Supervisory Paralegal Specialist

Summary

The Environmental Defense Section ("EDS" or "Section") represents the United States in complex and diverse civil litigation. EDS handles a wide range of district court cases, including defensive work under many pollution-control statutes. EDS also handles petitions for review of EPA regulations that are brought initially in the courts of appeals. The purpose of this position is to provide supervision and oversight to paralegals providing litigation support to meet the needs of the Section.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

05/17/2024 to 05/31/2024

• Salary

$99,200 - $128,956 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 12

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Locations

1 vacancy in the following locations:

• Denver, CO

• Washington, DC

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

Occasional travel - you may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

12

• Job family (Series)

0950 Paralegal Specialist

• Supervisory status

Yes

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk

Moderate Risk (MR)

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

• Announcement number

ENRD-24-030-MP

• Control number

791767300

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This job is open to

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

DOJ ONLY: Open to current Federal Status employees within any component of the Department of Justice including DOJ CTAP eligibles.

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Duties

One position to be filled in either Washington D.C. or Denver, Colorado.

The incumbent serves as a Supervisory Paralegal Specialist in the Environmental Defense Section. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Supervising the work of Section paralegals assigned to support trial attorneys.

• Planning and assigning work for the paralegal staff; establishing work priorities; and scheduling deadlines for the completion of work.

• Providing legal and technical support utilizing electronic document management tools to facilitate database management, creation of trial presentations, and other litigation support tasks.

• Directing Section paralegals on assigned projects; and assisting with complex litigation matters.

• Performing as a paralegal on assigned cases.

• Developing and updating training materials for paralegals and legal assistants to support trial attorneys and teams.

• Serving as a liaison between paralegals and attorneys/managers.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen or national.

• You must complete a background investigation to include pre-employment drug testing.

• Selective Service Registration is required, as applicable.

• Supervisory probationary period required if not already served.

• You must maintain a bank account for direct deposit of salary.

Qualifications

To qualify for GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-11 Federal grade level or above providing a variety of analytical paralegal and legal support work which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law; the litigation process; and applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures.

Examples of specialized experience may include the following: 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 legal briefs, summaries or analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents; interviewing witnesses and other individuals who can provide insight into cases under review; and preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations.

Experience in complex litigation, including discovery, motion practice and trial, is highly desirable. Experience supervising paralegals or employees is also desirable, but not required.

Applicants are requested to submit a short writing sample that does not exceed 10 pages.

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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Time in Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements (one year at the next lower grade) by the closing date of announcement.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12415718.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at this grade level.

Additional information

Career Transition Programs: The Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in DOJ with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If you have received written notification of your eligibility for consideration under CTAP/ICTAP, you may receive special priority consideration for this position if you are well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria.

Benefits: DOJ 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.

General Employment Information:

• DOJ EEO STATEMENT: The U.S. Department of Justice fosters an inclusive and diverse workforce, find our EEO statement online at: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/page/file/1394116/dl?inline
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Additional information is found at: www.sss.gov.

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• Benefits

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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 window

Learn 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your resumé 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 online assessment 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 you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.

All applicants' qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, and other characteristics):

• Leadership

• Legal Research

• Litigation Procedures

• Managing Employees

• Performance & Awards

Please Note: Additional candidates may be selected if more positions become available in the Division within 90 days after the HR office issues the selection certificate.