Summary
This position is located in the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), Executive Office for Immigration Review, U. S. Department of Justice. It provides legal and administrative support to the BIA by processing and tracking appellate cases, reviewing files and case documents, supporting Board orders, maintaining files, and coordinating workflow.
This is a Competitive Service position; additional positions may be filled from this announcement within 90 days of certificate issuance.
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Duties
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The duties and responsibilities for a Legal Assistant, GS-0986-8/9 generally include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Providing technical legal and administrative support to appellate immigration judges in reviewing immigration and nationality cases and processing actions that result in formal Board orders.
- Coordinating, routing, and monitoring case assignments to maintain an orderly workflow and identify detained, expedited, or special review cases requiring immediate attention.
- Reviewing case records and critical data fields, research supporting documents, identify errors or omissions, and ensure compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, precedents, and procedures.
- Using automated case management and attorney discipline systems to track case status, file locations, corrections, revisions, deadlines, correspondence, and supporting documentation.
- Proofreading, formatting, and editing legal documents, opinions, correspondence, and orders for accurate citations, quoted material, grammar, style, and compliance with Board procedures.
- Establishing, organizing, maintaining, and closing legal and administrative files, determining which case materials must be retained under established records procedures.
- Responding to procedural inquiries, research case status, draft correspondence, coordinate schedules and oral arguments, and maintain legal reference materials for appellate immigration judges.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- You will be required to complete a pre-employment security investigation and background check which includes a drug screening.
- You may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
- Selective Service registration is required for males born on, or after, December 31st 1959. Those not registered should have an approved exemption on file.
- Financial Disclosure: If selected, you may be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.
- Salary payments must be by direct deposit to a financial institution.
- If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. See "How to Apply" section for more information.
- Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
Qualifications
In order to qualify for the Legal Assistant position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:
FOR THE GS-08 LEVEL:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks, full-time) of specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (or comparable experience outside the Federal service), performing
3 or more of the following duties:
- Reviewing legal or administrative case files for completeness using established procedures;
- Updating case information in an automated case management system;
- Maintaining legal files in accordance with records procedures; and
- Proofreading routine legal documents for accuracy and proper format.
(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)
FOR THE GS-09 LEVEL:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks, full-time) of specialized work experience equivalent to the GS-08 level in the Federal service (or comparable experience outside the Federal service), performing
3 or more of the following duties:
- Applying statutes, regulations, and precedents to determine whether case actions comply with regulatory requirements;
- Researching regulations, precedents, and agency guidance to address procedural questions and process legal case actions;
- Tracking priority legal cases and updating case status to support expedited review and timely processing; and
- Providing case status and procedural information to attorneys, judges, staff, or other authorized parties.
(Your resume must CLEARLY demonstrate this experience)
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).
For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
Conditions of Employment: Only U.S. Citizens or Nationals are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Dual citizens of the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ applicants, both U.S. citizens and non-citizens, whose job location is with the U.S., must meet the residency requirement. For a total of three (not necessarily consecutive years) of the five years immediately prior to applying for a position, the applicant must have: 1) resided in the U.S., 2) worked for the U.S. overseas in a Federal or military capacity; or 3) been a dependent of a Federal or military employee serving oversees.
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): To be well qualified, you must satisfy all qualification requirements for the vacant position and (for scored examining) score 85 or better on established ranking criteria OR (for category rating criteria) rate equivalent to the Highly Qualified or better category using established category rating criteria and must submit proof of eligibility for the special selection priority. Additional information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility can be found by clicking here.
Note: Multiple selections may be made from this announcement. Salaries listed above are an approximation and are subject to duty station locality adjustment.
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 RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
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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.
Benefits
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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.