Paralegal Specialist (Pathways Recent Graduate Program)

Duties

This is an exciting opportunity for recent college graduates interested in pursuing a career involving criminal justice and public service.

If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team in the Superior Court Division (SCD) of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC) that is responsible for providing legal support to Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) that prosecute criminal cases in a high-volume, fast-paced, collaborative environment. The SCD handles the highest volume of felony and misdemeanor cases prosecuted by the Office. Types of cases include, but are not limited to, homicides, sexual assaults, carjackings, kidnapping, robberies, burglaries, narcotics distribution, weapons possession, and misdemeanors.

All our paralegal specialists start in the office in the General Crimes Section to learn the particular needs of SCD cases. After training and becoming familiar with SCD case needs, paralegals can rotate to a different Section in the SCD. Please indicate in your cover letter the section you would prefer to work.

General Crimes Section: Responsible for prosecuting misdemeanor offenses, felony weapon and drug possessory offenses, and violent crimes. Paralegal Specialists in this section ensure cases successfully start during intake and ensure matters are prepared for trial.

Major Crimes Section: Responsible for prosecuting violent offenses including carjackings, assaults, burglaries, and non-fatal shootings. Paralegal Specialists in this section help with case intake, support investigative efforts, and ensure matters are prepared for trial.

Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section: Responsible for prosecuting offenses that occur in a domestic circumstance or are sexual in nature. Paralegal Specialists in this section help with case intake, support investigative efforts, and ensure matters are prepared for trial.

Homicide Section: Responsible for prosecuting offenses that result in a death. Paralegal Specialists in this section help with case intake, support investigative efforts, and ensure matters are prepared for trial.

Typical work assignments will include:
-Assist with drafting a variety of substantive and technical legal documents.
-Assist attorneys with interviews of witnesses in preparation for grand jury or trial.-Review evidence, including police body worn camera footage and surveillance video.
-Prepare and organizes evidence for discovery.
-Monitor the progress of pending cases to ensure compliance with Court-imposed deadlines.
-Assist with organizing cases for grand jury and trial presentation by performing duties such as preparing and compiling exhibits and witness files.
-Perform basic legal and data searches and other data retrieval assignments.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.

As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

This is an excepted service appointment under the Pathways Recent Graduates Program. This appointment is a one year career development program. At the successful completion of the program requirements, you may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a Federal career or career-conditional appointment. For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

Travel Required: Occasional travel may be required.