Are you a motivated technical and legal expert and ready to showcase your skill set as you elevate in your career? Are you looking to work with a diverse team of highly skilled attorneys? If so, then look no further because this opportunity is waiting just for you! The USPTO is seeking a highly motivated legal professional to join a dynamic and collaborative team in the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) and we're excited to meet you!

Duties

The Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) is responsible for the investigation of complaints relating to attorney and agent misconduct, determining what disciplinary proceedings are appropriate, and suspending or excluding from practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) any person, attorney, or registered agent shown to be incompetent, disreputable, or found culpable of unethical, unprofessional, or gross misconduct. OED also is responsible for maintaining a roster of individuals who are registered to practice in patent matters before the USPTO, including reviewing the legal, technical, and moral character qualifications of individuals seeking recognition to practice and administers and oversees the USPTO Law School Clinic Certification Program and Patent Pro Bono Program. The incumbent reports directly to the Deputy General Counsel for Enrollment and Discipline. As Senior Counsel for Policy and Operational Support Services, the incumbent will perform a variety of complex and sensitive assignments relating to policy and operational support services that affect the livelihood of patent and trademark attorneys and agents throughout the United States and abroad. This career choice is perfect if you are: Passionate about the livelihood of patent and trademark attorneys and exceptionally savvy about policy and operational support services. A confident technical expert that can render legal and policy advice through the General Counsel to the Under Secretary and Director of the USPTO, the Deputy General Counsel for Enrollment and Discipline, and other members of the USPTO's senior staff. A high-performing, engaged, and motivated attorney with experience in legal policy and operational matters. The incumbent may be called upon to collaborate with senior agency officials to recommend decisions and responses to USPTO and OED policies. A dedicated organizational ambassador and effective communicator that can interact with top-level internal and external stakeholders regarding highly sensitive and complex legal issues. The incumbent's contacts with the private sector are also with top-level officials such as partners of national or international law firms. Contacts are of an unstructured nature requiring the incumbent to exercise a great degree of discretion and innovation. This individual may represent the USPTO and OED before various committees and public and private sector groups, (e.g., the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the American Bar Association, etc.), to gain support and acceptance of OED programs and provide educational outreach as a proactive measure to protect the public by ensuring practitioners are aware of proper ethical standards; and will also serve as the liaison with other USPTO business units regarding policy and operational support services matters. This individual serves as a legal expert for OED on policy and operational support services and in that capacity may be consulted in connection with positions that are taken by the USPTO and OED. This position includes limited supervisory and managerial duties that will occupy less than 25% of the incumbents time.

Requirements

• Applicants will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
• 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.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum requirements for this position, the candidate must demonstrate their experience in the narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications. This specialized experience should also be reflected within the resume. This experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications set forth below. 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. Applicants are required to input narrative responses to the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) in the text boxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) that must be adhered to. Do not write "see resume". Uploaded documents addressing the PTQs will not be accepted. For the following four PTQs, you are required to submit a narrative response addressing your specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that demonstrate your possession of these qualifications. Professional Technical Qualifications: Knowledge of the USPTO Ethics Rules. Knowledge of policies affecting patent and trademark practitioners and clients. Knowledge of the rule making process, including knowledge of the statutes and regulations governing the rule making process. Knowledge of intellectual property law and litigation.

Education

The incumbent must have a law degree and membership in good standing of the Bar of any state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any territorial court of the United States.

Contacts

• Address EXRD - Office of the General Counsel Office of Human Resources Mail Stop 171 P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 US
• Name: John Edmond
• Phone: 571-272-8479
• Email: [email protected]