Paralegal Specialist (Immigration)

Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys•Fort Wayne, IN

About The Position

This is a term position not-to-exceed September 30, 2029. The position may be extended or made permanent without further advertising. The Paralegal Specialist provides routine legal and case support to Assistant United States Attorneys handling immigration-related civil litigation. Assignments and responsibilities increase in complexity as training and experience progress. The position has promotion potential to the GS-11 grade level, but promotion is at management's discretion and is not guaranteed.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Must complete a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication, including fingerprint, credit, tax, and drug checks; continued employment depends on a favorable background investigation.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
May be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days after the announcement closing date.
Must meet qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days after the announcement closing date and before placement.
For GS-7 qualification, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5 involving legal-document drafting, discovery and trial evidence preparation, exhibit organization, legal-document review, citation and statutory-reference verification, and use of computerized databases; or qualifying graduate education or a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement; qualifying combinations of education and experience may be accepted.
For GS-9 qualification, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 involving paralegal or legal work, legal research, and interpretation of legal decisions; or a related master's/equivalent graduate degree or two years of progressively higher graduate education; qualifying combinations may be accepted.
For GS-11 qualification, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9 involving analytical paralegal or legal work and practical knowledge of law, litigation, judicial processes, and applicable rules and procedures; or a related doctoral degree, three years of progressively higher graduate education, or a related LL.M.; qualifying combinations may be accepted.
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. accredited education, with supporting credential evaluation; documentation must be in English or include an English translation.

Responsibilities

Conduct legal research on cases and issues identified by Assistant United States Attorneys, using statutes, case law, regulations, court rules, legal treatises, legal periodicals, and policy documents.
Prepare initial drafts of routine legal documents, including motions, supporting memoranda, declarations, referrals, and responses to court orders.
Draft factual summaries and preliminary versions of briefs and case filings for attorney review.
Proofread documents, verify citations, and confirm statutory references for accuracy and compliance with required format standards.
Develop and enter case material into a computer database.
Maintain calendars and track court-filing deadlines.
Maintain case records, prepare routine correspondence, and respond to basic inquiries from Assistant United States Attorneys and partner agencies.