Summary This position is located in the Civil Rights Division. As the Lead Paralegal Specialist, the incumbent applies coaching, facilitation, and consensus-building techniques to coordinate large case teams, monitor work product quantity and quality, and oversee complex, high-profile litigation involving extensive filings. Concurrently, the incumbent maintains specialized databases and legal resources to deliver critical analytical support to Section management. Duties As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the multitude of experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.
If selected as a Lead Paralegal Specialist GS-0950-12, typical work assignments may vary based upon the needs of the individual sections, their practice areas, and a host of other factors. Typical assignments include:
- Conveys to the team the assignment, project, problem to be solved, actionable events, milestones, and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion.
- Instructs team members in specific tasks and job techniques, serving as the Section expert on court rules, circuit-specific filing procedures, and advanced litigation software (Westlaw, LexisNexis, Relativity, CourtLink, and PACER).
- Distributes and balances workload among team members to ensure timely completion of legal support, legal research, and trial preparation tasks. Adjusts workflows to handle compressed deadlines, oversized filings, and successive rounds of multi-office edits.
- Monitors and reports on the status, quantity, and quality of work produced by the team. Ensures that all legal briefs, motions, and documents are meticulously checked and finalized in accordance with the Bluebook and the Office of the Solicitor General's Style Manual.
- Utilizes online databases such as Westlaw and LexisNexis, the specialist performs exhaustive analyses of legislative histories, precedent cases, judicial decisions, and legal opinions to address novel or complex issues in precedent-setting matters and special projects.
- Independently develops, tracks, and processes case documentation, managing diverse legal issues and conducting supplemental investigations when warranted. Monitors compliance with court orders, settlement agreements, and consent decrees.
- Using Microsoft Office and/or Adobe, drafts a wide range of professional work products, including legal correspondence, memoranda, formal justifications, and responses to high-level external requests such as FOIA requests, congressional inquiries.
- Serves as the primary paralegal or team lead directing litigation support for the Section's largest and most complex cases, providing expert technical guidance to attorneys and staff throughout all phases of investigation, trial preparation, litigation, enforcement, and compliance.
- Independent evaluates voluminous evidence and investigative reports to determine prosecution viability. Fills evidentiary gaps by drafting subpoenas and organizes findings into structured courtroom exhibits.
Qualifications
Specialized Experience Requirements
To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, candidates must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or other pay system. Examples of specialized experience includes but is not limited to: (1) Experience leading a team of paralegal specialists or legal support professionals performing complex litigation support tasks, including distributing and balancing workload, providing technical coaching, monitoring work quality, and ensuring compliance with federal and court specific rules in accordance with recognized leadership; (2) Experience conducting highly complex legal and factual research and analysis-including legislative histories, precedent interpretation, and case strategy development-and serving as a subject matter expert on legal research methods, court rules, and citation standards while reviewing the work of others for legal and factual accuracy; and (3) Experience providing advanced litigation support for large or high-profile cases, such as managing voluminous evidence, preparing exhibits or trial materials, coordinating multistage filings, administering specialized legal databases (e.g., Relativity, PACER, Westlaw), and developing or improving workflows or data systems to support litigation and program operations.
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
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.
During the eligibility review process, the Human Resources Specialist will only review the latest document uploaded to USA Jobs. Therefore, if you submit duplicate documents, ensure the last version uploaded to USA Jobs is the necessary document required to meet the criteria/qualifications described in this job announcement.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement and clearly documented in your resume.
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.
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/.
Education This position does not have an education qualification requirement.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see https://www.sss.gov/Home/Registration).
- DOJ uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, by visiting www.e-verify.gov/.
- You may be required to complete a pre-employment security screening to initiate your background investigation, which includes a drug screening. Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion and adjudication of your investigation.
- You may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period.
- You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
- Resume cannot exceed two (2) pages.
A probationary or trial period may be required as a condition of employment for this position. If required, you will be expected to serve either a 1-year probationary period or a 2-year trial period. During this time, we will evaluate your fitness for continued employment and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining whether your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
- Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment may be terminated unless you receive written certification that your continued employment advances the public interest.
How you will be evaluated Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Merit Promotion Procedures. Once the announcement closes, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted by the HR Specialist. This information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position. If a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your application materials, you may be deemed ineligible, or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities.
If it is determined you meet minimum qualification requirements, your application will then be placed in one of three groups: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified. If you are found to be among the top candidates, you will be referred to the selecting official for employment consideration.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies:
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
All qualified Non-Competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.
The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.
We recommend that you preview the online questions for this announcement before you start the application process. You may preview the assessment questionnaire by clicking here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13112373.
APPRAISALS/AWARDS: Hiring Managers use objective methods and consider previous performance appraisals and awards in the selection process. Current Federal Civilian employees should list any relevant performance related rating and/or awards in your resume.
Career Transition Programs (CTAP or ICTAP): These programs apply to Federal and/or DOJ employees who meet the definition of surplus or displaced from a position in the competitive service. To receive selection priority for this position, you must:
- Meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria;
- Be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above based on the competencies listed above; and
- Submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: most recent performance appraisal, a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of our separation personnel action, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, tenure, and duty station.
How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/20/2026 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
- To begin the application process, 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.
- After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
- If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_System_Requirements)
- Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://usajobs.gov). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
Please Note: If you meet the qualifications required for the job, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Assessment. The invitation to the USA Hire Assessment will be sent from email address: assessments@USAHire.opm.gov. You must complete the USA Hire Assessment within 48 hours of being sent the email invitation to be eligible for this job. Your results will be kept on record for use when applying for future jobs that require this USA Hire Assessment. You will not be allowed to re-take it for one year.
Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in mail service, your system failure or downtime, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. If uploading documentation, do not identify/save your documents utilizing a special character such as %, #, @, etc. Documentation should be identified/saved as VA Letter, DD214, or Transcripts.
It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and all required documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For additional information on uploading documents in USAJobs, please refer to this link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/upload/. Other information The bullets below outline the various groups of applicants that fall under the term "status candidates". This vacancy is open to applicants from any of the groups listed below. Read each statement, and any links provided, to ensure you select all applicable eligibilities.
See a full list and learn more at USAJOBS, see: What does Status Candidate mean? or Which Jobs am I Eligible to Apply for?
- CURRENT AND FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: For more information, see USAJOBS - Federal Employees.
- CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS (CTAP or ICTAP): For more information visit: USAJOBS Career Transition Programs
- VETERANS : Please see USAJOBS - Veterans Preference for more details.
- MILITARY SPOUSES: Please see USAJOBS - Military Spouses
- SCHEDULE A, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Learn more at USAJOBS - Individuals with Disabilities. DOJ welcomes and encourages applicants from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advance on the basis of merit. The Civil Rights Division also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes directly to Diane Turner by email to Diane.M.Turner@usdoj.gov.
- PEACE CORP & AMERICORPS VISTA: Please see: USAJOBS - PEACE CORP & AMERICORPS VISTA
- LAND MANAGEMENT: Please see: USAJOBS - LAND MANAGEMENT
DOJ EEO Statement/Policy: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline
FAIR CHANCE TO COMPETE FOR JOBS: The Fair Chance Act prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOJ employee has violated your rights under the Fair Chance Act, you may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly with the DOJ component hiring office listed in the job opportunity announcement. For more information visit USAJOBS Help Center - What are criminal history inquiries?
Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/articles/45063274752915-Reasonable-Accommodations.
Any documentation submitted other than that required in the job announcement will not be considered.
