The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's (USAO-SDFL) mission is to enforce and defend the laws of the United States of America through the prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal government; the prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and the collection of debts owed to the Federal government that are administratively uncollectible.

Duties

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Paralegal Specialist support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, located in Miami, Florida, focusing in the areas of immigration law (statutes, regulations, and policy). Typical work assignments will include: Manages defensive and affirmative immigration caseload. Works with numerous Civil Division AUSAs district-wide, personnel in the habeas unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, and attorneys and staff with the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Immigration Litigation (DOJ), to manage the defensive and affirmation civil immigration caseload. Performs a wide variety of paralegal specialist tasks for Civil Division AUSAs so that they may effectively present and advocate the government's immigration policies in immigration cases pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Reviews and evaluates petitions, complaints and orders to show cause to determine which federal agency should be contacted; contacts the appropriate agency; assigns the matter to an AUSA and briefs the AUSA on what action has already been taken. Reviews referrals for affirmative actions to revoke naturalization; briefs the assigned AUSA; and works with that AUSA to obtain authorization to file the complaint. Performs specialized legal research and writing in support of assigned AUSAs, including research and analysis of statutes, legislative intent, judicial precedents, agency rules and regulations, and law review articles.

Requirements

• You must be a United States Citizen or National to apply for this position.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.
• A probationary period may be required.
• A pre-employment drug test will be required.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
• You must meet all qualifications requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• If selected, you will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a one-year supervisory or managerial probationary period unless this requirement has been met previously.
• As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) the duties listed below: Examining and/or processing a variety of legal documents; Conducting research, analysis, and evaluation of data in response to complex or sensitive requests; Drafting briefs, pleadings, litigation recommendations, or other legal documents and correspondence; Using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information. -OR- Substitution of Education: Have a J.D. or LL.B; a masters or equivalent graduate degree or higher; OR two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in law, criminal justice, public administration, business administration, or a closely related field that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist. -OR- Combination of Education/Experience: Have a combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education, which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation.) To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) the duties listed below: Independently performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, regulations, policies and procedures; Analyzing and/or 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 of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents to aid in interviewing witnesses. -OR- Substitution of Education: Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. in law, criminal justice, public administration, business administration, or a closely related field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist. -OR- Combination of Education/Experience: Have a combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education which when combined equal 100% of the requirements. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here. NOTE(s): Experience: 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 you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment 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.

Education

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

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.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.In addition, when reviewing applicant's transcripts, assumptions will not be made. Applicants MUST state which coursework is relevant.

Contacts

• Address Southern District of Florida 99 N.E. 4th Street Miami, FL 33132 US
• Name: MID-ATLANTIC SERVICE BRANCH
• Email: [email protected]