The SOL Office seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees' differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the customers we serve. We are seeking a talented paralegal specialist to join the Plan Benefits Security Division team. The duty location for this position is the National Office, in Washington, D.C. We invite you to apply!

Duties

This position is located in the Plan Benefits Security Division (" PBSD"), of the Office of Solicitor ("SOL"), U.S. Department of Labor, National Office, in Washington, DC. PBSD is responsible for providing legal advice and litigation services to the Employee Benefits Security Administration ("EBSA") relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), including amendments to ERISA under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, and the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act ("FERSA"). In PBSD, we initiate and conduct complex and sophisticated litigation brought by the Department to enforce ERISA. These cases are brought to protect the interests of workers and retirees in their pension, health benefit, and other employee benefit plans covered by ERISA. They are brought in the federal courts throughout the country and often involve expert testimony. In collaboration with the Solicitor General, PBSD is responsible for the appeals of these cases, as well as for filing amicus curiae briefs in the federal appellate courts and Supreme Court on important ERISA issues. PBSD also supports the Department of Justice in defensive cases brought against the Department of Labor and Department officials and those challenging agency action and regulations in the area of ERISA. PBSD also has a group of regulations attorneys dedicated to providing legal services in support of agency rulemaking and legal opinions and advice on a broad array of ERISA and related legal and legislative issues. The Division has approximately 33 staff members that consist of attorneys, paralegals, and assistants. The Division's paralegals' are responsible for performing a variety of paraprofessional duties pertaining to legal and other matters. We are seeking a paralegal who can manage a variety of work assignments. Specifically, we are looking for applicants who are skilled at using legal research tools, record tracking, and electronic communication. We are also looking for candidates who are detail-oriented and have strong time management skills. The primary duties of this paralegal position are: Researches a variety of legal issues, legal precedents, and analyzes their appropriateness in regard to respective programs for which the office is responsible. Prepares and organizes exhibits, case files, records, binding briefs, and appendices. Prepares and checks for record citations and proper formatting in legal documents. Provides suggested corrections, and prepares final legal documents in accordance with court and agency requirements. Prepare and assemble documents, including necessary transmittal forms and envelopes, in accepted office format pursuant to court rules for timely mailing, submission to courts and service of others as appropriate. Provides support to Counsel, staff attorneys, and/or other Paralegals for administrative functions, amicus and appellate, district court, administrative litigation, and other legal related tasks. Creates and maintains resource materials, records, and due dates. The ideal candidate will have the following knowledge and/or skills: Familiarity with legal research tools, in particular Westlaw, or Lexis/Nexis. Familiarity with the legal citation rules described in the Bluebook. Familiarity with the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and/or the rules of other courts regarding brief format and contents. Familiarity with SOLTAM and WebTA. Attention to detail, to carefully and accurately make corrections to citations and produce tables of contents and tables of authority. Good communication skills, to work effectively with the Division's staff. Strong time management skills, to complete assigned work by set deadlines. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Microsoft Word, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint, and Adobe.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be at least 16 years old.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
• This position is included in the bargaining unit.
• Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met by the announcement closing date and time. Federal Employees Please Note: Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met and reflect your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure, and the type of appointment (i.e. competitive/excepted). In some cases, you may need to submit more than one SF-50. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. POSITION TITLES ALONE CANNOT BE USED TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE QUALIFIED. PLEASE LIST DATES IN MM/DD/YYYY FORMAT. THIS IS IMPERATIVE IN DETERMINING IF WHETHER YOU HAVE AT LEAST 1 YEAR OF CREDITABLE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE AND DATES WILL NOT BE ASSUMED. 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. For the GS-9: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-07 in the Federal Service, or equivalent in the private sector, AND you must have one year of specialized experience. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must be equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Qualifying specialized experience for GS-09 includes performing majority: (1) Knowledge and utilization of principles, concepts, and methods of legal research and other applicable sources to locate information, such as established precedent or other information, bearing on legal issues; (2) Perform factual & legal research on commercial, public databases, and public records; (3) Create, maintain, and retrieve digital case files and/or related documents; (4) Create, maintain, or update resource materials; (5) Prepare correspondence and assemble documents, including necessary transmittal forms and envelopes, in accepted office format pursuant to court rules for timely mailing, submission to courts and service of others as appropriate; (6) Communicate effectively orally and electronically, to convey findings and obtain information; (8) Prepares and checks for record citations and proper formatting in legal documents; (7) Track and record due dates. OR- Education: a master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law); a LL.B. or J.D.; or two 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. OR- Combination of Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. In order to qualify based on a combination, graduate education must be in excess of one full year. Full Promotion Potential: The full performance level of this position is a GS-11. You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Your resume must support your responses to the questionnaire and qualification requirements. Failure to do so may result in an ineligible rating.

Education

Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.

If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.

Contacts

• Address Office of the Solicitor 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 US
• Name: Rosa Sierra
• Phone: 202-693-5009
• Email: [email protected]