Paralegal Specialist

Paralegal Specialist

Department: Department of Labor

Location(s): Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Salary Range: $63815 - $82965 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is with the U. S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) located in Pittsburgh, PA. The selectee serves as a Paralegal Specialist responsible for conducting adjudicatory hearings and issuing decisions for the Department of Labor under more than 80 different laws and executive orders. This position is Inside the bargaining unit.

Major Duties:

• Provides research, legal support, and case development services to assigned OALJ's. Researches and determines the specific legal actions which are necessary to prepare cases for hearing, such as developing and issuing various types of orders to obtain the required information. Analyzes and prepares responses and actions resulting from orders and motions, ensuring that claimants, representatives, and attorneys meet legal requirements. Prepares necessary legal documents for hearings, anticipates issues that may arise, and researches information, laws, and precedent cases for the ALJ's. The incumbent provides information to attorneys and judges on the status of cases, actions required to bring cases to hearing, and an eventual decision being issued by the ALJ. Examines, analyzes, and evaluates the information, documentation, and factual and legal issues presented in case files to determine whether additional pre-hearing actions such as motions resolution, orders, extension, and continuances must be taken before cases are ready for hearing. Triages cases to determine the specific legal actions necessary to prepare cases for hearing and take appropriate actions such as developing and issuing various types of orders indicating the precise nature of information required. Analyzes post-hearing briefs to help process the case and prepares for the Judge's final decision. Performs legal research to ensure that the case law cited is the applicable precedent; reviews transcripts for factual determinations. Assists in planning and managing the OALJ law library; reviewing and responding to requests for subpoenas and preparing required documents; preparing requests and dispositions for Settlement Judges on cases referred under the Settlement Judge or Alternate Dispute Resolution process; follows the established appeals process and maintains records and statistics for the several legal processes within the agency.

Qualifications: You must meet the Specialized Experience and/or Education Substitution to qualify for Paralegal Specialist, as described below. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Position titles alone cannot be used to determine if you are qualified. Please list dates in MM/DD/YY format. This is imperative in determining if whether you have at least one year of creditable specialized experience. Dates will not be assumed. GS-09: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-07, in the Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience include: Overseeing caseload management by tracking essential documents, responses, and timelines; coordinating schedules for various legal proceedings, and/or providing support to ensure effective case processing; Evaluating case-related materials to identify necessary support for court activities and assisting with the smooth operation of proceedings (i.e. docket reports, managing exhibits, assisting witnesses and jurors, etc.); Assessing submissions for compliance and ensuring adherence to established guidelines, while also addressing inquiries from stakeholders regarding procedural matters; Identifying deficiencies on improperly filed documents (i.e. cases, exhibits, and judicial proceedings) in electric filing systems (EFS). Or Successful completion of a Master's or equivalent graduate degree that provided the knowledge's, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position Or Successful completion of two full years of progressively higher level graduate education that provided the knowledge's, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position Or Successful completion of a LL.B or J.D that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

How to Apply: Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Important - Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete. STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, then Update Application. 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 training 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 2 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 at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. 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: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/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. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-24