Paralegal Specialist

Job Description

Paralegal Specialist | United States Attorneys’​ Offices

The Tone:
This is a professional role at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, located in Washington, DC. The office functions as both the local and federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital, managing a diverse and high-volume caseload. This position is vital for supporting Assistant U.S. Attorneys in investigating and prosecuting criminal cases, contributing directly to justice within the District of Columbia.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Location: In-person, Washington, DC

• Team: Superior Court Division (SCD) sections including General Crimes, Major Crimes, Homicide, or Sex Offense and Domestic Violence.
• Mission: Support the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases in the D.C. Superior Court, ranging from misdemeanors to homicides.
• Tech Stack: Specialized software, databases

What You’ll Actually Do
• Obtain and Analyze Evidence: Obtain, review, analyze, and summarize various forms of evidence including police body worn camera footage, surveillance video, and digital records.
• Support Legal Proceedings: Assist Assistant U.S. Attorneys during hearings, grand jury proceedings, and trials, including preparing exhibits, aiding with witness preparation, and supporting presentation.
• Manage Case Evidence: Prepare and organize evidence for discovery utilizing specialized software and provide case management by requesting, organizing, and indexing legal documents and exhibits.
• Conduct Legal Research and Drafting: Perform factual and legal research, and draft a variety of substantive legal documents, legal pleadings, and legal process such as subpoenas and warrants.
• Communicate with Stakeholders: Correspond directly and interact with law enforcement, court employees, defense counsel, victims, and witnesses regarding ongoing investigations and case preparation.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. For GS-9, possess a master’s or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or an LL.B. or J.D. if related to Criminal Justice or Law. For GS-11, possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or an LL.M. if related. All education must be from an accredited institution.
• Experience: For GS-9, one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal Service, or for GS-11, one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level. This experience must include applying knowledge of legal research and analysis to criminal prosecution, preparing substantive legal documents and correspondence, collecting and evaluating evidence for litigation, preparing court presentation exhibits, providing case management, and performing data searches utilizing databases (must meet 3 of these 5 areas).
• Skills: Strong knowledge of legal research and analysis principles, ability to draft a variety of substantive legal documents and legal process, proficiency in organizing and preparing evidence for court, and skill in performing data searches utilizing databases for case management.