This position is located in the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Please see additional summary details under the duties section.

Duties

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria,Virginia.This position is telework eligible per agency and business unit discretion/policy. OED - Office of Enrollment and Discipline Summary Description:As part of its challenging, multi-faceted mission, OED is responsible for (a) registering attorneys and agents to practice before the USPTO, (b) developing and administering the registration examination, (c) investigating allegations of misconduct by practitioners,(d) administering and overseeing the USPTO Law School Clinic Certification Program and a nationwide Patent Pro Bono Program for independent inventors and small businesses, and (e) federal administrative rulemaking. This position is ideal for you if you:

Requirements

• Applicants will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
• You must meet the definition of professional AND specialized experience.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Suitable for Federal employment.
• If selected, you may be required to complete a two-year trial period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Financial disclosure statement (OGE Form 450) is required for this position. For more information please visit www.OGE.gov.

Qualifications

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. However, the USPTO sets minimum qualifications for attorney positions and sets forth these qualifications in each vacancy announcement. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Specialized Experienceis experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, 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 the federal service. Specialized experience for this position is as follows: GS-11 -May have less than a year of professional legal/law experience (listed below) defined as post J.D. professional experience performing attorney duties. GS-12 - Must have 52 weeks (1 year) of professional legal/law experience (listed below) defined as post J.D.professional experience performing attorney duties equivalent to the next lower grade level of a GS-11. GS-13 - Must have (2 years) of professional legal/law experience (listed below) defined as post J.D. professional experience performing attorney duties equivalent to the next lower grade level of a GS-12. AND: 52 weeks (1 year) of specialized experience: possessing broad professional law experience in handling complex legal problems, preparing and presenting cases, including unbiased investigation and analysis of underlying factual and legal issues, interpreting applicable statutes and regulations, preparing legal documents and reviewing documents for legal sufficiency, developing sound legal decisions and recommendations in areas of which little or no legal precedent has been established. Professional legal experience, post J.D. is defined as: Professional legal/law experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing competing interests; has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and may involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; and recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization. Professional Legal/Law Experience is defined as having experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled in the area. This experience is characterized by breadth and depth of experience in rendering professional legal advice and services with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters falling within the purview of a Federal government agency, private sector, law firm, or other organization; preparing interpretative and administrative orders, rules, or regulations to give effect to the provisions of governing statutes or other requirements of law; drafting, negotiating, or examining contracts or other legal documents; drafting, preparing formal comments, or making substantive recommendations regarding proposed legislation; editing and preparing for publication statutes enacted by Congress and opinions or decisions of a court, commission, or board; drafting and reviewing decisions for consideration and adoption by an organization or official; conducting investigations to obtain facts; determines questions of law; studies, analyzes and evaluates legal precedents, to present findings. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing competing interests; and has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or Master of Laws (L.L.M) degree from an American Bar Association from an accredited law school and an active bar membership of any state.

If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp for more information. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - US Department of Education. Another listing of services that can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Contacts

• Address TMCO-Office of the Deputy Counsel and Solicitor Office of Human Resources Mail Stop 171 P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 US
• Name: Shaless Robinson
• Phone: 571-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]