The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), District of New Mexico, is hiring legal assistants to support attorneys who work on investigations and prosecutions relating to immigration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking 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.
GS-6: To be qualified at the GS-6 level, you must have at least one (1) 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. Please note: This is a term position not-to-exceed September 30, 2026 and may be extended without further competition. To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a five (5) minute sample with three or fewer errors (a typing test may later be required.).
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. Please note: This is a term position not-to-exceed September 30, 2026 and may be extended without further competition. 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.