Paralegal Specialist (Open to both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees)

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position:

To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:

• Experience of the principles and practices of substantive and procedural law as well as legal research processes, legal terminology, legal standards, and documentation.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have:
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:

• Experience performing a variety of analytical paralegal or related work which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Experience analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; composing briefing papers, summaries of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents.

You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience.

To qualify for the GS-13 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12 it must include:

• Experience analyzing issues of fact and issues of law to prepare digests of case decisions, to evaluate the applicability of precedents, and to draft briefing papers, other litigation papers, or findings.
• Experience interpreting federal and state law statutes, legal regulations, and policies to make recommendations to attorneys.
• Experience drafting legal documents, including matters under agency review.

You cannot qualify on education at the GS-13 level; you must have experience.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Ability to provide legal support on litigation, enforcement, and rulemaking matters, including by performing research, organizing documents, and preparing summaries or reports.
2. Ability to work under pressure to meet time deadlines and deal with other effectively in a fast-paced team environment.
3. Ability to communicate effectively in a logical manner in writing when presenting facts and explaining finding, recommendations, and other matters.
4. Ability to organize, track, and review submissions of information to ensure they are timely and complete.

For all types of consideration, 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

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date.

Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.