Legal Assistant (Magistrate Court)

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. This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 26-NDTX-13072813-MS

Duties

This position is location in the United States Attorney's Office (USAO). The incumbent serves as USAO Magistrate Court Coordinator as a liaison between the USAO office and Magistrate Court. The Magistrate Court Coordinator manages dockets and legal duties. The duties generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Examines, prepares and processes technical legal correspondence, and other legal documents. Prepare evidence summaries indicating probably violations of federal laws. Obtains needed information from files, law enforcement agencies, or other sources, and submits completed legal documents to the appropriate AUSA or to the court. Responds to requests from attorneys, conducts factual and legal research in legal and non-legal databases and provides requested information. Aids in preparing and organizing evidence for production as discovery and for use in trial. Keeps track of case status. Tracks filing, hearings, trial deadlines and dates, and schedules conferences and interviews. Coordinates with the victim-witness specialist and notifies appropriate individuals of victim-witness issues. Receives visitors and telephone callers Manage and tracks court hearings and ensures all hearings on the courts dockets have coverage. Aids in coordinating defendant movement from a local or State prison, or Bureau of Prisons, to meet the AUSAs. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Legal Assistant (Magistrate Court), at GS-0986-7, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below. GS-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level. Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is defined as Specialized experience is defined as preparing evidence summaries indicating probable violations of federal laws; Obtains needed information from files, law enforcement agencies, or other sources, and submits completed legal documents to the appropriate AUSA or, in limited cases, directly to the court; Reviewing incoming material and independently determining the need for assembly and preparation of a variety of legal documents, e.g., complaints, search warrants, motions, orders, pleadings, and subpoenas; searching for legal precedent in indices and computerized legal reference systems; Aiding in preparing and organizing evidence for production as discovery and for use in trial; Preparing trial exhibits such as statistical charts, graphs, and timelines to be presented in court; Ensuring hearings on the courts docket have coverage. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The 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 the 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 receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component 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 receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the 10/28/2026 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. After you submit your application, you will receive notification indicated whether or not the USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement 10/28/2026 to complete the assessment which is part of your application.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the application 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 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 If it is determined that you meet minimum qualification requirements and the technical or alternative assessment, your application will then be placed in one of three categories based on the assessment results: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories veterans' preference eligibles will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Your USAHIRE assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments. If you would like to preview the application questionnaire, please see: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13072812. Other Information

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. However, A recruitment incentive may be considered as appropriate based on qualifications according to agency policy. 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 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.