Duties

As Legal Administrative Specialist (Probate), GS-0901, your typical work assignments may include, but not limited to: Conducts extensive research on all types of probate cases, including complex estates, through interviews, genealogy review, and examination of agency and tribal records. Performs agency-level review of probate cases by verifying ownership of trust and restricted property, ensuring accuracy of legal descriptions, and conducting detailed land title research. Develops complex facts and evidence and assembles comprehensive probate case packages, ensuring technical accuracy and legal sufficiency. Maintains and updates administrative records tracking probate proceedings from initiation through final case completion. Reviews and analyzes proposed leases, rights-of-way, and encumbrances affecting trust assets and conducts advanced legal research to support OHA decision makers. Serves as a federal representative at probate hearings, presenting factual evidence when required. Interprets and implements OHA decisions, updating ownership records, coordinating payment of trust/restricted funds, and issuing notifications to appropriate federal, tribal, and state stakeholders.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Administrative and Management Positions, GS-0901). GS-05:To qualify at the GS-05 level you must have 3 years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates the ability to: analyze problems to identify significant factors, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; plan and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing. OR Successfully completed 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. (One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours). (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). OR Have a combination of education and experience described above, which meets 100% of the qualification requirements. GS-07:To qualify at the GS-07 level you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include performing a variety of assignments to assist on probate cases, issues, and problems utilizing basic legal principles, research methods, and data analysis; maintaining administrative records that track probate proceedings, utilizing the basic knowledge of real and personal property legal principles and legal documents, and reviewing the accuracy and completeness of a probate case file. OR Have Superior Academic Achievement which included one of the following: 1) Class standing-applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class, based on completed courses; or (2) Grade-Point Average-applicants must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (3) Election to membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society -membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. In order to be creditable under this provision, superior academic achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). OR Successfully completed one full year of appropriate graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent) in a field of study directly related to the work of this position. (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). OR Have a combination of education and experience described above, which meets 100% of the qualification requirements (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). GS-09: To qualify at the GS-09 level you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include performing routine work involving conventional probate cases, issues, and problems utilizing general legal principles, research methods, and data analysis; performing research for probate cases by conducting interviews with beneficiaries and interested parties, applying specialized knowledge of probate legal principles to evaluate factual documents and other information to determine the level of legal complexity in probate cases and assembling documentation into a probate case package, and verifying the accuracy and completeness of a probate case file and the decision. OR Have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). OR Have a combination of education and experience described above, which meets 100% of the qualification requirements (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). GS-11:To qualify at the GS-11 level you must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include performing work independently on wide variety of probate cases, issues, and problems utilizing a high degree of expertise; applying specialized knowledge of probate legal principles to evaluate factual documents to determine the level of legal complexity in probate cases and assembling documentation into a probate case package, performing extensive and thorough research of probate cases by conducting interviews with beneficiaries, interested parties, examining agencies, and records; reviewing probate cases by examining legal documents to verify ownership status, verifying the accuracy and completeness of a probate case file and probate decision, and inputting probate decisions into an automated system of record. OR Have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). OR Have a combination of education and experience described above, which meets 100% of the qualification requirements (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education). All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.

Education

If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Other Information

All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2026 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Ashland, Wisconsin; Bemidji, Minnesota; Bloomington, Minnesota; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. The full performance level of this position is GS-11. 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. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed. The probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your [probationary period -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.