PARALEGAL SPECIALIST

This position is located in the Washington Headquarters Service, Office of Military Commissions, Military Commissions Defense Organization. The General Counsel, who is the Director of the Defense Legal Services Agency, is appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the chief legal officer of the Department of Defense and is responsible for all legal services performed within and involving the Department of Defense (10 U.S.C. 140).

This vacancy is a career ladder position; it may be filled at the GS-11 or GS-12 level. If selected at the lower grade level, noncompetitive promotion to the full performance level GS-12 is authorized without further competition when selectee is eligible & recommended by management. In order to qualify for this position, you must meet the requirements described below. You may qualify at the GS-11 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: Education or One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability to: Assist with providing paralegal support for hearings and trials; and Assist in researching and analyzing developments in the laws applicable to judiciary trials; and Assist with compiling orders, rulings, and trial records for use in court; and Review and format legal documents to include rulings, orders, correspondence, and other documents as require. 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. OR Applicant must have a Ph.D or equivalent degree or successfully completed at least 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field that is directly related to the duties of this position, OR, received an LL.M. Education must be in a field that is directly related to the duties of this 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) by 36. Add the two percentages. You MUST meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (experience may have been gained in the private sector) that demonstrates your ability to: Process broad range of defense-oriented paralegal duties including drafting and filing motions, legal research, travel; and Maintain case file databases, as well as assisting in all aspects of pre-trial and trial preparation; and Exercise independent judgment in assessing preparation strategies for cases.. 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 may not exceed two (2) pages. For qualifications determinations, it is recommended that applicants include their months and hours worked per week for each employment listed on their resume. If a determination is not able to be made about the duration of your creditable experience for qualification requirements, you will be removed from consideration. Read more about what should I include in my federal resume at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: Federal agencies treat active duty service member as veterans, disabled veterans, and preference eligible, when they submit, as part of their application package, a "certification" of active service in lieu of a DD-214, indicating the service member is otherwise eligible and will be discharged or released within 120 days from the date of submission.. A "certification" letter should be on letterhead of the appropriate military branch of the service and contain (1) the military service dates including the expected discharge or release date; and (2) the character of service. This "certification" must include your rank, dates of active duty service, type of discharge and character of service (i.e. honorable), and date any terminal leave will begin. It must be signed by, or by direction of, the adjutant, personnel officer, or commander of your unit or higher headquarters. Active duty members that fail to provide a valid "certification" of service with their initial application will be found "not eligible". Members may be appointed before the effective date of their military retirement/separation if they are on terminal leave. DOD PPP candidates using Application-Based Procedures: Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible: Military Spouse Preference applicants, must be selected and placed at the highest grade level for which they have applied and been determined best qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-4) dated within 30 days along with the documents identified on the checklist to verify your eligibility for Military Spouse Preference. Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-3) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician preference. Military Reserve (MR) and National Guard (NG) Technicians Receiving Disability Retirement PPP Eligible: MR and NG technicians receiving disability retirement PPP applicants must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-2) to verify your eligibility for Military Reserve and National Guard Technician Disability preference. Retained Grade PPP Eligible: Retained Grade PPP applicants, must be selected and placed at the full performance level if determined well qualified. You must include a completed copy of the Retained Grade PPP Self-Certification Checklist (DD-3145-1) to verify your eligibility for Retained Grade preference. All qualifications and education requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.