The individual serves as a Paralegal Specialist, GS-0950-9/11 in the Office of Proceedings (OP). OP has primary responsibility for drafting decisions and developing the public record in formal proceedings. This position is also being advertised under Merit Promotion procedures under: STB-MP-12200767-24-MR

Duties

The position will serve as a Paralegal Specialist in OP, this will require you to perform a wide variety of specialized legal duties along with administrative and program support functions that will help facilitate the mission of the Surface Transportation Board. This position is responsible for performing the following duties: Prepares administrative records in proceedings to assist attorneys with court cases. Performs electronic data searches that will track cases, files, and documents. Prepares indices for submission to the courts for litigation. Prepares certain agency orders, notices, correspondence, and other documents as assigned, sometimes involving moderately complex legal issues which requires knowledge of transportation laws. Reviews incoming documents for recording and processing in electronic case system database; and Prepares Board decisions or notices for publication in the Federal Register or on an organization's webpage. YOU MUST PROVIDE TRANSCRIPTS TO SUPPORT THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POSITION. You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

Qualifications

You must meet the "Specialized Experience" to qualify for this series as described below. All applicants are required to submit a resume with your application. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience or education. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months, years, and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list month/year to month/year (XX/XX-XX/XX) or month/year to present (XX/XX-present) and the number of hours worked per week for each period of employment/experience listed in your resume. Your responses to the questionnaire must be supported/demonstrated in your resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the length of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration. Read more about what should I include in my federal resume. https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/ Specialized experience must meet 52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade level . A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. To qualify for this position, you must meet the Specialized Experience outlined below for the Paralegal Specialist position as described below: GS-09 For the GS-09: you must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. This experience would have been demonstrated by performing the following: (1) Assisting with providing paralegal support to attorneys; (2) Assisting in conducting legal research and writing legal documents, and (3) Assisting with reviewing legal forms or records for technical accuracy. OR EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B. or J.D. in a related field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions. GS-11 For the GS-11: you must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. This experience would have been demonstrated by performing the following (1) Perform legal research and prepares administrative records to assist attorney with court cases; (2) Finalize decisions or notices prior to publication in the Federal Register or organization's web page; (3) Draft correspondence, decisions, and notices involving legal issues requiring knowledge of transportation law; (4) Orally communicate with an attorney to make recommendations with the intent to explain an idea or clarify information, and (5) Review incoming documents for recording and processing in electronic case system databases. OR Education Substitution: You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: 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 a related field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions. Applicants will be evaluated on their resume and supporting documentation to ensure that basic qualifications requirements are met. If you meet the minimum qualifications, your experience will be rated using an Assessment Questionnaire that is based on the following competencies or knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform this job: Manages and Organizes Information Written Communication Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence Computer Skills Oral Communication NOTE: If qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application package. Only experience obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered. *Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (i.e Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations. 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 qualifying for this position by substituting education for experience, you must submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Surface Transportation Board 395 E Street, SW Washington, DC 20423 US
• Name: Jennifer Miles
• Phone: 202-245-0347
• Email: [email protected]