Legal Assistant

Summary This position is located in the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the General Counsel, headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia. This announcement has an applicant limit of 100 and will close on the day that 100 applications have been received, at 11:59 PM. Please read the "How You'll be Evaluated" section for specific details regarding the evaluation process for this job. Learn more about this agency Duties WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING DAY TO DAY As an Legal Assistant , you will use your knowledge and experience to optimize business results and customer experience by: Reviews requests for advice and other legal documents and screens outgoing memoranda, correspondence and documents for clarity accuracy and completeness. Ensures outgoing documents comply with legal format requirements. Annotates case files and status reports to reflect receipt and due dates for response or other action and maintains an automated tracking system of all cases in the Division. Maintains and updated litigation report for the attorneys. Coordinate necessary arrangements for travel, arranges schedule of visits, makes reservations, notifies organization and officials to be visited, and prepares travel vouchers via the automated travel management system. Keep attorney(s) and supervisor(s) informed of important matters while in travel status based on knowledge of program activities and current priorities. Receives both written and telephone requests for assistance and makes a preliminary determination of appropriate handling. Obtains available information and documents necessary for resolution by the attorneys. Requirements Conditions of employment U.S. Citizenship required Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service - http://www.sss.gov Suitable for federal employment Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. All information concerning qualifications is subject to investigation. Documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS "E-Verify" System. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date. Probationary (or trial) period may be required. Qualifications WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR GS-07 Specialized Experience You must have one year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following: Gathering information to prepare working documents and forms. Preparing confidential and time sensitive correspondence for review by senior leadership. Managing the scheduling of appointments for visitors and/or travel for others. GS-08 Specialized Experience You must have one year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following: Applying legal regulations, policies and procedures for complex legal documents and cases to conduct extensive searches of records, references, or historical matter. Preparing confidential and time sensitive correspondence for review by senior leadership. Managing the scheduling of appointments for visitors and/or travel for others. Provide legal support on behalf of a client agency. GS-09 Specialized Experience You must have one year specialized experience to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-08 grade level in the Federal service performing ALL of the following: Applying legal regulations, policies and procedures for complex legal documents and cases to conduct extensive searches of records, references, or historical mater. Identifying and/or recommending improvements of legal and office procedures and workflow patterns for subordinate organizations to supervisor and senior staff. Coordinating necessary arrangements for travel, arranging schedule of visits, making reservations, notifying organization and officials to be visited, and/or preparing travel vouchers via the automated travel management system. Correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, style, and legal and technical terminology and formats required. Providing legal support on behalf of a client agency. Documenting experience: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume. Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the "percentage of times" the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above. 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; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to gain employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If such experience is on a part-time basis, you must provide the average number of hours worked per week as well as the beginning and ending dates of the experience so it can be fully credited. OPM Qualification General Policies Website Education There is no education substitution for this position Additional information THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW Incentives 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. Incentives may include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc. Bargaining Unit Position: Yes Research position: No Drug Screening Required: No Veterans' Preference - https://www.usajobs.gov//working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans/ Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP/ICTAP): For information on how to apply as an CTAP/ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position. Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To receive selection priority for this position, individuals on the RPL must meet the qualification requirements, complete all required assessments and be rated as qualified. RPL candidates are ranked using Category Rating procedures. Beginning January 1, 2010, agencies must seek prior approval from OPM before they can appoint a current or recent political appointee to a competitive or non-political excepted service position at any level under the provisions of title 5, United States Code. 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 that to the Human Resources Office. For Résumé Tips visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YX7o1PBoFk For Application Tips visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqYkibnuiJU For additional information about USAJOBS visit the Center: https://www.usajobs.gov// For resume writing guidance, please visit the USAJobs Resource Center or view their video tutorial. For Most Effective Resumes Tips visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Most_Effective_Resumes. 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. USA Hire 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 here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.phptitle=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire 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.