Enclosure (1) to COMDTINST 1221.1
Skills & Competencies Required for Legal Technician Designation and the L1 Competency Code
Upon completion of the Legal Technician Course, Coast Guard Yeomen shall be able to perform those
functions identified in the OPM Benchmark Description for Paralegal Specialist, GS-0950-5 and Coast
Guard specific requirements.
Consults prescribed sources of information for facts relating to matters of interest to the program.
Reviews documents to extract selected data and information relating to specified items.
Reviews and summarizes information in prescribed format on case precedents and decisions.
Searches for and extracts legal references in libraries and computer data banks.
Attends hearings or court appearances to become informed on administrative or court procedures
and the status of cases, and where necessary, assists in the presentation of charts and other visual
information.
Understand the organization and function of the Chief Counsel and CG legal program, including the
Understand the role of the Legal Technician and Paralegal in the CG legal program.
Serve as legal office/staff receptionist, demonstrating appropriate professional "front line" customer
service skills and the ability to identify legal issues and direct customers to the appropriate resource.
Demonstrate a basic understanding of the ethical obligations and rules of professional responsibility
for the legal profession and model guidelines adopted by the ABA for the utilization of legal
assistant services (as generally stated in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct), and in
particular, those adopted guidelines of conduct that are directed to legal assistants and paralegals
adopted by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and the National Federation of
Paralegal Associations (NFPA).
Perform basic legal research, including:
a. The ability to describe sources of law (primary and secondary sources) and locate
material when given the legal citation.
b. A general understanding of principle legal references including: case reporters,
the United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, looseleaf & other
subscription services.
c. Familiarity with the LEXIS electronic legal research system.
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