to do one. Official transcripts will be required prior to appointment for all selectees.

In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Recent Graduate Program, you must also meet the following qualifications requirements in order to qualify for the Paralegal Specialist.

To qualify for the GS-07 position, you must meet one of following minimum qualification requirements:

• Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system related to the work of this position, conducting research, writing, organizing, and drafting documents related to legal services.
• One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).
• Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

To qualify for the GS-9 position, you must meet one of the following minimum qualification requirements:

• Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal service or comparable pay band system related to the work of this position: assisting senior staff attorneys in preparing pleadings or briefs, performing tasks analyzing factual data, preparing exhibits, preparing statements of case, and performing advanced research into factual aspects of assigned cases.
• Have a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or successfully completed at least 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, OR received an LL.B or J.D.
• Have a combination of graduate education and experience, as described above that meets 100% of the requirements. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 36. Add the two percentages.

You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the Close Date of this announcement.

Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire and the qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume.