Summary This position is located in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). The TTAB is an administrative tribunal within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that hears and decides trial level adversary proceedings involving two or more parties. These include oppositions, cancellations, and concurrent use proceedings. The TTAB also hears and decides appeals from final refusals issued by USPTO Trademark Examining Attorneys following review of applications to register marks. Responsibilities The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. This position is telework eligible per agency and business unit discretion/policy. This role is the ideal next career step for you if: You're keen to assess the legal questions presented, craft a strategy to address them, and decide the substance and delivery method for the final legal analysis. You're prepared to oversee interlocutory issues in oppositions, cancellations, and concurrent use proceedings before the TTAB. You're enthusiastic about serving as a recognized authority on procedural and substantive law, providing mentorship and coaching to others. You're driven to independently rule on and issue orders for all procedural and substantive motions that are not potentially case-dispositive, such as motions to amend pleadings, to compel discovery, and to strike evidence. You're ready to confer with and draft decisions for Administrative Trademark Judges on procedural and substantive motions that may be dispositive, such as motions to dismiss, for judgment on the pleadings, and for summary judgment. You're eager to collaborate with Administrative Trademark Judges and TTAB senior leadership, as well as senior leaders and attorneys from other public and private organizations. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 Experience is 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. For this position, the next lower grade level is listed below. GS-15: To qualify for this position at the GS-15 level, you must possess at least one (1) year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level AND four (4) years of the Professional Legal/Law Experience. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: (1) Experience performing comprehensive (full spectrum of a case with multiple issues) legal analysis and research in the area of trademark law; (2) Conducting legal analysis of procedural and substantive arguments from legal counsel or pro se parties in the area of trademark law; AND, (3) Independently drafting legally defensible opinions addressing the issues raised by said counsel or parties. AND 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 in the area of trademark law characterized by: breadth and depth of experience in rendering legal advice and services; representing parties in litigation or in proceedings before federal courts and/or administrative tribunals; acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; researching and drafting pleadings and motions, and/or legal decisions, orders, and/or opinions; managing a docket of cases; adjudicating legal issues; conducting investigations to obtain facts; analyzing questions of law including questions arising under the federal rules of civil procedure and evidence; studying, analyzing and evaluating legal precedents, to present findings. Demonstrated high quality legal writing skills are critical. Education To meet minimum eligibility requirements for this position, applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school. 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 General Schedule Qualification Policies 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. Additional Information If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information. This is a Bargaining Unit position and represented by The National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 245 (NTEU 245). Additional information about this bargaining unit may be obtained at http://www.nteu.org or by email to nteu245.tm.uspto@gmail.com. This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "High Risk" Financial disclosure statement (OGE Form 450) is required for this position. For more information, please visit www.OGE.gov. Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. You may be required to complete the Fair Credit Act Memorandum; gives consent to obtain one or more consumer credit reports for employment purposes. The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website. Trial Period - If selected, you may be required to complete a two-year trial period. All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice. Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid. More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued. All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at USPTO Reason Accommodation. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation), national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, retaliation for engaging in protected activity, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act. Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity via email (oeeo@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292).
