For more information on the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx. For more information on the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. This position is also being announced to All U.S. Citizens and Nationals under 24-SDTX-12207497-MP.

Duties

As a Paralegal Specialist in the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), you will: - Conduct legal research related to Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE). - Use various discovery databases, such as Relativity, IPRO Tech Eclipse, to review, organize and code discovery using conceptual and structural tools such as email threading, near duplicate identification, clustering and concept searching. - Use specialized databases such as Business Objects, CLEAR, Lexis Nexis and STARS, to conduct research and/or to collect, track and analyze data. - Prepare formal memoranda and reports, outlining research findings. - Verify citations and references contained in legal documents using sources or databases such as Lexis-Nexis, Westlaw, Blue Book, or an regulations. - Research relevant laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to address an Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) legal case or problem. - Use automated legal research databases (for example, Lexis-Nexis or Westlaw) to conduct research to find relevant case law and other authority. - Review and provide feedback on the content of legal documents, such as case files, dockets, legal briefs, or prepare opinions. - Prepare legal documents and correspondence. - Conduct witness interviews and prepare interview reports. - Prepare Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) cases or witnesses for testimony for court or administrative proceedings. - Effectively review and analyze potential evidence to support Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) case development. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. 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.
• Time-in-Grade: Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement.
• You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days after the closing date of this announcement and before placement in the position.

Qualifications

GS-07: To be eligible at the GS-07 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level. Specialized experience is defined as conducting research and gathering information; writing memoranda; drafting legal documents; participating in the preparation of paperwork necessary for processing and completion of a case. Qualifying experience involves performing the following types of duties: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data, such as claims data, in response to complex or sensitive requests; using legal databases, to gather and analyze data; using a variety of electronic or manual filing systems to acquire and store information; documenting findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel. Education: You may qualify based solely on education as follows: One full year of graduate level education; OR You may substitute Superior Academic Achievement for specialized experience as stated in the education section. GS-09: To be eligible at the GS-09 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing paralegal or legal work which demonstrates a basic knowledge of legal research and ability to interpret legal decisions. Qualifying experience involves performing the following types of duties: examining and processing a variety of legal documents; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data, such as claims data, in response to complex or sensitive requests; using specialized databases, such as Relativity and IPRO Tech Eclipse, to gather, organize, review and code discovery, conducting investigative research using various online databases such as Business Objects, CLEAR, Lexis Nexis, STARS to gather and analyze data; Preparing formal memoranda and reports; 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; documenting findings and preparing recommendations; searching and reviewing legal references, case files, and other sources for information and data required by attorneys or court personnel. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): a Master's or equivalent graduate degree (such as an LL.B. or J.D.); OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. and abilities necessary to do the work of a Paralegal Specialist. GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a Combination of Education and Experience. Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience independently performing a variety of analytical paralegal or legal work related to Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) which demonstrates a practical knowledge of law, the litigation and judicial process, and applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Qualifying experience will involve performing the following types of duties: analyzing and evaluating legal decisions and case files related to Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) to identify relevant issues and potential evidence; using specialized databases, such as Relativity and IPRO Tech Eclipse, to gather, organize, review and code discovery, conducting investigative research using various online databases such as Business Objects, CLEAR, Lexis Nexis, STARS to gather and prepare data; Preparing formal memoranda and reports; conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data, such as claims data, in response to complex or sensitive requests; conducting legal research concerning precedents and past court decisions; composing legal briefs, summaries of analyses and decisions, and pre-trial documents; interviewing witnesses and various individuals who can provide insight into cases under review; and preparing evidence and documents to support recommendations. Qualifying experience will also typically include experience analyzing and evaluating Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) legal matters such as: personal injury, medical malpractice, constitutional torts, actions seeking review of Federal agency decisions, employment discrimination, civil health care fraud, procurement fraud, or other affirmative civil enforcement statutes. Education: One of the following types of education in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law): 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. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. 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 http://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 http://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.

Superior Academic Achievement:

• Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement. In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:
• 1. Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR
  2. Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR
  3. Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/)

Combining Education and Experience: 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.)

Contacts

• Address Southern District of Texas 1000 Louisiana Street Suite 2300 Houston, TX 77002 US
• Name: Doriane Lewis
• Phone: 7135679348
• Email: [email protected]