About the Position: Incumbent will provide litigation support for attorneys in the office to include performing in-depth legal research and writing on a wide variety of practice areas including but not limited to torts, administrative, environmental, procurement, contract administration, labor, employment and real estate law. Research typically requires specialized knowledge of the practice areas and requires the knowledge and use of electronic and manual research methods.

Duties

These responsibilities are at the full- performance level: Review and coordinates production of administrative records. Drafts requests and responses to discovery. Compile and reviews discovery produced to ensure substantive compliance with the request and to protect the Government's interests against the release of privileged material. Research legal precedents, statutory authorities, regulations, and agency policies pertaining to FOIA. Determine the need for additional information, independent surveys, evidence and witnesses and plans a comprehensive approach to obtain the information. Evaluates the relevance and weight of the evidence. Resolve conflicting precedents and guidelines based on case law and legal review. Draft pleadings, briefs, depositions, interrogatories, motions and litigation reports requiring the analysis of law, regulation, procedure to determine which most nearly match the situation at hand. Review payrolls and other contractor records, as well as employee interview reports completed by Government field inspectors. Confer and often negotiates with requesters, including representatives of major corporations, state and local governments, attorneys, and individuals as to what releases will satisfy their requirements. Interact with senior agency officials, law firms, separate agency offices or private industry. Interview witnesses for information and prepare witnesses for court and administrative appearances. Attend judicial and administrative proceedings, as needed, to assist attorneys in the office. Advise and assist with providing Davis Bacon and Service contract wage rates to the Contracting Division and to review contractor payrolls.

Requirements

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• The Duty Location of this position is Mobile, AL. Teleworking or Remote Work may be required temporarily due to construction of a new worksite.
• This position requires travel up to 20% of the time.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities. Current Department of Army Civilian EmployeesDefense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Interchange AgreementInteragency Career Transition Assistance PlanLand Management Workforce Flexibility ActMilitary Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473People with Disabilities, Schedule APriority Placement Program, DoD Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technician EligiblePriority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) EligiblePriority Placement Program, DoD MR and NG Preference Eligible Tech Receiving Disability RetirementPriority Placement Program, DoD Retained Grade Preference EligibleVeterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998 In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. GS-07: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) Assisting with the organization of case files/administrative records, 2) with considerable direction from trial attorneys or senior paralegals performing legal research and legal analysis on specific legal issues and identifying evidence pertinent to same; 3) assisting with responses to FOIA or discovery requests by following establish response strategy, contacting custodians or accessing database type systems to obtain responsive documents, and reviewing and making proposed recommendations on the release of documentation consistent with Federal information laws and regulations; 4) using standard office software applications (word processing, spreadsheets, email) to prepare draft documents and update calendars and entering data on new or existing actions as directed using matter tracking databases or similar programs utilized by legal offices; and/or 5) assisting with travel and other logistical matters.This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR 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. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts). OR 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:(l) 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. Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07). GS-09: One year of specialized experience which includes 1) Assisting with the organization of case files/administrative records and creating initial drafts of legal documents using established templates, 2) performing legal research and legal analysis on specific legal issues and identifying evidence pertinent to same; 3) reviewing and analyzing requests for documents under FOIA or discovery, recommending a proposed response strategy, contacting custodians or accessing database type systems to obtain responsive documents, and reviewing and making recommendations on the release of documentation consistent with Federal information laws and regulations; 4) using standard office software applications (word processing, spreadsheets, email) to prepare draft documents and update calendars, basic legal research methods using legal research resources such Westlaw and Lexis, electronic litigation software, matter tracking databases, or similar programs utilized by legal offices; and/or 5) assisting with travel and other logistical matters related to depositions and hearings. OR Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LLB. or J.D., if unrelated in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Paralegal, Legal studies or Business Administration.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.This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07). Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-07).

Education

Continued:

GS-11:
One year of specialized experience which includes 1) Independently organizing case files/administrative records, preparing legal documents including pleadings and discovery requests, 2) conducting fact gathering and performing legal researching and legal analysis related to various areas of law such as FOIA, torts, contracts, environmental or labor and employment to provide assessment of case and relevant evidence; 3) reviewing and analyzing requests for documents under FOIA or discovery, coordinating with requestors, using ingenuity develop a response strategy, identifying potential custodians and other sources for requested documents, collecting and compiling responsive records, thoroughly reviewing and making recommendations on the release of documentation consistent with Federal information laws and regulations; 4) using and providing guidance on the use of standard office software applications (word processing, spreadsheets, email) to prepare draft filings and manage litigation schedules, legal research resources such as Westlaw and Lexis, electronic litigation software, matter tracking databases, or similar programs utilized by legal offices; and 5) managing travel and other logistical matters related to depositions and hearings.

OR
Education: PhD or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or 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.This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-09).

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Administrative Law
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Oral Communication
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence
• Written Communication

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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address RL-W2SR04 US ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT-MOBILE DO NOT MAIL Mobile, AL 36628 US
• Name: Army Applicant Help Desk