Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

About the Company

U.S. Attorneys serve as the nation's prosecutors under the direction of the United States Attorney General. Each U.S. Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in the Federal District where they are appointed. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed in 94 Federal Districts throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Each U.S. Attorney's Office has a staff of lawyers and support personnel who are critical to achieving the office's mission.

About the Role

This Legal Assistant (Office Automation) serves as legal assistant responsible for supporting Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) by providing a variety of legal assistance and office support services. If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Legal Assistant (Office Automation) support in the U.S. Attorney's Office located in Phoenix, Arizona, focusing in the areas of legal support, case management, and administrative support.

Responsibilities

• Examining, preparing and processing a variety of technical legal documents, e.g., complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels;
• Proofreading and cite checking legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents;
• Providing assistance to attorneys in trial preparation by conducting non-complex research of litigation, statutes, regulations and court cases;
• Assembling exhibits, affidavits, and other legal documents;
• Assembling and organizing files and records material for disposition or transfer to records depository;
• Maintaining calendar of assigned active cases;
• Tracking filing, hearing, and trial dates, and scheduling conferences and interviews;
• Arranging travel by preparing itinerary and securing transportation and hotel reservations;
• Producing a variety of written documents and materials using a wide range of office software applications.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

To qualify at the GS-05 level, you must possess:

• Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) the duties listed below:
• Reviewing documents with legal implications for accuracy and completeness (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other types of legal documents).
• OR Successfully completed four academic years of education above the high school level or possess a bachelor's or higher degree; or a combination of the required experience and education for this grade level. (You must provide a copy of your transcripts prior to the closing date of this announcement)

To qualify at the GS-06 level, you must possess:

• Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below:
• Reviewing legal documents such as complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, or libels for completeness of factual information;
• Retrieving or assembling information for hearing and/or trial use;
• Researching a variety of legal sources to obtain and/or verify information;
• Using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence or related materials.

To qualify at the GS-07 level, you must possess:

• Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below:
• Providing trial support to attorneys by preparing complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, or other hearing and/or trial documents accurately and in proper format;
• Verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents;
• Assisting with discovery, hearing or trial preparation by performing duties such as compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, or compiling witness and exhibit lists;
• Using software applications or legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs or prepare courtroom presentations.

Typing Proficiency: 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.)

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.