LEGAL ASSISTANT (OA)

DutiesSummary

As a Legal Assistant in the Office of Chief Counsel, Finance and Management (F&M), you will have the opportunity to serve fellow Americans by providing legal supports for the largest tax law firm in the country. This position offers a career path with competitive advancement opportunities within the Legal Assistant series (up to GS-08), and then a competitive career path into Legal Support Coordinator, Operations Coordinator, and various managerial positions.



Responsibilities

The mission of the Office of Chief Counsel is to serve America's taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the Internal Revenue Service. The Associate Chief Counsel, Finance and Management (F&M) organization supports the administrative, financial, and managerial programs of the Office of Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel on all management matters for the organization nationwide. F&M is also responsible for providing support services to all of Chief Counsel's field offices located in over 50 cities nationwide.

As a Legal Assistant (OA), you will perform a variety of clerical, technical, and administrative tasks while providing legal support to attorneys and paralegals. Practice areas may include general litigation, tax litigation, criminal tax, and advisory services.

The following are the duties of this position at theGS-06. If you are selected at the lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

As a Legal Assistant (OA), you will:

• Perform routine administrative work such as but not limited to: scanning, copying, preparing letters and memoranda for distribution, e-filing, tax court processing, and case closing.
• Assist attorneys with basic research and gathering information.
• Receive visitors and phone calls.
• Prepare and assembles documents, including necessary transmittal forms and envelopes, in accepted office format for mailing, submission to court, or as otherwise directed.
• Review outgoing legal correspondence and documents to ensure proper signature and conformance to style and format required.
• Maintain files.

Please note this is not a complete list of the duties you will perform.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

06

• Job family (Series)

  0986 Legal Assistance

• Requirements

  RequirementsConditions of Employment
  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment."
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.

  CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • A one-year probationary period is required.
  • Must successfully complete a background investigation.
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Undergo an income tax verification.
  • The employment of any candidate selected for this position, including a current employee or a new hire, may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to two years of returns.

  Because of its tax-related mission, the Office of Chief Counsel requires fingerprinting, tax verification, and a background security investigation as part of the pre-employment process.

  Qualifications

  WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL?
  The Office of Chief Counsel, the largest tax law firm in the country, is looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our team and gain valuable experience in a legal environment. Our mission is to serve America's taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the Internal Revenue Service. The Office of Chief Counsel is a great place to work with an excellent benefits package and family-friendly atmosphere.

  You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement:

  TYPING PROFICIENCY:
  A typing proficiency of 40 words per minute with no more than three errors is required. Proof of an acceptable typing speed must be submitted with the application in one of the following ways: a current notice of test results (from an appropriate testing authority) based on a five-minute typing test which includes words per minute and error rate ; or you may self-certify by indicating typing speed on application.

  OFFICE AUTOMATION SKILLS:
  This position requires office automation skills. Some examples of office automation software include electronic spreadsheets, database management, desktop publishing, electronic calendar, and electronic mail.

  GS-05: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience receiving visitors and phone calls; receiving, opening, time stamping, reviewing, and distributing incoming legal office mail and faxes; and preparing and assembling legal files and documents, correspondence, and other materials.

  GS-06: You must have one year of specialized experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position includes experience receiving visitors and phone calls; preparing, receiving, reviewing, and verifying legal documents; maintaining legal office records and systems; and locating and compiling data or information from legal files and other data sources.

  OR

  You may substitute education for specialized experience or general experience as follows:

  GS-05: Four academic years post-high school study or a Bachelor's degree.

  GS-06: As a general rule, education is not creditable above GS-5 for this series; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

  OR

  You may qualify by a combination of education and experience. Options for qualifying based on a combination will be identified in the online questions.
  
  The experience may have been gained in the public, private sector, or Volunteer Service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year and the number of hours worked per week on your resume.

  Education

  If you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

  The education generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

  Additional information
  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • This is a bargaining unit position.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  
  
  How You Will Be Evaluated

  You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

  Your application includes your resume, responses to the online questions, and the required supporting documents. Please be sure your resume includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position, as failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a “not qualified" determination.
  
  Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: 1) Skill in preparing and processing documents and correspondence and maintaining filing systems; 2) Ability to screen and distribute correspondence and to review correspondence and other documents for format, grammar, and tone; 3) Ability to effectively and professionally interact with internal and external customers; 4) Skill in the use of office automation equipment and software programs; and 5) Ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and perform a variety of clerical and administrative activities. Category rating will be used to rank and select eligible candidates. If qualified, you will be assigned to one of three quality level categories - Category A, Category B, or Category C - depending on your responses to the online questions regarding your experience, education, and training related to this position.

  Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference-eligibles will be listed at the top of their assigned category and considered before non-preference-eligibles in that category. Qualified preference-eligibles with a compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more will be listed at the top of the highest category.

  Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. You may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview, such as travel to and from the interview site.

  If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)), you must score an 85 or higher to be rated as "well qualified" to receive special selection priority.

  
  
  To preview questions please click here.
  
  Background checks and security clearanceSecurity clearance

  Other

  Drug test required

  No

• Required Documents

  Required Documents

  A complete application includes 1. A resume; 2. Vacancy question responses; and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).
  
  All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. Cover letters are optional. To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view Resume Tips for further guidance.

  VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: If you are claiming veterans’ preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing actual or expected dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15, along with the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form.

  For more information on veterans' preference, view FedsHireVets.

  CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (CTAP) OR INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP) DOCUMENTATION: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

  EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION: For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

  A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

  If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. Refer to the OPM instructions.
  

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• Benefits

  Benefits

  A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

  Our comprehensive benefits are very generous. Our benefits package includes:

  • Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses, and incentive awards.
  • Ten paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
  • Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
  • A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
  • A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
  • Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits

  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.

• The public

  U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required.