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.

Duties

If selected for this position as a Paralegal Specialist in the Financial Litigation Program, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for collecting restitution for victims of crime and returning funds to victimized federal programs. As part of the Financial Litigation Program enforcement team, you will work closely with AUSAs, law enforcement, and others as it pertains to the financial litigation program team. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Your duties will include (but are not limited to): Enforcing criminal judgment and commitment orders. Drafting a variety of substantive legal documents. Conducting interviews of debtors, employers, and agency officials. Preparing and maintaining a variety of case and trial-related documents. Processing debt collection claims referred from client agencies. Serving as the contact person for Financial Litigation cases. Monitoring the progress of pending cases. Independently plan and conduct asset investigations and prepare comprehensive reports on results of investigations. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Qualifications

GS-09: To be qualified at the GS-9 level, you must have at least ONE year of full-time specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions. Examples of qualifying experience include performing the following types of duties: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; drafting legal documents and correspondence; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information documenting findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel. OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree; OR LL.B or J.D., in a related field of study to the position (e.g., Paralegal Studies, Political Science, Law, Criminal Justice, Forensic Studies). Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. OR Combining Education and Experience: A Combination of specialized experience as described above, and graduate-level education as described above in which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year is creditable. To calculate your percentage of education, first determine the total number of hours that exceed 36 semester hours or your school's definition of two full years of study. Then divide the total number of your excess semester hours by 18 or your school's definition of one year of study. To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your 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%. For example, if you had if you had 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09, then you would have 75% of the required experience. If you also had 45 semester hours of creditable graduate level education, then 45-36=9 semester hours. 9 divided by 18 is 50% of the required education, and therefore, 75% + 50% = 125%. You would qualify for this position).

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 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 you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. 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. Other Information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. A recruitment or relocation incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications. The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/. Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline. Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.