Summary
The U.S. International Trade Commission is an independent Federal agency that provides the President and Congress with high-quality analysis and technical support on international trade, tariff and competitiveness issues; investigates and makes determinations in proceedings involving imports claimed to injure a domestic industry or violate U.S. intellectual property rights; and maintains the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Duties
The Office of Commissioner Peter-Anthony Pappas seeks a candidate who is thorough and detail-oriented, with experience in patents and the other substantive areas of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S. § 1337). The candidate would possess superior writing, communication, and organizational skills, and the ability to handle large volumes of information with attention to detail, and with minimal supervision.
As an Attorney Advisor (337) you will:
- Provide analysis and advice related to investigations pertaining to intellectual property rights and unfair methods of competition brought under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930;
- Prepare the Commissioner for hearings, briefings, votes, and other proceedings through concise written and oral briefings, questions, and recommendations;
- Draft and review Commission opinions, memoranda, statements, questions, and other legal documents;
- Review briefs, patents, decisions, hearing transcripts and other investigation-related documents and evidence in assigned cases under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
Preferred Experience:
- Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Please provide your USPTO registration number in your resume.
- Experience with litigation matters under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
NOTE: THIS POSITION WILL BE FILLED USING THE SCHEDULE C HIRING AUTHORITY. AGENCIES MAY SEPARATE SCHEDULE C APPOINTEES AT ANY TIME IF THE CONFIDENTIAL OR POLICY-DETERMINING RELATIONSHIP ENDS BETWEEN THE INCUMBENT AND THEIR SUPERVISOR.
SCHEDULE C APPOINTEES ARE NOT COVERED BY STATUTORY REMOVAL PROCEDURES AND GENERALLY HAVE NO RIGHTS TO APPEAL REMOVAL ACTIONS TO THE MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. citizenship required
- Ability to obtain and maintain a background investigation
- Graduation from an American Bar Association-accredited law school
- You will be required to submit proof of your active Bar membership (e.g., Bar card, certificate of good standing, attorney-directory listing, signed certification by the applicant).
- You may be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement.
Qualifications
In addition to the specialized experience and educational requirements above, applicants must currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In addition, it is preferred applicant be registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
You will be required to submit proof of your Bar membership as part of your application package to show that you meet this requirement. Any offer is contingent on receipt of a letter or certificate of good standing for each bar of which the applicant is an active member dated within 30 days of any offer.
Applicants must meet all of the qualification requirements, including education and any selective placement factors described below by the closing date of this announcement. Education may only be substituted in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order to be credited towards qualifications. Applicants must have the general and specialized experience outlined below that provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.
To qualify at the GS-15 level, applicants must have at least five years of experience that have provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience consist of the following: district court practice and/or appellate litigation concerning intellectual property; unfair trade investigations conducted under the authority of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. This experience must consist of the following: one year of general experience, which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND four (4) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; overseeing and/or leading others in analyzing complex issues affecting federal regulatory matters and questions of law and fact and rendering opinions on such issues; directing and conducting in-depth, complex legal research on authorities and precedents on points of law; reviewing and analyzing pleadings and other position papers on controversial and complex issues; writing and directing others in writing detailed and complex documents including briefs, issue papers, reports, policy statements, and summaries with recommendations or conclusions (writing sample may be required during the second level review); and providing legal guidance to attorneys and other professionals related to international trade.
Education
Education Requirement:
All applicants must possess a first professional law degree: J.D. or LL.B from an American Bar Association Law School, or equivalent training. Equivalent training is training permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at a law school. To be acceptable, this training must be of the kind and nature required by the state in which the bar exam is taken. A copy of your transcript(s) is required to show proof that you meet this requirement. Please see the Required Documents section of the announcement for more specific information.
Submit a copy of your transcript(s) or list of courses with credit hours, major(s) and grade-point average or class ranking. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials: http://www.naces.org/members.htm.
Additional information
This is a Schedule C position, which does not afford permanent civil service status. If selected, you will be required to sign a statement that you have been informed of the employment status of this position.
1. If you are a male applicant who was born after December 31, 1959, you are required to certify that you are registered with the Selective Service or are exempt under Selective Service regulations. For additional information concerning Selective Service requirements, please visit www.sss.gov.
2. Time period to meet qualifications: All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
3. Verification of information: Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials and employment history will be verified as part of the security clearance process.
4. Excepted service appointments: This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer rights to permanent Civil Service status.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- LEGAL KNOWLEDGE
- LEGAL ANALYSIS AND REVIEW
- ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
BASIS OF RATING: You resume will be evaluated by a Subject Matter Expert Panel (SME).Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience(s) and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity. In order to fully evaluate your application and receive proper credit, your resume should include: (1) paid and non-paid experience, job title, dates held (month and year for qualifying purposes to receive credit), number of hours worked per week, and salary (2) knowledge of the subject matter and technical skills pertinent to this position; (3) specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work; and (4) names and phone numbers of your current and/or previous supervisor(s).
Your resume and supporting documentation should contain sufficient information for us to make a valid determination that you fully meet the qualification requirements for this vacancy. We do not make inferences and can only consider the information that you provide to us. Insufficient resumes and application packages will result in loss of consideration.
Your experience and education is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13080781
Required Documents
1. Resume: Your resume may be in any written format you choose. To be sufficient, it should contain the required information as specified in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. Insufficient resumes, or resumes that contain inappropriate information, such as privacy information or photographs, will result in an ineligible rating.
2. Self-Assessment Questionnaire: You must submit a completed job-specific self-assessment questionnaire through your Application Manager account.
3. Proof of Bar Membership: You must provide documentation that you are a member of the Bar of a state, territory or commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia. If you are made an offer, you must submit a Certificate of Good Standing dated within 30 days of the offer.
4. Transcripts: You must submit a copy of your transcript(s), as specified under the Education section of this announcement. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application purposes, provided they show your classes, grades, dates of attendance and award of any degree. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
5. Writing Sample: You must submit a legal writing sample that is at least 3, and no more than 10, pages in length. Excerpts of larger documents are acceptable. Samples that have not been edited by others are preferred. You must indicate whether the sample(s) is unedited or the degree to which it has been edited by others. You must also make appropriate redactions.
6. SF-50: If you are a current or former federal employee, you must submit a copy of an SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," which documents your highest permanent grade/step/salary held.
7. Performance Appraisal: If you are a current or former federal employee, you must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal dated within 18 months. If you do not have one, you must submit an explanatory statement.
8. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney positions, which are in the excepted service; however, the Commission considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring of all positions. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include such information in their cover letter, or resume, and submit supporting documents (e.g. DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) as part of their application package. Although the point preference system is not used as in the competitive service, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15), and documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed, as listed on the SF-15. Specific information is available on the Office of Personnel Management website at: http://www.opm.gov.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
You must submit your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/15/2026 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your responses and appropriate documentation before the closing date.
3. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
4. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
The Vacancy ID is 13080781.
Next steps
Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.
To check the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the More Information link under the application status for this position.
You will be notified up to four times during the hiring process:
- Upon receipt of your application
- Upon minimum qualifications determination
- After candidates have been referred to the hiring official
- Once a selection has been made