Duties

You may telework from anywhere in the U.S. or work from the physical worksite which is located in Alexandria/Virginia.

Prior to the start date, you will be given the opportunity to elect to work from the Alexandria headquarters, from an alternate/home location within the United States (defined as the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico), or a combination of headquarters and alternate location. Your salary/pay will be based on your selected worksite geographical location. The nature and scope of telework opportunities will be subject to the unit's telework policy and any applicable bargaining unit agreements.

As an Attorney Advisor, you will:

• Be responsible for the complete ex parte examination of applications for the registration of trademarks to ensure compliance with the Trademark Act of 1946 and related statutes.
• Conduct preliminary review of applications which may pose complex factual and legal questions; analyze the record; evaluate facts; and determine questions of law.
• Recommend approval of a mark for publication for opposition or draft the final position of the Agency.
• Meet with counsel in order to resolve issues that arise during examination.
• Prepare cases for ex parte appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

These positions are projected to start in April 2023.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• You must be a United States Citizen or National.
• You must possess an ACTIVE bar membership of any state.
• You must possess a Law Degree.
• You are required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Suitable for Federal employment.
• You may be required to complete a two-year trial period.
• You must be suitable for Federal Employment.

Qualifications

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. USPTO sets minimum qualifications for attorney positions and sets forth these qualifications in each vacancy announcement.

To be eligible for this position, you must:

1. Be a U.S. Citizen or National.

2. Meet the following education requirement: possess Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or Masters of Laws (LL.M.) degree from an American Bar Association accredited law school.

3. Be an "active" member of the Bar in Good Standing of any state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution with your application by the closing of the vacancy announcement.

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

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

To meet minimum eligibility requirements for this position, applicants must possess at least a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree or Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA accredited law school.

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.

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

Applicants applying for this position must be a U.S. 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 Bargaining Unit position and represented by The National Treasury Employees Union, Chapter 245 (NTEU 245). Additional information about this bargaining unit may be obtained at http://www.nteu.org or by email to nteu245.tm.uspto@gmail.com .

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

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 .

Trial Period - If selected, you may be required to complete a two-year trial period.

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.

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).