Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate) - Natural Resources Section

Summary

This position is located in the Natural Resources Section (NRS), Energy and Natural Resources Division. NRS handles litigation arising under more than 80 natural resource, environmental, and cultural resource statutes, various treaties and international agreements, interstate compacts, and congressional referrals. This is an excepted service appointment under the DOJ Pathways Recent Graduates Program. The incumbent will provide paralegal support to the Section's attorneys.

Duties

• As a Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate) your responsibilities may include: Performing research in various databases including Westlaw, PACER and Lexis; performing cite checks pursuant to The Bluebook, compiling legislative histories; proofreading and editing legal briefs and memoranda prior to filing in court; and ensuring conformance of documents to applicable court rules. Performing document management, including creating and maintaining litigation databases. Organizing and writing synopses of factual materials; summarizing depositions; preparing, organizing, and indexing administrative records; and preparing non-legal memoranda. Providing assistance at hearings and/or trials, for example, preparing exhibits, coordinating travel and trial logistics, and running presentation software during trial. Position MAY be converted to a term or permanent appointment if the following are met: Successful completion of at least 1 year of continuous service, Completion of at least 40 hours of formal interactive training, and Demonstration of successful job performance. A recent graduate converted to a term appointment may be subsequently converted non-competitively into a permanent position. Recent Graduates are on a trial period for the duration of the program. An Individual Development Plan (IDP) must be completed and approved by the supervisor within 45 days of appointment and a mentor must be assigned within 60 days of appointment

Qualifications

To be eligible for this Recent Graduate program, one of the following requirements must be met: Recent graduates must have completed, within the previous two years, a qualifying associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution; or must have completed a qualifying career or technical education program with or without a formal degree in a Registered Apprentice Program, Job Corps, AmeriCorps, or Peace Corps. You must have completed your degree, certificate, or program on or before the end of the Summer 2026 semester. If you graduated or completed an education program prior to September 2024, you will not be eligible for this position. Veterans unable to apply within two years of receiving their degree, due to military service obligation, have as much as six years after degree completion to apply. To qualify for the Paralegal Specialist (Recent Graduate) GS-9, applicants must have one of the following: A. One year of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the GS-7 Federal grade level or above conducting research online, interpreting relevant information, and producing written products based on that research. This experience must also include using computer software applications to organize and manage information; OR B. Master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR two (2) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.B. or J.D. Qualifying education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position; OR C. A combination of graduate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position. (Only graduate education in excess of the first full year may be used in this calculation.) 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 skill and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experiences, including volunteer experience. To preview questions, please click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13066682. YOUR RESUME MUST support your responses to the online questionnaire and provide specific details as to how your experience meets the specialized experience as described in the vacancy announcement if you are using experience to meet all or part of the qualification requirements. Please ensure that your resume includes the month and year that you began and ended each position held or that position will not be credited toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. Part-time employment will be prorated in crediting experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating. Your latest resume submitted for this vacancy announcement will be used to determine qualifications and supersedes previous submissions. Only experience and education obtained by the closing date of this announcement will be considered.

Education

All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.