Summary
The position is located in the U.S. International Trade Commission, Office of Unfair Import Investigations. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC or Commission) is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency established by Congress with a range of trade-related mandates.
This is a bargaining unit position (LOCAL 2211, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO).
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This Attorney (Investigative) position open continuous public notice may be used to fill additional vacancies in the Office of Unfair Import Investigations as needed. Therefore, applicants must meet the qualifications at the time the applications are submitted. This public notice may or may not result in a referral or selection.
This position is in the excepted service.
Duties
The ideal candidate for this position would possess experience in litigating substantive areas of intellectual property and/or unfair competition law, experience related to the mission and functions of the Office of Unfair Import Investigations, such as a background in engineering or another scientific field, and a record of superior achievement in education. As a staff attorney in the Office of Unfair Import Investigations, the candidate will be responsible for litigating interesting, challenging and complex cases primarily involving patent infringement.
As a General Attorney (Investigate), the candidate will provide expertise in proceedings pertaining to intellectual property rights (particularly patents) and unfair methods of competition, and the domestic industry and injury requirements under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended; represent the public in Section 337 investigations and ancillary proceedings, including appearing before administrative law judges in the hearings of such cases; investigate alleged violations of Section 337 by evaluating the legal and factual bases for allegations made in investigations, by participating in discovery, including depositions and pre-trial proceedings involving expert witnesses, and participating in motions practice and briefing before an administrative law judge and the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The employee may be required to serve a 2-year probationary period.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
- You will be required to successfully complete a background investigation.
- You may be required to serve a two-year probationary period.
- Males born after 12/03/59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- You may be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement.
- Proof of Bar membership is required.
- You must provide a Certificate of Good Standing of the bars to which you are admitted, if you are made an offer.
Qualifications
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 which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.
- This is an open continuous vacancy announcement that will be used to fill vacancies as they occur.
- To receive consideration for vacancies, applicants must submit a complete application prior to the established cut-off date(s).
- The initial cut-off date will take place on October 18, 2024 to begin the initial applicant consideration. Applications received after the initial cut-off date will be considered upon receipt of the next cut-off date.
- The established cutoff dates are as follows:
- October 18, 2024
- November 18, 2024
- December 18, 2024
- January 20, 2025
- February 18, 2025
- March 18, 2025
- April 18, 2025
- May 19, 2025
- June 18, 2025
- July 21, 2025
- August 18, 2025
- September 18, 2025
Basic Requirement:
To be hired as an Attorney with us, you must:
- possess at least a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree or a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
- 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 to meeting the requirements above, you must meet the specific and/or specialized experience below:
Minimum Qualifications:
To qualify at the GS-14 level, do you have at least four (4) years of experience which consists of the following: at least one (1) year of specialized experience which demonstrates the engagement of general law practices; or experience and knowledge of legal theories, or principles, methodologies, and practices of the application of legal skills in a field closely related to the duties to be filled AND at least three (3) years of specific experience defined as specialized professional legal experience which enabled the candidate to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work relevant to the Office of Unfair Import Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission.
To qualify at the GS-15 level, do you have at least five (5) years of experience which consists of the following: one (1) year of specialized experience which demonstrates the engagement of general law practices; or experience and knowledge of legal theories, or principles, methodologies, and practices of the application of legal skills in a field closely related to the duties to be filled AND four (4) years of specific experience defined as specialized professional legal experience which enables the candidate to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work relevant to the Office of Unfair Import Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission.
Education
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 law school 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.
Benefits
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.
We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications and/or education on the information provided and evaluate your relevant education and/or work experiences as it relates to the qualifications section mentioned above.
Names of the candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be sent first to the hiring manager for employment consideration.
Your experience is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12549067
Required Documents
To receive consideration, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified below by 09/17/2025
1. Resume: 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 should contain sufficient information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic/specialized experience requirements as stated in this job opportunity announcement for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. We will review your resume and supporting documents, to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements.
2. Occupational questionnaire: A completed job-specific occupational questionnaire should be submitted through your Application Manager account.
3. 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.
4. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) Eligibles.
You must submit the following documents:
- a copy of your agency notice;
- a copy of your most recent performance rating; and
- a copy of your most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, noting your current position, grade level, and duty location.
5. Cover Letter. This is optional.
6. Transcripts. (for Individual Occupational Requirements and/or Substitution of Education for specialized experience): You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable, 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 requirements. Inadequate or illegible information could result in non-qualification and loss of consideration. 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 an perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). 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.
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.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/17/2025 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/or 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 your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to 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 12549067
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
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