Paralegal Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OJP provides federal leadership, funding, and other critical resources to directly support law enforcement, combat violent crime, protect American children, provide services to American crime victims, and address public safety challenges, including human trafficking and the opioid crisis.

Duties

The duties and responsibilities for a GS- 0950-12 generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Compliance and Enforcement Activity Support and Administration Review, process and prepare documents covering diverse and complex legal issues or problems, such as carrying out case development and documentation activities as a case progresses through the office's review process. Support attorney staff during telephonic and video interviews of complainants, recipient staff or other witnesses, including through detailed note-taking and formal documentation of interview responses. Organize claims processing data into reports for review by OCR staff. Legal Evaluation and Recommendations Examine and evaluate incoming correspondence, complaints and other written reports to determine the legal issues involved. Review and analyze incoming correspondence and data from recipients of federal funding. Legal and Other Research Perform legal research and analysis of assigned areas, such as research into federal, state and local laws, regulations and cases relating to civil rights. Work with attorneys and senior staff to develop information necessary for the office's investigative work. Conduct funding research using internal and external databases to determine whether particular entities are receiving DOJ financial assistance. Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist, at GS-0950-12, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level. Specialized experience is experience which is in or related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Examples of specialized experience include: Performing extensive legal research using LEXIS or WestLaw, PACER and e-CFR into legislative history, precedent cases, decisions and opinions that are applicable to particular cases. Examining and evaluating incoming correspondence, complaints and other written reports to determine the legal issues involved and recommending disposition. Reviewing, processing and preparing documents covering civil rights issues or diverse and complex legal issues or problems. Preparing legal documents, memoranda, checklists and reports recommending disposition of correspondence. Online Assessment: This position requires an online assessment. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement 11/09/2026 to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Reading Comprehension Decision Making Reasoning Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork You MUST meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade, by the closing date of this announcement, 11/09/2026. 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.

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone. No substitution of education for experience is permitted. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be reviewed against the requirements above, and you will be considered under every eligibility that applies to you. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. You will not be considered for the position if you fail to complete the assessment. 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/13098117 For All U.S. Citizens applying under Delegated Examining: Your application will be evaluated and rated using Rule of Many procedures under 5 C.F.R. § 332.402 based on set number of candidates. Preference eligibles will receive 5 or 10 points added to their score based on the adjudicated preference. All eligibles at or above the pre-determined top 15 candidates including any preference eligibles with a service-connected disability of 10 percent or more, at any score, will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. All eligibles with a tied rating will be referred even if the results exceed the pre-established number or percentage. The selecting official will receive a sufficient number of names, when available, to consider at least three candidates per vacancy. If fewer than three eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, the referral will be expanded in accordance with DOJ's guidance on supplemental certification. The selecting official will adhere to veterans' preference rules and Rule of Many procedures when making selections. For Applicants applying under Internal, Merit Promotion, or Non-Competitive Hiring Procedures: Merit Promotion/Status Candidates: If you are basically qualified for this job, as described above, and are among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. Non-Competitive Candidates: If you are basically qualified for this job, as described above, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration. For Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)/Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) applicants: If you have CTAP/ICTAP eligibility and are found well-qualified for this vacancy, you will receive selection priority over other candidates. To be found well-qualified, you must meet all qualification requirements, demonstrate the capacity, adaptability, and special skills needed to perform the position's duties, and score 85 or better on established ranking criteria. Candidates will be assessed through a job analysis-based evaluation that allows for demonstration of required competencies and does not rely solely or principally on automated self-assessment. Technical Qualifications: Applicants identified for interview, will be further evaluated on the following technical qualifications: Legal support/administrative matters Oral and Written Communication Plan/Organize Work Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials, application questionnaire, or during an interview may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Other Information

OJP offers opportunities for flexible work schedules. Additional selections may be made from this announcement. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin Probationary Period: You may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether continued employment advances the public interest. We may consider: 1) performance and conduct; 2) agency needs and interests; 3) advancement of agency/Government organizational goals; and 4) Federal service efficiency. Upon completion, employment terminates unless you receive written certification that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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. DOJ Reasonable Accommodation Policy: 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. The DOJ Reasonable Accommodation policy can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/reasonable-accommodation#policy Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee or Federal contractor acting on its behalf has violated your rights under this Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to [email protected]. Note: In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201(b) certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance Act. 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.