Summary
This position is located in the Office of Unfair Import Investigations (OUII). The incumbent of this position serves as a Supervisory Attorney (Investigative) and provides day-to-day supervision of investigative attorneys and support staff in all investigations and ancillary proceedings under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. § 1337, and Section 603 of the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. § 2482.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
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 or education 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 supervisory attorney in the Office of Unfair Import Investigations, the candidate will be responsible for supervising, assisting, and advising on interesting, challenging and complex litigation cases primarily involving patent infringement and other unfair acts in import trade.
As a Supervisory Attorney (Investigative), the candidate will provide expertise in proceedings pertaining to intellectual property rights (particularly patents) and unfair methods of competition under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended; represent the public in Section 337 investigations and ancillary proceedings, including supervising attorneys appearing before administrative law judges in the hearings of such cases; supervising investigations of alleged violations of Section 337 by evaluating the legal and factual bases for allegations made in investigations, advising and assisting participation in discovery, including depositions and pre-trial proceedings involving expert witnesses, and assisting and advising in motions practice and briefing before an administrative law judge and the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Major Duties:
- Provides expertise in litigation and supervises proceedings conducted under section 337 pertaining to intellectual property rights (mainly patents) or other unfair methods of competition.
- Supervises and advises general attorneys (investigate) in defining and defending the interests and legal positions as an independent party against the other parties before the Administrative Law Judges and the Commission, including preparing positions on the issues as they arise during cases, planning and implementing a discovery strategy, preparing for depositions and for preliminary and trial hearings, and preparing for oral arguments.
- Investigates and litigates legal and factual allegations made in section 337 investigations, by participating in discovery, including depositions and pre-trial proceedings involving expert witnesses; and participating in motions practice and briefing before administrative law judges and the United States International Trade Commission or district courts.
- Provides expert advice and counsel, as appropriate, for activities assigned to the office relating to section 337, including rulemaking, assisting the Trade Remedy Assistance Office in providing information to small businesses and members of the public, and provide information to federal agencies and the public regarding the Commission's mission for the purpose of imparting relevant information about Commission programs.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. citizen or national.
- You will be required to successfully complete a background investigation.
- You are required to serve a one-year supervisory probation period.
- You must provide proof of your Bar membership.
- You are required to register for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/03/1959.
- You may be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement.
- You may be required to serve a two-year probationary period.
- 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.
To be hired as an Attorney with USITC, 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 basic qualification requirements above, applicants must meet the specialized experience below.
For the GS-15, you must 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 in 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.
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.
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 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.
Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
- Administrative Law
- Legal Analysis and Litigation
- Managing People
- Oral Communication
- Writing
Names of the candidates will be sent first to the hiring manager for employment consideration.
Your experience and education is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12398546
Required Documents
To receive consideration, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified below by 11:59 PM ET 06/03/2024.
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. Proof of Bar Membership: Documentation must show 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 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.???????
5. 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.
6. 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.
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 06/03/2024 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 12398546.
Next steps
You will receive an auto-generated e-mail from USAJOBS informing you of the receipt of your application. After the closing date of the announcement, your application package will be reviewed by the Human Resources Office for completeness and satisfaction of the basic qualification requirements for this position. Applicants who have complete applications and meet the qualification requirement are referred to the hiring official in accordance with the process outlined in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement.
Your application may also be reviewed by Subject Matter Expert(s). If you are selected for an interview, you can expect a structured interview process, which may include a meeting with 2 to 4 Commission staff members. You may also be subject to additional assessments during the selection process (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, etc.).
We appreciate your interest in the Commission and commit to keeping you informed on the status of your application. You will be notified of the following major milestones:
- Receipt of your application;
- Determination whether your application shows you meet the minimum qualifications for the position;
- Determination whether your application was in the group for referral to the hiring official; and
- The final outcome of the vacancy.
These notices will be emailed and posted directly on your USAJOBS account.
You can always check the status of your application as the recruitment process moves along by:
1. Logging into your USAJOBS account;
2. Selecting Application Status; and
3. Reviewing the Status column.
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