Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate)

As a Paralegal Specialist in the Environment and Natural Resources Division, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing critical legal advice in support of the Environment and Natural Resources Division's internal operations, litigation, and other work.

One or more vacancies may be filled.

Qualifications:

To be eligible for this Recent Graduate program, one of the following requirements must be met:

1. Recent graduates must have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution; or must have completed a qualifying career or technical education program with or without a formal degree in a Registered Apprentice Program, Job Corps, AmeriCorps, or Peace Corps.
2. You must have completed your degree, certificate, or program on or before the end of the current semester. If you graduated or completed an education program prior to MAY 2024, you will not be eligible for this position.
3. Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply.

Note: If you are a current student seeking a degree or certificate from an educational institution, you may apply if you are in the final semester of the degree/certificate. You must include your expected date of graduation on your resume. You must receive your degree prior to appointment. If you are currently a student but cannot provide proof that you expect to graduate by the end of the current semester, you will not meet the program eligibility requirements for the Recent Graduate.

To qualify for the Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate) GS-7, applicants must have one of the following:

A. One year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-5 Federal grade level providing litigation support in a legal environment. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, using litigation software to identify documents potentially relevant to litigation cases or maintaining legal databases used to track the production and receipt of documents; OR

B. Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement within a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and based on (1) class standing (upper third), (2) grade point average (3.0 or higher), or (3) honor society membership. This education was obtained in or verified by a U.S. accredited college or university; OR

C. One full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position; OR

D. A combination of graduate education and specialized experience, that together meet 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

To qualify for the Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate) GS-9, applicants must have one of the following:

A. One year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 Federal grade level or above providing litigation support in a legal environment, conducting research online, interpreting relevant information, and producing written products based on that research. This experience must also include using computer software applications to organize and manage information; OR

B. Master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR two (2) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.B. or J.D. Qualifying education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position; OR

C. A combination of graduate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation.)

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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experiences, including volunteer experience.

To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12955269.

YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions.

Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Responsibilities:

As a Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate) your responsibilities may include:

• organizing and writing synopses of factual and legal materials;
• performing document management tasks;
• drafting and proofreading briefing and litigation documents;
• performing legal research in various databases including Westlaw, Pacer, and Lexis;
• working closely with attorneys on special projects to track litigation in priority areas for the Division; and
• preparing responses to Freedom of Information Act requests including analyzing documents for responsiveness and privileges.

Position MAY be converted to a term or permanent appointment if the following are met:

1. Successful completion of at least 1 year of continuous service,
2. Completion of at least 40 hours of formal interactive training, and
3. Demonstration of successful job performance.

A recent graduate converted to a term appointment may be subsequently converted non-competitively into a permanent position. Recent Graduates are on a trial period for the duration of the program. An Individual Development Plan (IDP) must be completed and approved by the supervisor within 45 days of appointment and a mentor must be assigned within 60 days of appointment

Salary : $57,736