Legal Administrative Specialsit (Litigation Support)

Summary

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's mission is to enforce and defend the laws of the United States of America through the prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal government; the prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and the collection of debts owed to the Federal government that are administratively uncollectible.

Duties

This Legal Administrative Specialsit (Litigation Support) supports civil and/or criminal case teams by performing routine litigation support duties necessary to prepare or manage electronic discovery, evidence, exhibits, and other electronically stored information (ESI) relevant to investigations and casework, using a variety of methods and software applications. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Legal Administrative Specialsit (Litigation Support) support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Pierce, Florida; Miami, Florida; West Palm Beach, Florida, focusing in the areas of litigation support; customer support; project management; case presentation and preparation. Typical work assignments will include: Performing routine litigation support duties necessary to process common electronically stored information (ESI) (e.g., PDF files, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint files, emails, etc.) and prepare it for review or production by the case team. Performing routine litigation support tasks relating to case teams' review of common ESI. Providing advice, customer support services, and project management services in connection with electronic discovery, litigation support projects, and litigation technology software applications. Providing technical assistance to case teams presenting or filing electronic evidence or exhibits in civil or criminal legal proceedings. 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-09 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (2) of the (3) duties listed below: Performing routine and recurring litigation support assignments (such as processing common electronic files, loading image, native, and text files into document review databases, performing and assisting with basic document review tool functions, preparing basic electronic discovery productions, or preparing electronic materials for filing or presentation in civil or criminal legal proceedings; Assisting in analyzing case requirements to identify appropriate litigation support approaches and options; Providing automated support to prepare and organize exhibits, evidence, and data relevant to cases presented before a jury, grand jury or in other legal proceedings. OR Successful completion of one of the following types of education in a related field, such as (Paralegal studies, Legal studies, Criminal Justice, Business Administration): a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. My education was obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. (You must submit transcripts.) OR A combination of specialized experience as described in A, but less than one year; and I have at least one year of graduate education as described in B, which when combined equals 100% of the requirements. To calculate your percentage of education, first determine the total number of hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study) then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate 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%. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation). (You must submit transcripts.) To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (2) of the (3) duties listed below: Utilizing electronically stored information such as PDF files, portfolios, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, email files, non-standard or proprietary files, audio or video files, to prepare electronic discovery; Providing guidance to case teams on best practices and strategies for organizing, storing, reviewing, producing, or presenting electronic case materials related to civil or criminal cases; Analyzing litigation support project requirements to define and understand project objectives, sequence of events, work effort, duration of tasks, or associated resource requirements. OR Successful completion of one of the following types of education in a related field, such as (Paralegal studies, Legal studies, Criminal Justice, Business Administration): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possession of a LL.M degree. Graduate level education must demonstrate the competencies necessary to do the work of the position. (You must submit your college transcripts.) OR A combination of the above-described graduate education and specialized experience. Only graduate level education in excess of the first two years can be used in this calculation. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the 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%. (You must submit your college transcripts.) 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.

Education

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. 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 https://www.ed.gov/ 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 an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.In addition, when reviewing applicant's transcripts, assumptions will not be made. Applicants MUST state which coursework is relevant. How You Will Be Evaluated

Promotion Potential (Career Ladder) Statement: This position is being filled at the (GS-09 & GS-11) level with promotion potential to the (GS-11). Promotion or assignment into this career ladder position does not guarantee future advancement. Advancement to the (GS-11) 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 Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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/13085246 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. Other Information

Incentive payment of up to $10,000 may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon multiple factors, including funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives may require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. See How to Apply for Background Investigation Information. 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.