USPTO Law Extern

Department of Commerce

Patent and Trademark Office

Multiple Business Units

Summary

This is an unpaid Law Extern position under the USPTO Law Extern Program. This program provides talented law school students with unique opportunities to gain valuable skills and professional experience. Join us to learn more about various career paths at the USPTO. For more information about the USPTO, please visit the USPTO Careers Website.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Candidates must be currently enrolled in a law degree program and seeking a degree in a qualifying education institution on a half- to full-time basis. Enrollment must be with an accredited educational institution. Students must be in good academic standing.

Duties

This exciting opportunity is available for law school students during the Fall 2026 academic term (September through December). Some things you should know:

This position may provide support to one of the following USPTO business units: the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Policy and Internal Affairs, the Patent and Trial Appeal Board, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, Patents or Trademarks.
The duties assigned to this position are authorized to be performed in the United States (currently defined as the fifty states and the District of Columbia) and Puerto Rico.
This position operates under a flexible hybrid remote/telework model, allowing law externs to complete the majority of their legal research and support work from their home campuses, with occasional in-person visits to the Alexandria campus as needed.

Apply quickly! This announcement is limited to the first 200 applications received. If the application limit is not reached by the closing date of the announcement, all applications received during the open period will be considered.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
Meet educational requirement.
Must be currently enrolled as a law school student with a 2.75 or higher-grade point average.
Must be in good academic standing.

Qualifications

To be eligible for this position, you must: (1) be a U.S. Citizen or National; (2) currently enrolled in law school as a 1st, 2nd or 3rd year law student with at least a 2.75 grade point average -- 1st year law students must have completed one semester; (3) be in good academic standing.

The ideal candidates should possess experience that includes performing legal research; and/or the ability to interpret, analyze various issues/matters; and/or strong oral and written communication skills.

If selected, the above eligibility requirements must be maintained throughout the period of employment.

All education beyond high school must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Education

Education: You must be enrolled in an accredited law school and taking at least a half-time academic course load. The definition of half-time is the definition provided by the school in which you are enrolled.

Students must be in good academic standing GPA of 2.75 or higher.

If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to General Schedule Qualification Policies for more information. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

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 can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. 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.

NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website.

Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "LOW".

All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at USPTO Reasonable Accommodation.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation), national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, retaliation for engaging in protected activity, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act. Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity via email (oeeo@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292).

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.

There is no testing or rating of applicants for this program. Eligibility for appointment is based on applicants meeting the basic requirements for the position as documented in the resume and transcripts.

A HR Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.

If you are determined to be qualified, you will be contacted via email and may be invited for an interview.

Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for immediate dismissal.

Please click the link below to preview the Assessment Questionnaire:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13001893

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).

Required Documents

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 (if applicable). We'll notify you before contacting them.
Transcripts and an Official Letter for Proof of Enrollment for the upcoming semester at a qualifying educational institution: You MUST submit copies of your college transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable when submitting your application package. However, if selected you will be required to furnish official transcripts. Also, proof of enrollment is required upon selection for the externship. 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.

Please Note: A HR Representative will validate the eligibility of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.

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.

How to Apply

You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement.

If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account, you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying. You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page. Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page. You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration.

To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http://www.usajobs.gov/ and click on "Applications." Click on the position title, then select "Update Application."

If you experience any difficulties with the application site, help is available! OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance.

All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy. Examples of PII include: date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth.

Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.

Agency contact information

Alicia Matute

Phone: 571-270-0483
Email: alicia.matute@uspto.gov

Address: TMCO - Office of Human Resources
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
US

Next steps

You will receive a notice generated by the USAJobs System when you have successfully submitted your application.

You will be notified of your application status through USAJOBS at four points during the hiring process, as applicable. You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." The four points of notification are:

1. Application Received or Application Incomplete;
2. Minimum Qualification Requirement Met or Minimum Qualification Requirement Not Met;
3. Eligible (Application Referred to the Selecting Official) or Eligible (Application Not Referred to the Selecting Official); and
4. Selected or Not Selected

After all application packages have been received, we will review your application and transcript(s) (if you are qualifying based on education) to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. We will evaluate each applicant who meets the basic qualifications on the information provided and you may be contacted for follow-up supplemental documentation. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide any supplemental documents or information requested by the Office of Human Resources within the allocated timeframes.

You will be required to submit official documentation prior to appointment. The agency will then verify the information provided on your application (i.e., degree, veterans' preference, disability, etc.). You can check the status of your application by logging into USAJOBS. You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging into your USAJobs Account, editing your profile and changing the "Notification Settings" to indicate that you want to be notified by email when the status changes. Information regarding the status of your application should be updated in the system within 2 weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.

USPTO Law Extern Job in Alexandria, VA