Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a US Citizen.
- Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
- Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
- New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
- Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
Qualifications
The Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC) invites qualified attorneys to apply for the position of Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney, Office of Naval Research. The position is located at/in the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Headquarters in Washington, DC.
ONR is an Echelon I command that has been a pioneer in the public support of science and technology (S&T) research that benefits both the naval services and the nation. NRL is an Echelon II command that is part of ONR. NRL is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological development and prototyping, and employs over 2000 scientists and engineers. The NRL Office of Counsel includes 18 attorneys and 5 professional staff with a diverse legal practice.
The successful candidate will be expected to provide NRL clients a full range of IP legal services, including drafting and prosecuting patent applications, reviewing research publications for potentially patentable and/or trade secret material, reviewing agreements containing IP provisions, and counseling on contract and technology transfer IP matters such as rights in inventions, patents, trade secrets, technical data rights, and computer software. The successful candidate will also work with inventors to identify patentable technology and useful trademarks, develop invention disclosures, and to draft high quality patent applications.
NRL compensation falls under a Personnel Management Demonstration Project. The Project uses Career Levels (aka pay bands) for pay setting. This position has a full performance level in the GS-15 range of the NO-V pay band, and will be filled at the NO-IV (GS-13 equivalent) or NO-V (GS-14 or GS-15 equivalent) level depending on the qualifications of the successful applicant. To be eligible for selection at the NO-IV level (GS-13 equivalent), the applicant must have in excess of two years of recent and relevant professional legal experience. To be eligible for selection at the NO-V level (GS-14 equivalent), the applicant must have at least three-and-one-half years of recent and relevant professional legal experience. To be eligible for selection at the NO-V level (GS-15 equivalent), the applicant must have at least five-and-one-half years of recent and relevant professional legal experience.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.
Education
The successful applicant must have graduated with a J.D. or LL.M. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, and be registered to practice and to prosecute patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The successful candidate must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college of university in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, immunology, cell biology, medical or biomedical physics, biomedical engineering, or biochemistry, or a related field. An advanced degree ( at least at the Master's degree level) in a biological, biochemical, chemical, biomedical, or fioengineering field of study from an accredited college or university or at least two years of experience as a research scientistic desired. but not mandatory.
Additional information
This is a public notice flyer to notify interested applicants of anticipated vacancies. Applications will not be accepted through this flyer. Interested applicants must follow the directions in the "How to Apply" section of this flyer to be considered. There may or may not be actual vacancies filled from this flyer. Notice of Result letters will not be sent to applicants who respond to this flyer.
This position is not covered by the Department of the Defense Priority Placement Program.
This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.
A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.
Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf.
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the following criteria.
1) The Depth, breadth, and quality of your experience in Intellectual Property Law, with an emphasis on supporting technical areas related to NRL's research.
2) Your recent and relevant experience preparing and prosecuting patent application before the USPTO.
3) Your research, analytical and communication skills (both oral and written)
4) Your interpersonal skills, including your ability to establish effective attorney-client and professional relationships, and
5) Your experience advising clients.
In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.
As vacancies occur, the Human Resources Office will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this flyer. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume, along with your supporting documentation.
If selected, you may be required to provide additional supporting documentation.
If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may be found ineligible/not qualified.
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
All qualification requirements must be met before being considered for any vacancies.
Required Documents
You must submit:
1) A cover letter that explanations why you are interested in and qualified for the position. A complete resume is required.
- If applicable, you must include any request for a relocation incentive or PCS funding in your cover letter.
2) A current resume, no more than two (2) pages in length, that shows relevant experience, including
- Job titles (with GSA level(s), if applicable)
- Dates of employment (month/year); and
- Bar membership, stating jurisdictions(s)
- USPTO registration number
3) Two brief legal writing samples (no more than ten (10) years old and no more than ten (10) pages each) that demonstrate analytical and advocacy abilities (excerpts of lengthier written work products are acceptable.)
4) Your two most recent performance evaluation (if unavailable, please explain).
5) The names, email addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three references, including a supervisor, who may be contacted.
6) Current and former Federal employees must also provide a copy of their most recent Standard Form- 50 (SF-50) showing title, series, grade, and current salary information (if unavailable, please explain). Do not submit SF-50s from performance awards.
Are you using education as a substitute for some or all of the experience requirement? Is there a basic education requirement for this position? Check the
Education section above to see what is allowed and what is required. Any claims you make in your resume regarding education or degrees MUST be supported by submitting with your application official or unofficial transcripts or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned issued from your school. While unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial application, an official transcript will ultimately be required if you are selected for the position. You may submit a copy of your degree(s) if specific coursework does not have to be verified.
Are you a veteran claiming veterans' preference?
There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must specifically claim such eligibility in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty") or other supporting documentrations to their submissions.
Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. (SF-15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at
www.opm.gov.)
Not all veterans are preference eligible. For a summary of time periods, campaigns, and conditions that entitle an applicant to preference eligibility, please visit
https://www.fedshirevets.gov/index.aspx,
https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/veterans, and see the Veterans' Preference Advisor, operated by the Department of Labor at
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/vets/vetpref/vetspref.htm.
Are you an active duty service member? Active Duty Service Members will be required to submit a statement of service printed on command letterhead and signed by the command during processing of any hiring action. The statement of service must provide the branch of service, rate/rank, all dates of service, the expected date of discharge and anticipated character of service (Honorable, General, etc.).
Application documents, including supplemental ones, may be shared outside the Human Resources Office. Supplemental documents may contain your SSN, DOB, or personal information of others (e.g., on military orders, marriage certificates). You may redact this information before submitting; however, if selected, you mustprovide unredacted originals.
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.