Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

$40,918 - $74,874/Yr

United States Department of the Treasury - East Hartford, CT

Part-time,Full-time - Entry Level

Onsite - East Hartford, CT

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

The Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, is seeking enthusiastic individuals to serve 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 IRS. 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 (Office Automation), 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. In this role, you will utilize basic office software such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Desktop Publishing, Access, and Adobe Acrobat to prepare legal documents and correspondence. You will establish and maintain a variety of files and documents, correspondence, and other materials; cross-referencing files when necessary. You will assist in the maintenance of the closed case file, prepare and assemble documents, including necessary transmittal forms and envelopes, in accepted office form pursuant to court rules for timely mailing, submission to courts, and service of others as appropriate. Additionally, you will file Chief Counsel, Justice Department, and U.S. Attorney court pleadings and follow steps to document that they have been filed or logged with the appropriate recipient. Your responsibilities will also include reviewing outgoing correspondence and documents to ensure proper signature and conformance to style and form requirements, and necessary attachments and enclosures. You will open all cases related to the functional area, review mail related to the assigned functional area, and input the appropriate tracking data into case management information systems. The incumbent must also note all expiration dates to ensure information reflects the current status of the cases. You will receive orders and phone calls, ascertain the nature of requests, and direct callers to appropriate staff, or personally provide the information desired when routine or procedural matters of the office are involved. This is not an all-inclusive list, and if selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform the duties of the position and will receive training to help you grow in the position.

Responsibilities

• Utilize basic office software such as Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Desktop Publishing, Access, and Adobe Acrobat to prepare legal documents and correspondence.
• Establish and maintain a variety of files and documents, correspondence, and other materials; cross-referencing files when necessary.
• Assist in the maintenance of the closed case file.
• Prepare and assemble documents, including necessary transmittal forms and envelopes, in accepted office form pursuant to court rules for timely mailing, submission to courts, and service of others as appropriate.
• File Chief Counsel, Justice Department, and U.S. Attorney court pleadings and follow steps to document that they have been filed or logged with the appropriate recipient.
• Review outgoing correspondence and documents to ensure proper signature and conformance to style and form requirements, and necessary attachments and enclosures.
• Open all cases related to the functional area.
• Review mail related to the assigned functional area and input the appropriate tracking data into case management information systems.
• Receive orders and phone calls, ascertain the nature of requests, and direct callers to appropriate staff, or personally provide the information desired when routine or procedural matters of the office are involved.

Requirements

• Typing proficiency of at least 40 words per minute (WPM) based on a 5-minute sample with 3 or fewer errors.
• For GS-05: One year of specialized experience performing administrative and clerical processes including preparing and/or reviewing documents with legal implications, maintaining file systems, and obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources, or four years of education above the high school level, or a combination of education and experience.
• For GS-06: One year of specialized experience preparing, receiving, reviewing, and/or verifying legal documents, maintaining legal office records and systems, and locating and compiling data or information from legal files and other data sources.
• For GS-07: One year of specialized experience analyzing & reviewing information and preparing a variety of legal documents, reviewing documents for regulatory requirements and inputting into case tracking systems, using automated software to produce legal-related reports, documents, correspondence or related materials, and assisting with trial preparation needs.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in a legal office environment.
• Familiarity with IRS procedures and regulations.
• Knowledge of legal terminology and document preparation.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package as a federal employee.
• Access to a range of benefits designed to make your federal career rewarding.
• Opportunities for telework and flexible work schedules.