TRAVEL REQUIRED:

Occasional travel - 15% or less

RELOCATION AUTHORIZED:
Relocation expenses reimbursed No

KEY REQUIREMENTS:
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You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

You must meet the definition of professional specialized experience.

Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.

Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)

Confidential Financial Disclosure filing is required for this positon.

You must be a current member of the Bar in Good Standing of any state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any U.S. territory.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not issued qualification standards for Attorney positions. However, the agency sets minimum qualifications for Attorney positions and sets forth these qualification for each vacancy announcement. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement.

To be eligible for this position, you must:

1. Be a current member of the Bar in Good Standing of any state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any U.S. territory.
2. Be Suitable for Federal employment.

In addition to the eligibility requirement listed above, you must have:

PROFESSIONAL SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

Professional specialized experience is legal experience, post J.D., that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled.

GS-15

Applicants must have at least four (4) years of post J.D. professional specialized experience in litigation matters. Litigation experience in the area of attorney ethics and disciplinary enforcement is preferred. Possess experience in: (1) drafting motions and other litigation documents; (2) taking and defending depositions; (3) conducting hearings or trials before a judge or jury; and/or (4) negotiating settlements.

Familiarity with the rules applicable to practice before the USPTO, and a working knowledge of the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct is preferred but not required.

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 Requirement:  Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degree from an ABA accredited law school. 

Applicants applying for this position must be a United States Citizen or National. 

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.

This is a Non Bargaining Unit position.

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of “high”. 

This position requires a Financial OF-450 Disclosure.  For more information on 450 filing, please visit:  https://www.oge.gov

If selected, you will be required to complete a two (2) year trial period.

Telework Eligibility is available as determined by agency policy.

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.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

Individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) will be eligible if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management’s Career Transition Resources website 

CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the ‘Required Documents’ section of this announcement.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within 90 days from the date the certificate was issued.

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

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 pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, 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 & Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.gov) or phone (571-272-8292). 

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You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your eligibility for consideration and qualifications for the position will be determined based upon a review of your detailed resume.

Your resume and any other supporting documentation will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you.

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).

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Read more Security clearance Other

Drug test required No