Department of Justice

Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

Allentown, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Full time

Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

Department: Department of Justice

Location(s): Allentown, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Salary Range: $43106 - $62057 Per Year

Job Summary: The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's mission is to investigate, prosecute and deter violations of federal statutes, enforce and represent the interests of the United States in civil litigation, uphold civil, constitutional and victims' rights, and foster partnerships with other federal, state and local government agencies and community groups. This position is also being announced to applicants under Merit Staffing procedures under 26-PAE-12944031-MP.

Major Duties:

  • If selected for this position, you will join a well-respected team that is responsible for providing Legal Assistant (Office Automation) support in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing in the areas of legal support, legal research, preparation and management of evidence and discovery, case management, and administrative support. Typical work assignments will include: Examining, preparing and processing a variety of technical legal documents, e.g., complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels; Proofreading and cite checking legal briefs, memoranda, and other legal documents; Providing assistance to attorneys in trial preparation by conducting non-complex research of litigation, statutes, regulations and court cases; Assembling exhibits, affidavits, and other legal documents; Assembling and organizing files and records material for disposition or transfer to records depository; Maintaining calendar of assigned active cases; Tracking filing, hearing, and trials dates, and scheduling conference and interviews; Arranging travel by preparing itinerary and securing transportation and hotel reservations; Producing a variety of written documents and materials using a wide range of office software applications. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Qualifications: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required basic requirement and specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying: Typing Proficiency: To be qualified, you must type at least 40 words per minute based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors. (A typing test may later be required.) To qualify at the GS-07 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below: reviewing legal documents such as complaints, motions, orders, answers, pleadings, subpoenas, and libels for completeness of factual information retrieving and assembling information for hearing and/or trial use researching a variety of legal sources to obtain and/or verify information using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence and related materials To qualify at the GS-08 level, you must possess: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service performing (obtained in either the public or private sectors) (3) of the (4) duties listed below: experience providing trial support to attorneys by preparing complaints, motions, subpoenas, orders, or other hearing and/or trial documents accurately and in proper format verifying citations and statutory references contained in legal documents assisting with discovery, hearing or trial preparation by performing duties such as compiling trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, and compiling witness and exhibit lists using software applications and legal and non-legal databases to produce legal related reports and documents, conduct factual research, develop tables of contents and indices to briefs, and prepare courtroom presentations IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-12