Attorney Advisor (Copyright)

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from all U.S. Citizens or Nationals.

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion. The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per calendar year.

This position is located in the Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

This role is the ideal next career step for you if:

• You enjoy assisting the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO in advising the President, through the Secretary of Commerce and Federal agencies, on domestic and international intellectual property issues as well as U.S. treaty obligations.
• You look forward to rendering legal advice and guidance, as well as technical assistance and analysis involving copyright law on an international scale regarding obligations in bilateral and multilateral treaties and trade agreements and implementation of those obligations.
• You enjoy preparing briefing materials, papers, analyses, and testimony, as needed for the Under Secretary and other senior USPTO officials and Department of Commerce officials with respect to legislative items or policy initiatives on which the USPTO is requested to testify.
• You are excited to support the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Department of State and other U.S. Government agencies in international negotiations and consultations, and assist with the drafting, reviewing, and implementation of intellectual property obligations in bilateral and multilateral treaties and trade agreements.
• You are enthusiastic about keeping senior management apprised of all action on pending legislation, regulatory developments, or policy discussions of interest to the USPTO for which the incumbent has been assigned responsibility.
• You are eager to provide and participate in technical assistance and capacity-building programs and conferences to foreign governments seeking to develop or improve their intellectual property laws and regulations; and to improve the level of expertise of those responsible for intellectual property rights enforcement and the overall environment for enforcement.

Conditions of employment

• Applicants will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies.
• You must meet the definition of 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.
• You must possess a Law Degree and an active bar membership of any state.
• You must obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.
• Financial disclosure statement (OGE Form 450) is required for this position.

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at General Attorney Series 0905

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 includes:

GS-14: Candidates for the GS-14 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-13 grade level in the Federal service in the following:

• Experience in providing legal or policy advice on copyright law or legislation.
• Experience in performing legal research, including case law, statutory analysis, and legislative history.
• Experience in interpreting, applying, evaluating, analyzing, and assessing domestic or international copyright laws, policy, and principles.
• Experience in conveying legal analysis and information orally and in writing through legal memos or briefs, consultations, or other presentations.

GS-15: Candidates for the GS-15 grade level must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-14 grade level in the Federal service in the following:

• Experience in independently providing legal or policy advice on copyright law or legislation.
• Experience in independently performing legal research, including case law, statutory analysis, and legislative history.
• Experience in independently interpreting, applying, evaluating, analyzing, and assessing domestic or international copyright laws, policy, and principles.
• Experience in independently conveying legal analysis and information orally and in writing through legal memos or briefs, consultations, or other presentations.

Professional Legal Experience: In addition to the required specialized experience, applicants must possess the following professional law/legal experience listed below:

GS-14: 3 years of professional legal experience, post JD.
GS-15: 4 years of professional legal experience, post JD.

*Professional Legal experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. 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 organizations; preparing interpretive 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; determining questions of law; and studying, analyzing, and evaluating legal precedents-to present findings.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume.

Please Note: Writing samples may be requested prior to being interviewed.

Your resume and any other supporting documentation will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you.

Please click the link below to preview the Assessment Questionnaire:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12960050

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration. (Please review the "Required Documents" section of this job announcement to see what must be included in a complete application).

A complete application consists of:

• A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications; optional cover letter: Your resume should indicate your citizenship and should list your educational and work experience including titles, salary, employment dates, duties, experience and how it relates to the specialized experience in the job announcement. Please note your resume must be limited to a maximum of two pages. Resumes exceeding this limit will not be considered eligible. Please submit only one resume. Only the document uploaded under the "Resume "section as the "Document Type" will be reviewed to assess your qualifications and for evaluation purposes.
• Professional or Academic References - Provide 2-3 professional/academic references (name, phone, email); one must be your current supervisor. We'll notify you before contacting them.
• Transcripts: You MUST submit copies of your LAW SCHOOL transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are accepted, however, if selected you will be required to furnish official transcripts. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the above educational requirement. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration.
• Bar Membership Documentation: You MUST submit documentation showing that you are an active member of the Bar in Good Standing of any State, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution. Examples of acceptable bar documentation may include one of the following: 1) Copy of Bar Card; 2) Screen shot of state of licensure with your name identified; 3) Copy of Certificate of Good Standing 4) Identify BAR membership number on the resume.
• Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable: ATTORNEY positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the USPTO considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor consideration in the hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation. You may also find more information on positive consideration for attorney hiring.

Please Note: Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating. Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume. A HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.

Supporting Documents:

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants who meet the minimum eligibility and qualification requirements for this position may be contacted via email within 7 business days of this announcement closing to submit follow-up supporting docs if applicable. Applicants applying as current/former Federal employees OR as VEOA eligibles who fail to submit supporting documents within 5 business days of receiving the email request will lose further consideration for this position. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP or Sch A eligibility who fail to submit supporting documents within 5 business days of receiving the email request will not lose consideration for this position, however they will not be entitled to special or priority consideration. Supporting docs that may be requested of applicants after the closing date of this announcement are:

1. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - For current and/or former Federal employees, your status eligibility and highest permanent grade/step/salary held in the Federal service will be validated with a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" so that we may verify your time-in-grade.

2. Performance Appraisal - Recent performance appraisal with supervisor's signature showing the official final rating of record and copy of incentive award(s). In cases where the performance appraisal is incomplete or unavailable, applicants may provide explanation of the reasons.

You can upload your documents when you register or update your information on the Dept. of Commerce site which you access through the USAJobs site.

Your application and all required documents must be received by 11:59 pm ET on the closing date of this job announcement.

NOTE: The preceding documents requirement are based on job requirements and individual applicant eligibility. Not all documents are applicable to all applicants; if you are unsure which documents apply to you, contact the HR Specialist listed on this announcement.

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