Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing pre-trial and courtroom support for a wide variety of criminal trials. Typical work assignments will include:

• Organizing and managing criminal discovery materials for assigned cases.
• Providing case-related administrative support to attorneys and preparing legal/administrative documents in support of criminal investigations, prosecutions, appeals, and post-conviction litigation.
• Preparing master trial exhibits in electronic and hard copy, and work closely with Automated Litigation Support to prepare audio/video for courtroom presentations.
• Proofreading and providing basic editing assistance for legal documents such as appellate briefs, motion responses, search warrant affidavits and material witness warrants.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Qualifications

GS-7: To be eligible at the GS-7 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, a combination of Education and Experience, OR Superior Academic Achievement.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service or private sector. Qualifying experience involves performing the following types of duties: performing routine litigation support assignments such as assisting with organizing case information; assisting attorneys in preparing for court by preparing exhibits, compiling trial notebooks, compiling witness and exhibit lists; preparing computerized trial presentations and exhibits; and conducting research, analysis and evaluation of data in response to requests.

Education: One full year of graduate education in a closely related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law).

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements.

S.A.A: Bachelor's Degree in a closely related field (e.g., Information Technology, Computer Science, Law, Criminal Justice) AND meet one of the following Superior Academic Achievement provisions (1) class standing in the upper third of the graduating class;(2) An overall GPA of 3.0 OR at least a 3.0 based on courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; a GPA of at least 3.5 based on the average of required courses completed in my major field OR based on the average of required courses completed during the final two years of my curriculum; or (3) election to a membership in a national scholastic honor society. (transcripts required)


GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, a combination of Education and Experience.

Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service or private sector. Qualifying experience involves performing the following types of duties: performing a variety of automated support necessary in preparing, organizing, indexing, developing, managing, and tracking exhibits, evidence and data relevant to cases presented for a jury, grand jury, or other legal proceeding; assisting attorneys with trial preparation, including making recommendations on how to proceed with trial presentations; utilizing office automation tools in order to create physical and digital trial presentations; working with investigators, agents, and legal support staff; handling a wide variety of evidence and discovery; providing technical assistance to litigation teams, and utilizing various software applications to provide automated litigation assistance to attorneys in trial preparation and courtroom presentations.

Education: Possess a Master's, LL.B. or J.D., or equivalent graduate degree in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Law, Information Technology); OR 2 (two) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading such to a degree that is related to the position and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university. (transcripts required).

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of graduate-level education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. (Only graduate education in excess of the first two years may be used in this calculation.

To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.)


Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)- The ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your ICTAP eligibility; 2) you apply under the instructions in the announcement; and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide proof of eligibility to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation personnel action form. Additional information about ICTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/


Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)-The CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced competitive service employees in the Department of Justice with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. If your Department of Justice component has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) this vacancy is within your CTAP eligibility, 2) you apply under the instructions in this announcement, and 3) you are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and receive a score of 85 or better on established ranking criteria. You must provide a copy of your written notification of CTAP eligibility with your application. Additional information about CTAP eligibility is at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures. Your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications listed on this announcement. If you are basically qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared to your responses on the Occupational Questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for Veterans' Preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles. In addition, qualified veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more are placed at the top of the highest quality category (i.e., Best Qualified).

You will be rated on the following Competencies (see OPM Website for definitions):
Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).

- Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - see USAJOBS for formatting requirements. Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:

• Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
• Employer name and contact information,
• Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
• A list of duties performed and accomplishments.

• In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates: 1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable);In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" dated October 2013 and all the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.

• Position title;
• Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
• Agency; and
• Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

Next steps