Legal Operations Paralegal – Legal Operations

Job Description

Paralegal Specialist | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The Tone:
This is a full-time, permanent role at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with positions located throughout the country. ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) is the Department of Homeland Security’s largest legal department, employing over 3,000 attorneys and 500 support staff nationwide. This position is vital for assisting OPLA attorneys who represent the U.S. Government in immigration proceedings and federal litigation, contributing directly to upholding immigration law and providing essential legal services across all ICE programs.

The TL;DR
• Role: Mid-Level
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, throughout the country
• Team: Legal Operations (Legal Ops) within the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), supporting OPLA attorneys.
• Mission: Supports attorneys who represent the U.S. Government in immigration proceedings and federal litigation.
• Tech Stack: Automated legal research tools, electronic case management system

What You’ll Actually Do
• Legal Research: Research laws, regulations, court decisions, opinions, and legislative history, applying such findings to support attorneys.
• Litigation Preparation: Assist attorneys in preparing for and representing the United States Government in immigration proceedings and federal litigation.
• Document Production: Assist in preparing correspondence, motions, briefs, case summaries, and other legal documents in draft and final form.
• Quality Assurance: Review case-related documents for conformity with standardized formatting, grammar, and legal citations prior to attorney signature.
• Case Management: Monitor and update databases and repositories using an electronic case management system or similar system.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Candidates must meet specialized experience or education requirements for the GS-09, GS-11, or GS-12 level. For the GS-09 level, qualifications include a Master’s or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or an LL.B. or J.D. if related.
• Experience: For GS-09, at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level, including drafting/editing legal memoranda, reviewing case materials, preparing trial exhibits, and summarizing testimony/depositions. Higher GS levels require progressively more advanced specialized experience such as analyzing immigration law cases, assisting attorneys with case preparation by analyzing facts and legal questions, and preparing litigation reports.
• Skills: Legal research, legal document drafting and editing, case analysis, data compilation and summarization, and proficiency with electronic case management systems.
• Bonus: Eligibility for a student loan repayment incentive, which may require a service agreement.