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Duties
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, DAS-Administrative Services, Office of Hearings and Appeals, Probate Hearings Division, in either Albuquerque, NM, or Bloomington, MN.
The Office of the Hearings and Appeals (OHA) is announcing a prime opportunity in its Albuquerque, NM, or Bloomington, MN office where your legal and administrative skills are needed. The position is in the Probate Hearings Division and is under the supervision of the Supervisory Judge, who is responsible for establishing and managing the work relating to probating the estates of Indians who die owning interests in property held in trust by the US Government.
Our ideal candidate will possess a good working knowledge of legal procedures and terminology to perform a variety of research, writing, and paralegal duties.
If selected, you will hold a key position in assisting in the process of the determination of heirs and the administration of Indian trust estates. You will be counted upon to assist in the hearing and probate decision process to meet immediate needs as well as assist with the accomplishment of long-term goals.
Duties
At the full performance level (GS-9) the Paralegal Specialist assists probate judges by reviewing case files for completeness, scheduling hearing dockets, drafting or proofing decisions and other legal documents, recording hearings, and completing related tasks. The specific duties of this position are as follows:
- Reviews case files assigned for dockets to ensure completeness and accuracy. If information is missing, initiates action to seek information that will complete the case file.
- Identifies potential complications in the case, including but not limited to discrepancies with family information, inventory issues, and potential will disputes.
- Researches related cases to obtain verify family histories and confirm information about potential heirs.
- Uses docketing system to update and maintain the procedural status of each assigned case, and to schedule hearings in coordination with the assigned judge.
- Prepares notices of probate hearings to be sent to all interested parties, as well as combined hearing notices that are posted.
- Reviews case record upon completion of hearing to assist with the judge's determination as to the sufficiency of evidence for a final decision. Works with judge to schedule supplemental hearings if necessary, and prepares documents to provide opportunities for a party to renounce interests or to otherwise obtain any necessary additional information.
- Prepares draft probate decisions or orders in simpler cases.
- Assists the judge at hearings by recording the proceedings, taking attendance and verifying current addresses of participants, handling exhibits, and other duties as needed by the judge.
- Proofreads draft decisions and orders prepared by others.
- Provides guidance and assistance to legal assistants, and backs up legal assistants with tasks such as scanning and mailing, as needed.
- Prepares case-related correspondence.
- Assists the office with administrative duties as needed or assigned, including timekeeping, purchasing, and bill-paying.
OS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. This position is not approved for 100% telework or virtual/remote work and the employee would be expected to report to the duty station of Albuquerque, NM, or Bloomington, MN.
Salary Range Information
Albuquerque, NM
GS-07: $49,541 (Step 1) - $64,405 (Step 10) per annum.
Bloomington, MN
GS-07: $53,360 (Step 1) - $69,369 (Step 10) per annum.
- First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.
This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.
This vacancy is also announced as OS-0682-25-AA-049(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.
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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen.
- You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
- You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
- You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
- Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualification Requirements:
ALL applicants must meet the requirements for the GS-07 level by one of the following means:(MUST MEET ALL)
- Experience: To qualify for the GS-07, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
- Performing case analysis, file review, and factual research,
- Using a database to update case status and to schedule hearings or other legal proceedings,
- Drafting and proofing legal documents and correspondence, and
- Assisting judges or attorneys during hearings, trials, or depositions.
OR
- Education: one full year of graduate-level education OR a four-year degree demonstrating Superior Academic Achievement (defined as a GPA of 3.0/4.0 for all courses or 3.5/4.0 for courses within the major field or standing within the top third of a graduating class or membership in a national scholastic honor society).
OR
- Combination of Education and Experience: Education (must be graduate level) and specialized experience can be combined if each is less than the required amount. The total must equal at least 100% of the requirement for the GS-07 grade level.
Driver's License Requirement: A valid and current driver's license is required. The incumbent may be required to travel to hearings in remote locations that do not have any public transportation readily available. In addition the use of a rental vehicle may be required to travel to hearings in remote locations.
Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Education
Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.
Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
Additional information
Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.
A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.
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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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Platinum" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.
Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:
- Administration and Management skills to ensure successful business operations by performing a variety of administrative and support duties on a daily basis.
- Interpersonal Skills needed to coordinate with judges and to obtain information from heirs, devisees, creditors and other interested parties.
- Manages and Organizes Information by investigating facts pertaining to cases, including locating pertinent records, as well as preparing regular reports pulled from database that show pending case load and disposition.
- Technical Competence in legal terminology, legal procedures, use of databases to process cases, and proofreading for legal accuracy.
- Writing skills needed to prepare legal documents and correspondence.
If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.
To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12639549
