Legal Administrative Specialist (Litigation Support)

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys•Albuquerque, NM

About The Position

The Legal Administrative Specialist (Litigation Support) joins the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico and provides technical advice to litigation teams on legal automation requirements and system capabilities. The work supports litigation decisions, trial preparation, and courtroom presentations. Assignments and responsibilities become more complex as training and experience progress. The role involves reviewing discovery and other requested information; preparing and maintaining trial documents such as witness and exhibit lists, jury instructions, and subpoenas; and preparing exhibits for legal proceedings, including charts, diagrams, photographs, and models. The specialist also provides legal and technical assistance requiring specialized knowledge of legal processes and procedures, prepares computerized trial-presentation programs, and monitors information-management system data entry and output for accuracy. The position is offered at GS-07, GS-09, or GS-11, with qualifications met through specialized experience, qualifying education, or an eligible combination of education and experience. The position is with the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. Relocation expenses will not be authorized; a recruitment or relocation incentive may be considered based on qualifications.

Requirements

Be a U.S. citizen or national.
Meet the qualifications for the GS-07, GS-09, or GS-11 level through the stated specialized experience, education, or combination of education and experience.
For GS-07 specialized experience: one year equivalent to GS-05, including experience assisting with case information organization, discovery production, court preparation, exhibits, trial notebooks, witness and exhibit lists, citation verification, digital evidence technology, and legal or trial-document preparation.
For GS-07 education: one year of progressively higher-level graduate education in a related field leading to a master’s degree, or a bachelor’s degree with superior academic achievement; qualifying combinations of experience and education may also be used.
For GS-09 specialized experience: one year equivalent to GS-07, including routine litigation support, trial presentation preparation, citation verification, research and data evaluation, use of automated legal research tools, legal document preparation, and discovery management.
For GS-09 education: a related master’s or equivalent graduate degree, two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a related LL.B. or J.D.; qualifying combinations of experience and education may also be used.
For GS-11 specialized experience: one year equivalent to GS-09, including trial preparation and presentations, recommending litigation strategies with attorneys and legal staff, using software to present evidence, managing trial hardware, customizing databases and programs, preparing demonstrative exhibits, and managing case-specific discovery.
For GS-11 education: a related Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a related LL.M.; qualifying combinations of experience and education may also be used.
Academic degrees and coursework must be from an accredited or pre-accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education must be shown to be comparable to U.S. education.
Complete a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication, including fingerprint, credit, and tax checks and drug testing; continued employment is subject to favorable background-investigation adjudication.
Be registered for Selective Service if applicable.
If selected, may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
Meet all qualification requirements by the announcement’s closing date.

Responsibilities

Review incoming discovery and other requested information.
Prepare and maintain trial-related documents, including witness lists, exhibit lists, jury instructions, and subpoenas.
Prepare exhibits for legal proceedings, including visual materials such as charts, diagrams, photographs, and models.
Provide legal assistance and technical work requiring specialized knowledge of processes, procedures, and practices.
Prepare computerized trial-presentation programs.
Monitor information-management system data entry and output for accuracy.
Support litigation teams with technical advice about legal automation requirements and system capabilities to facilitate litigation decisions, trial preparation, and presentation.