Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Office of the General Counsel. The incumbent serves as an Attorney Advisor for intellectual property and unfair trade practices investigations under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and is responsible for assisting in the carrying out of functions assigned in support of the Commission mission.
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Responsibilities

As an Attorney Advisor, you will primarily:

• Provide legal services in intellectual property-based and other types of unfair trade investigations conducted under the authority of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, including the preparation of memoranda and draft opinions that need little revision or editing;
• Handle the most complex matters in the office while providing legal expertise in the preparation and presentation of Section 337 investigations, in the development of procedures and regulations implementing new or revised legislation, in the development and drafting of agency decisions, and in defense of agency decisions;
• Provide legal services in support of the Commission's requirements for both complex and routine litigation; and
• Present oral argument in litigation matters before courts. Litigation services involve a sophisticated knowledge of laws concerning intellectual property and Section 337, as well as the ability to do an in-depth analysis of law and facts in order to develop litigation strategies for the protection of the Commission's interests.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen or national
• You will be required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check
• You may be required to serve a two-year probationary period
• You are required to register for Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/03/59
• You will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement
• You must provide proof of your Bar membership

Qualifications

You must meet all the requirements below by the closing date of the announcement and they must be clearly identified in your application, resume, or supporting documents. This includes any general and specialized experience, education, and/or selective placement factors mentioned. These are used to determine if you possess the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities to successfully perform in this position.

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

To be hired as an Attorney Advisor with us, 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.

You will be required to submit proof of your Bar membership as part of your application package to show that you meet this requirement. Any offer is contingent on receipt of a letter or certificate of good standing for each bar of which the applicant is an active member dated within 30 days of any offer.

IN ADDITION to meeting the requirements above, you must meet the specific and/or specialized experience below:

To qualify at the GS-14 level, have at least one (1) year of experience which provided the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience consists of the following:

• district court practice and/or appellate litigation concerning intellectual property;
• unfair trade investigations conducted under the authority of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930; and/or
• experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations.

OR one (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law; AND three (3) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; conducting legal research and preparing legal documents; developing research strategies for complex legal issues; writing complex documents such as briefs, issue papers, orders, rulemaking items, and report summaries with analyses and recommendations (writing sample may be required during the second level review); making oral presentations, communicating legal research results, and defending legal positions; and experience providing legal guidance to attorneys and other professionals related to the USITC.

To qualify at the GS-15 level, at least one (1) year of experience which provided the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience consists of the following:

• district court practice and/or appellate litigation concerning intellectual property;
• unfair trade investigations conducted under the authority of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930; and/or
• experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations;

OR one year (1) of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law; AND four (4) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; overseeing and/or leading others in analyzing complex issues affecting federal regulatory matters and questions of law and fact and rendering opinions on such issues; directing and conducting in-depth, complex legal research on authorities and precedents on points of law; reviewing and analyzing pleadings and other position papers on controversial and complex issues; writing and directing others in writing detailed and complex documents including briefs, issue papers, reports, policy statements, and summaries with recommendations or conclusions (writing sample may be required during the second level review); and providing legal guidance to attorneys and other professionals related to the USITC.

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.

Preferred undergraduate technical degree (at least a bachelor's degree in an engineering or hard science discipline).

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.

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.

Additional information

Surplus or Displaced Federal Employees: The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Programs are available to federal employees that qualify. Those eligible for these programs are granted special priority selection rights. To be considered, you must be deemed well-qualified by receiving a score of 85 or higher. If you are a federal employee claiming CTAP/ICTAP, you must provide the documents listed under the Required Documents section to verify your eligibility. Also, you must indicate in your application that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible. For additional information regarding CTAP/ICTAP, please visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Excepted Service Appointments: This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer rights to permanent Civil Service status.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you are registered with the Selective Service or are exempt under Selective Service regulations. For additional information concerning Selective Service requirements, please visit http://www.sss.gov/.

Cover page to fax paper application: OPM Form 1203fx: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/opm1203fx.pdf

Self-assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10596224

Vacancy ID number: EX-19-103-RJ

Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the contact listed on the vacancy announcement. The decision to grant a reasonable accommodation is made on a case-by-case basis.

Verification of information: Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials, employment history, etc., will be verified as part of the security clearance process.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

The self-assessment questions are related to the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies (KSA's). You do not have to respond to the KSA's.

LEGAL ANALYSIS

INVESTIGATION AND LEGAL REVIEW

ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

We will evaluate your relevant education and/or work experience as they relate to the competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) mentioned above. If you rate yourself higher than is supported by your application materials, your responses may be adjusted and/or you may be excluded from consideration for this job. Based on the results of this evaluation, you will be placed in one of the following categories:

Best: Placement in this category indicates you have the type and quality of experience and/or education that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including any selective placement factors and/or appropriate quality ranking factor(s).

Better: Placement in this category indicates you have the type and quality of experience and/or education that exceed the minimum qualifications of the position.

Good: Placement in this category indicates you meet the minimum qualifications and/or education of the position and are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the position. You may require extensive training and/or orientation in order to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position.

Candidates in the Best category will be the first ones sent to the hiring manager for interview consideration.

Your resume, and supporting documentation for education, should contain sufficient information for us to make a valid determination that you fully meet the qualification requirements for this vacancy. We do not make inferences and can only consider the information you provide to us. Insufficient resumes and application packages will result in loss of consideration.

Your experience and education is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10596224

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Secret

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To receive consideration, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified below by 09/20/2019.

1. Resume: Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience(s) 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.

2. Self-assessment 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.

5. Cover Letter: This is optional.

6. SF-50: Current and former federal employees must submit a copy of an SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," which documents your highest permanent grade/step/salary held. Award SF-50s typically don't contain your grade/step/salary.

7. Performance Appraisal: Current or former federal employees must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal dated within 18 months. If you do not have one, you must submit a statement.

8. 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.