For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement. Salary contains multiple grades/steps. In most cases, the salary is set at the minimum salary for the grade applicant(s) is selected. This position is also being announced to applicants eligible to apply through Merit Staffing procedures under 25-CAE-12787128-MS
Note: In order to be considered "qualified" for this position, your specialized experience must be described in your resume. Please be sure that your resume clearly states any and all of the specialized experience that you may have. If your specialized experience is not clearly detailed in your resume, you will not be considered for this position. GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must have at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service as defined below; or Master's or equivalent graduate degree if in a related field (e.g., criminal justice, law) or, two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.B or J.D. if in a related field (e.g., criminal justice, law); or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below. Specialized Experience is defined as one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is defined as experience performing research, evaluation and analysis of a variety of routine legal topics, researching references to locate appropriate data using multiple online legal systems, organizing and preparing research material and determining information that is pertinent to the case, performing basic legal analysis, and analyzing information, identifying the appropriate reference sources. Ideal candidates will have experience in Financial Litigation, bankruptcy, commercial, creditors' rights, tax, or real property litigation. A combination of experience and graduate level education can be used if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of the first full year can be used in this calculation. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service as defined below; or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if in a related field (e.g., criminal justice, law), or, three full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or, LL.M. if in a related field (e.g., criminal justice, law); or a combination of both specialized experience and education as explained below. Specialized Experience is defined as one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level including performing substantive research, evaluating and analyzing a variety of specialized legal topics and points of law pertaining to Financial Litigation; assessing the unique circumstances of a situation and developing variations in approach to ascertain the true nature of debtors present and future potential ability to pay their judgement debt; participating in the development and implementation of revised procedures relating to Financial Litigation. Ideal candidates will have experience in Financial Litigation, bankruptcy, commercial, creditors' rights, tax, or real property litigation. A combination of experience and graduate level education can be used if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of the first two years can be used in this calculation. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 36 semester hours (or your school's definition of two years of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/internation/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. 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/.
As a Financial Litigation Paralegal Specialist in the United States Attorney's Office (USAO), you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing a variety of legal support services to the United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California. You will be assigned to the Civil Division in the Sacramento office and your duties will include (but are not limited to): Preparing a variety of substantive legal documents for pre-judgment and post-judgment enforcement of debt owed to crime victims or the United States and its agencies. Interviewing debtors, employers, and others to obtain financial information and conduct asset investigations. Communicating with United States Attorney's Officer attorneys and staff, law enforcement, court personnel, and agency officials. Reviewing, summarizing, and outlining debtor's financial condition and recommending appropriate legal action. Preparing legal pleadings necessary to commence affirmative litigation and Financial Litigation proceedings and subsequent motions. Maintaining a variety of trial-related documents. Processing civil debt collection claims referred from federal agencies. Making recommendations regarding debt compromise, write-off, and referral of claims. Enforcing criminal judgment and commitment orders and independently performing all functions to collect criminal fines and restitution. Monitoring the progress of pending cases and initiating action to ensure that legal and other documents are prepared and submitted within established deadlines. Serving as a contact person for Financial Litigation cases. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.