Summary This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U. S. Coast Guard, the Office of the Judge Advocate General, Office of the Chief Prosecutor, located in Alameda, CA. Responsibilities The Paralegal Specialist is responsible for the legal, administrative, and clerical support required by the attorneys (trial counsel) assigned to the OCP and may execute duties at the behest of attorneys in any OCP offices. They also perform other legal, administrative, and clerical duties as directed by the Senior Trial Counsel, the Department Heads, or the OCP’s command cadre. Being a Coast Guard civilian makes you a valuable member of the Coast Guard team. Typical work assignments include: Docketing cases with the Coast Guard trial judiciary and obtaining defense services for military members accused of crimes. Arranging logistics for trials and hearings conducted by the Office of the Chief Prosecutor (OCP). Serving as the central point of contact for FOIA and Privacy Act (PA) inquiries for the Office of the Chief Prosecutor (OCP). Assisting trial attorneys with discovery & disclosure management by maintaining digital and hard copy repositories for documentary evidence. Assisting in preparation of court-martial convening orders, routine appointment letters, charge sheets, and f subpoenas or warrants of attachment. Requirements Conditions of Employment A one year probationary period may be required. Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Must be registered or exempt from the Selective Service. See www.sss.gov Suitable for Federal employment determined by background investigation. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. This includes Time-In-Grade requirements for current status employees applying through merit promotion procedures. Status applicants applying for a promotion must have 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade. Qualifications Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work. GS-11 - You qualify if you possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal, State, or Local government or equivalent public or private sector experience. Your resume must demonstrate that you meet ALL the specialized experience below: Drafting routine legal documents or correspondence; AND Responding to legal inquiries from customers; AND Prepare and electronically file legal documents; AND Arranging logistics for trials and hearings; AND Assist with conducting data entry to docket cases; AND Conduct legal research into legislative history, precedent cases, decisions, and/or opinions. OR EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Note: You must provide a copy of your official transcripts. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your official transcripts. National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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. 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, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office. Education This position does not have a positive education requirement. If you are including education on your resume, report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Required Documents section for detail. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet Federal qualification requirements if you can show that your foreign education is comparable to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence with your application. See Recognition of Foreign Qualifications click here Additional Information Applicants will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. Certain responses on the form could pose a problem with suitability for employment determinations. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete/make updates to the OF-306 and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, or imprisonment. DHS 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 at click here Recruitment incentives may be authorized. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit. The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR § 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR § 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps/VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement. More than 1 selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 45 days from the date the certificate was issued. If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application and hiring process, please contact 202-795-6322. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Visit Reasonable Accommodation