Legal Administrative Specialist (Litigation Support)

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. Learn more about this agency Duties If selected for this position, you will join a litigation support team that is responsible for providing a wide range of automated litigation and legal support services to Assistant United States Attorneys involved in criminal and civil prosecutions, 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. The position is located in the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the Western District of Kentucky in Louisville, Kentucky. Duties include (but are not limited to): Performing a variety of litigation support duties necessary to process complex and/or voluminous electronically stored information (ESI) and prepare it for review or production by the case team. Identifying software packages such as databases, spreadsheets, word processing and eDiscovery processing applications for preparing and organizing discovery. Building and maintaining document review databases for case team use. Preparing photo boards, maps, charts and other demonstrative exhibits required for litigation. Assuring courtroom presentation systems are in place and operational in courtrooms and grand jury sessions. Providing assistance in training attorneys and legal support staff in organizing voluminous case information for efficient retrieval through automated means such as scanning, indexing and and controlling of documents into a database. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress. Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. Citizen or National Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period. You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement. Qualifications GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience working in a legal environment performing the following types of duties: providing customer support services to case team members relating to their use of litigation technology applications, including diagnosing and resolving litigation support computer system problems; setting up computers and VCR/TV recording equipment in courtrooms; organizing and managing voluminous case information; scanning documents and assisting in the use of technology to organize digital evidence; copying discovery to/from hard drives; preparing exhibits for trials and working knowledge of editing/digitizing software; providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and system capabilities. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Information Technology, Computer Science): A Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as LL.B or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. 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. Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of 1 full year. GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience working in a legal environment performing the following types of duties: providing technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and system capabilities; generating basic electronic discovery productions that comply with production specifications and deadlines; building and maintaining document review databases for case team use; performing routine litigation support tasks relating to case teams' review of common electronically stored information (ESI); analyzing litigation support requirements to develop or recommend appropriate strategies to meet litigation needs; managing a variety of computer hardware for trial use; diagnosing and resolving litigation support computer system problems; determining whether audio or video files can or should be converted into an industry standard format, including by performing research or installing codecs.; participating in trial preparation and presentations, including preparing audio and video files for production and preparing demonstrative exhibits required for litigation; providing guidance to litigation teams on best practices and strategies for organizing, storing, reviewing, producing, and presenting electronic case materials; managing and maintaining accurate and current records on a complex and/or voluminous scale. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Information Technology, Computer Science): a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate degree; OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. 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. 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/. 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. Additional information Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized. 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 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. Expand Hide  additional information 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. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.