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Summary

The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), District of New Mexico, is hiring legal assistants to support attorneys who work on fraud investigations and represent the United States in legal matters related to tort claims, environmental litigation, and land and employment disputes. https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm.

For more information on the Department of Justice and the USAOs, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Duties

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Overview of the United States Attorney's Office - District of New Mexico

With a talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens. The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of New Mexico is one of 94 USAOs in the nation. But our office is unique. New Mexico is home to 23 tribes and pueblos, 4 military bases, and 2 national labs. New Mexico is the fifth biggest state of the union in size, shares a border with Mexico, and is a major international and economic corridor. The USAO is primarily responsible for prosecuting federal crime occurring in the District of New Mexico. The USAO partners with tribal, state, county, city, and foreign governments to ensure our communities are safe and prosperous.

The mission of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico is to uphold the rule of law, keep New Mexico and the nation safe, and to protect civil rights. The Office earns the public trust by following the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor. The Office adheres to the highest standards of excellence and ethical behavior, interested not in winning cases but in ensuring justice is done.

Legal Assistant Duties

At the full performance level, you will support Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA) by providing a variety of legal assistance and office support services. If selected, you will receive formal and/or on-the-job training as needed. Duties include:

• Examine, prepare and process a variety of technical legal documents, e.g., complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels;
• Proofread and cite check legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents;
• Assist AUSAs in trial preparation by conducting non-complex research of litigation, statutes, regulations and court cases;
• Assemble exhibits, affidavits, and other legal documents;
• Assemble and organize files and records material for disposition or transfer to records depository;
• Maintain calendar of assigned active cases;
• Track filing, hearing, and trial dates, and schedule conference and interviews;
• Arrange travel by preparing itinerary and secure transportation and hotel reservations;
• Produce 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.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. 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

Please note: This is a term position not-to-exceed one (1) year, and based on the needs of the Agency the appointment may be extended up to 4 years from the original appointment date.

GS-5: To be qualified at the GS-5 level, you must have: at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level; or four (4) years of education above the high school level; or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below.

• Specialized experience is defined as experience 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); typing and formatting correspondence and forms; maintaining file systems; and obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources.
• Combining Education and Experience: Successfully completed post-high school education may be used to meet the total one (1) year of specialized experience requirement equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to six (6) months of specialized experience.

GS-6: To be qualified at the GS-6 level, you must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level.

• Specialized experience is defined as experience reviewing legal documents such as complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels for completeness of factual information; retrieving and assembling information for hearing and/or trial use; researching a variety of legal sources to obtain and/or verify information; and using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence and related materials.

GS-7: To be qualified at the GS-7 level, you must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level.

• Specialized experience is defined as experience 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, and compiling witness and exhibit lists; and using software applications and legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs, and prepare courtroom presentations.

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.)

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 http://www.ed.gov

OR

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 http://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.

Additional information

Please note: This is a term position not-to-exceed one (1) year, and based on the needs of the Agency the appointment may be extended up to 4 years from the original appointment date.

Payment of relocation expenses will not be authorized.

The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Federal Agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities, where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

EEO Statement: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.



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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.