PARALEGAL SPECIALIST

Description:

The primary purpose of this position is to assist commanders at all levels (O-2 through O-8) and first sergeants by providing legal and administrative services that facilitate the rapid discharge of Air Force personnel. To serve as a supervisor, providing planning, directing, organizing, and exercising control over nonsupervisory employees assigned to the 502 ISG/JA Adverse Actions Office.

Requirements:

In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Administrative and Management Positions, GS 0950 series.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-09, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes includes knowledge of the various titles of law applicable to agency mission, Federal and State laws governing or impacting the administrative discharge program, and significant national and local developments in the field. Knowledge of legal reference sources in Department of Defense and Air Force manuals and instructions, reference systems, directives, issuances, precedent decisions, administrative board decisions, court decisions, and commercial legal publications sufficient to perform extensive and thorough legal research into the legislative history, precedent cases, decisions and opinions that may be applicable; to evaluate the relevance of and summarize substantive information; to assist
in case preparation; and to ensure that information is lawfully released or withheld.

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., in a field directly related which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

OR
COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: 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 transcripts.

FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
1. Knowledge of rules, procedures, policies, and programs of the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate to perform the procedural and administrative work of the organization such as preparing and editing legal documents and administrative correspondence, maintaining files, and records, and assembling information for various legal documents and reports; knowledge of legal services and terminology in the area of claims, civil law, military justice, legal assistance, discharge and demotion actions, and legal research techniques; and knowledge of grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and required legal formats and directives regarding preparation of written communications to produce legal and administrative documents and communications.
2. Knowledge of office functions to screen telephone calls and visitors, prepare and review correspondence, and perform other administrative work as required.
3. Knowledge of various office automation software programs, tools, and techniques to support office-operations and produce a variety of documents such as letters, reports, spreadsheets, databases, and graphs.
4. Skill in typing; a qualified typist is required.
5. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; ability to advise commanders and supervisors of appropriate legal actions.
6. Ability to interpret and apply regulatory and procedural requirements to process unusually difficult and complicated transactions; ability to utilize a military legal library and computer resources to perform appropriate research.

PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.