Legal Assistant (Criminal) (Office Automation)

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

About The Position

The Legal Assistant (Criminal) (Office Automation) supports Assistant United States Attorneys by providing legal assistance and office support services. Formal and/or on-the-job training will be provided as needed. Responsibilities increase in scope and complexity as training and experience progress. At the full performance level, the role involves preparing and processing technical legal documents; proofreading and cite-checking legal materials; conducting non-complex legal research to support trial preparation; assembling exhibits, affidavits, and other documents; organizing records; maintaining case calendars and tracking court dates; arranging travel; and producing written materials using office software.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship or nationality.
Satisfactory pre-employment adjudication, including fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing; continued employment is subject to favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
Selective Service registration, if applicable.
May be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
Meet the qualification requirements by the announcement closing date.
GS-5: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-4; or four years of education above high school; or an allowable combination of education and experience. Specialized experience includes reviewing documents with legal implications for accuracy and completeness, typing and formatting correspondence and forms, maintaining file systems, and obtaining information from files or general reference sources.
GS-6: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5, including reviewing legal documents for completeness of factual information, retrieving and assembling information for hearings or trials, researching legal sources, and using automated software to produce legal-related materials.
GS-7: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-6, including preparing hearing or trial documents, verifying citations and statutory references, assisting with discovery and trial preparation, and using software and databases for legal documents, factual research, indexes, and courtroom presentations.
For GS-7 qualification, type at least 40 words per minute on a five-minute sample with three or fewer errors; a typing test may be required.
Education used to meet requirements must be from an accredited or pre-accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or foreign education must be shown to be comparable to U.S. accredited education.

Responsibilities

Examine, prepare, and process technical legal documents, including complaints, indictments, transcripts, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, and subpoenas.
Proofread and cite-check legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents.
Support attorneys in trial preparation by conducting non-complex research on litigation, statutes, regulations, and court cases.
Assemble exhibits, affidavits, and other legal documents.
Assemble and organize files and records for disposition or transfer to a records depository.
Maintain calendars for assigned active cases.
Track filing, hearing, and trial dates, and schedule conferences and interviews.
Arrange travel by preparing itineraries and securing transportation and hotel reservations.
Produce written documents and materials using office software applications.