Legal Assistant (OA)

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys•Roanoke, VA

About The Position

This position is for a Legal Assistant (OA) within the United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia. The role involves providing support to attorneys by examining, preparing, and processing legal correspondence and documents, proofreading and cite-checking legal briefs, and composing original letters that require knowledge of legal procedures and terminology. The position also includes obtaining information from various sources, researching legal precedent, conducting factual research on individuals and companies, performing skip tracing for debt collection, and processing debt collection cases. Responsibilities will increase in complexity as the employee gains experience and training.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
Must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
GS-07: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in federal service, performing duties such as providing support to attorneys by reviewing legal documents for completeness, obtaining necessary information from legal reference files and office records, researching legal sources, and/or using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, and/or correspondence.
GS-08: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in federal service, performing duties such as providing assistance to attorneys by preparing legal documents accurately and in proper format, verifying citations and statutory references, retrieving and assembling information for hearing and/or trial use, and/or conducting factual research on individuals and companies using legal and non-legal databases.
Type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors.

Nice To Haves

Eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees may receive selection priority through ICTAP.
Eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice may receive selection priority through CTAP.

Responsibilities

Examines, prepares, and processes technical legal correspondence and documents that are voluminous and complex.
Proofreads and cite-checks legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents.
Composes original letters requiring knowledge of legal procedures and specialized terminology.
Obtains needed information from files, law enforcement agencies, or other sources.
Submits completed legal documents to attorneys or, in limited cases, directly to the court.
Searches for legal precedent in indices and computerized legal reference systems.
Assists in conducting factual research on individuals and companies using computerized databases and other sources.
Conducts skip tracing activity to locate debtors.
Provides technical processing activities associated with debt collection for criminal and/or civil debts.
Evaluates debt collection documents and records for mathematical accuracy, proper documentation, and discrepancies.
Independently processes cases and legal matters by applying knowledge of legal processes, regulations, techniques, and procedures.