Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO)/Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) is a great place to work. The Department of Justice ranked #6 out of 18 large agencies and EOUSA/United States Attorneys’ Offices ranked #59 out of 305 agency subcomponents in a study, “The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government, 2016 Ratings” published by the Partnership for Public Service. See
http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/index.php

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys’ Offices, visit
www.justice.gov/usao/
.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Responsibilities
At the full performance level, you will support Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) by providing a variety of legal assistance and office support services. If selected, you will receive formal and/or on-the-job training as needed. Duties include:

– examining, preparing and processing a variety of technical legal documents, e.g., complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels;

– providing assistance to attorneys in trial preparation;

– assembling exhibits, affidavits, and other legal documents;

– assembling and organizing files and records material for disposition or transfer to records depository;

– maintaining calendar of assigned active cases;

– tracking filing, hearing, and trials dates, and scheduling conference and interviews;

– arranging travel by preparing itinerary and securing transportation and hotel reservations; and

– producing a variety of written documents and materials using a wide range of office software applications.

Travel Required
Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
7

Who May Apply
This job is open to…
All U.S. Citizens and Nationals
Questions? This job is open to 1 group.

Similar jobs

• Justices

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Background investigation, credit check, and drug test required.
• 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-5
: To be eligible at the GS-5 level, you must have: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level; or four years of education above the high school level; or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below.

Specialized experience is defined as experience reviewing documents with legal implications for accuracy and completeness (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other types of legal documents); typing and formatting correspondence and forms; maintaining file systems; and obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources.

Combining Education and Experience:
Successfully completed post-high school education may be used to meet the total one year of specialized experience requirement equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.

To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.)

List Selective Placement Factor(s) here.

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
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
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.

Veterans’ Preference
– If you are entitled to Veterans’ Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming by checking the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference and submit the required veterans’ preference documentation as specified in the, “Required Documents” section of this vacancy announcement.

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:
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, status as a parent, genetic information, disability, age, membership or nonmembership in an employee organization, or on the basis of personal favoritism.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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 basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational 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. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories:
Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified
. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see
The Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Appendix F
for definitions):

Self-Management, Speaking, Teamwork, Writing, Flexibility

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Background checks and security clearance
Security clearance
Public Trust – Background Investigation

– Required:
Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire.

– Required:
Your resume showing relevant experience and dates (for full consideration you must include day/month/year) of employment and work schedule for each (e.g., part-time XX hours per week or full-time) (cover letter optional).).
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.

– Required if you meet qualifications based on education
: An unofficial college transcript.(Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation, if applicable, as described under the “Education” section of this vacancy announcement.

-Required, if applicable: CTAP/ICTAP documentation
(a copy of a separation notice or other proof of eligibility for priority selection; a copy of an SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, showing current position, grade, promotion potential, and duty location; AND a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.)

– Required, if applicable: Veterans’ Preference documentation.
See Required Veterans’ Preference Documentation below. Please note, if you are entitled to Veterans’ Preference, you must indicate the type of preference you are claiming in your application, check the appropriate box in the assessment questionnaire to indicate your preference, and submit the required documentation as specified below.

Required Veterans’ Preference Documentation:

-In order to verify your Veterans’ Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.

In addition,
if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, “Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference” dated October 2013 and all the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• Benefits for federal employees
• Healthcare insurance
• Pay and leave

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.