The mission of OLP is to develop and implement the Department's significant policy initiatives, handle special projects that implicate the interests of multiple Department components, coordinate with other interested Department components and other Executive Branch agencies, and serve as the primary policy advisor to the Assistant Attorney General and the Deputy Assistant Attorney General.

Duties

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service. The duties and responsibilities of a Paralegal Specialist generally include, but are not limited to, the following: Research and review public records related to the judicial nominations process. Review, prepare, and process documents related to the judicial nominations process. Assist attorneys in the review and preparation of nominations filings. Interact directly with potential federal judges, the White House Counsel's Office, and the Senate Judiciary Committee to track the vetting process, make productions, and perform other tasks integral to the nomination and confirmation process. Draft and edit documents, reports, and correspondence. Compile and interpret data from legal and non-legal reference material. Verify citations and legal references in documents related to the judicial nominations process. Process Presidential and Attorney General Commissions. The duties listed above are generally written for one grade level. If the position is advertised at multiple grades, the duties will be adjusted in difficulty, complexity, and level of supervision, for higher or lower grades, as appropriate. OLP may also add other duties based on what is included and allowed by the position description.

Requirements

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
• You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• Additional selections may be made from this announcement, at any time, if openings occur in other offices serviced by Justice Management Division, HR Operations.
• A USA Hire assessment is required. An email will be sent with additional information after you submit your application. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance.

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of Paralegal Specialist, (GS-0950-7/9/11), you must meet the basic qualification requirements listed below AND possess the required specialized experience specific to the series and grade you are applying to. For the GS-07 Specialized experience is defined as: or the GS-07, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-05 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Reviewing, preparing, and processing standard legal documents related to the judicial nominations process; 2) Drafting and editing standard legal documents, reports, and correspondence; 3) Applying knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts to interpret a body of law, regulations and legal precedents; and 4) Gathering information associated with statutes, regulations, legislation, judicial decisions, and administrative actions. OR Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:(1) Class Standing - You 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.) - You 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 my 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 - You 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/). OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages. For the GS-09 Specialized experience is defined as: For the GS-09, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-07 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Reviewing, preparing, and processing standard legal documents related to the judicial nominations process; 2) Drafting and editing standard legal documents, reports, and correspondence; 3) Applying knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts to interpret a body of law, regulations and legal precedents; 4) Gathering information associated with statutes, regulations, legislation, judicial decisions, and administrative actions; and 5) Preparing replies to correspondence researching specific problems. OR Education: 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 field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. For the GS-11 Specialized experience is defined as: For the GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-09 grade level or equivalent pay band in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as: 1) Reviewing, preparing, and processing standard legal documents related to the judicial nominations process; 2) Drafting and editing standard legal documents, reports, and correspondence; 3) Applying knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts to interpret a body of law, regulations and legal precedents; 4) Gathering information associated with statutes, regulations, legislation, judicial decisions, and administrative actions; and 5) Preparing written products and verifying citations and legal references in prepared legal documents. OR Education: 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 field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/24/2024. Your resume must support your responses to the questionnaire and qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating. See the Required Documents section for important notes about what must be included in your resume. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required of you. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement (05/24/2024) to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

Education

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be reviewed and certified by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be creditable toward your qualifications. Therefore, you should provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

For more information about this requirement, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website for Foreign Education Evaluation.

All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Contacts

• Address Office of Legal Policy 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 US
• Name: Keisha Lockett
• Email: [email protected]