Duties

Summary

Come work for the USPTO, we have been ranked as one of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government®! The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been serving the economic interests of America for more than 200 years. We are responsible for granting US intellectual property rights for patents and trademarks. The USPTO is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, and has over 12,000 employees. For more information about the USPTO, please visit the USPTO Careers Website .

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS WHEN APPLYING TO THIS VACANCY:

When answering the "ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS", PLEASE SELECT "CAREER OR CAREER-CONDITIONAL" - DO NOT SELECT EXCEPTED SERVICE.

The Supervisory Senior Attorney has the full range of supervisory responsibility for a staff of twenty to thirty GS-11 to GS-14 attorney advisors. The incumbent of this position will serve as the Senior Attorney for one of the law offices in the Trademark Examining Operation (TMEO), assisting the managing attorney in supervising a trademark law office. The incumbent will be responsible for:

• Managing all aspects of the trademark examining law office which includes establishing operating guidelines to implement policies and procedures, methods and other work-related changes in the law office;
• Providing advice, counsel, or instruction to individual employees on the most difficult professional and legal questions as well as administrative matters;
• Planning work to be done by the unit in the development of new, and maintenance of existing office goals and for setting priorities and preparing schedules for completion of work;
• Examining the most complex applications for trademarks that involve new or novel questions of law, great economic impact, and distinguished legal adversaries;
• Participating in legal policy development and recommending actions to improve operations to meet Agency goals; and
• Developing and implementing training programs for new attorneys

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
Yes

Promotion Potential
15

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• You must meet the definition of professional and specialized experience.
• You must possess a Law Degree and an active bar membership of any state.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov)

See Key Requirements.

These positions are located in the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, Trademark Examining Operation. The incumbent of this position will serve as the Supervisory Senior Attorney for one of the law offices in the Trademark Examining Operation (TMEO). Primarily, responsibility will be in providing advice, counsel, and/or instruction to the attorney advisors in the law office(s) on the most difficult legal questions that arise during examination, as well as assisting the managing attorney with managerial matters.

The work location for these positions is on-site at the USPTO Campus (Alexandria, VA).

Qualifications

You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM Website .

To be eligible for this position, you must:

1. Be a U.S. Citizen or National

2. Meet the following education requirements: possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or Master of Laws (LL.M.) from an accredited law school.

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

4. Meet the Professional Legal Experience described as:

Experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled in the area of Trademark Law. This experience is characterized by breadth and depth of experience in rendering professional legal advice and services with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters falling within the purview of a Federal government agency, private sector, law firm, or other organization; preparing interpretative and administrative orders, rules, or regulations to give effect to the provisions of governing statutes or other requirements of law; drafting, negotiating, or examining contracts or other legal documents; drafting, preparing formal comments, or making substantive recommendations regarding proposed legislation; editing and preparing for publication statutes enacted by Congress and opinions or decisions of a court, commission, or board; drafting and reviewing decisions for consideration and adoption by an organization or official; conducting investigations to obtain facts; determines questions of law; studies, analyzes and evaluates legal precedents, to present findings. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and may involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization.

Applicants applying at the GS-14 Grade level must possess 3 years Professional experience.

Applicants applying at the GS-15 Grade level must possess 4 years Professional experience.

Specialized Experience: is experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

In addition to the Professional experience described above, qualified candidates should possess one year experience as follows:

At the GS-14 grade level applicants must have at least 52 weeks specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-13) grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for the GS-14 is examining trademark applications in all international classes at the highest level of difficulty.

At the GS-15 grade level applicants must have at least 52 weeks specialized experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-14) grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience for the GS-15 is examining trademark applications in all international classes at the highest level of difficulty; and supervisory experience providing advice, counsel, and/or instruction to the attorney advisors in the law offices on the most difficult legal questions that arise during examination.

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 or Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.

Additional information

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

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 "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 .

Supervisory Probationary Period- If selected, you may be required to complete an initial one-year supervisory probationary 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.

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).

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume along with your supporting documentation to determine your qualifications.

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).
To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

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

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

A complete application consists of:

1. 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 job titles, salary, employment dates, duties and accomplishments, experience and how it relates to the professional and specialized experience in the job announcement.

Please Note: Any experience claimed in a cover letter should be substantiated by information contained in your resume. A Human Resources representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.

2. Bar Membership Documentation: You May be asked tosubmit documentation at a later time showing that you are 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.

Supporting documents that may be requested of applicants after the closing date of this announcement are:

1. Writing Samples - You MAY be asked to submit a writing samples (Do not provide at the time of applying).

2. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - For current and/or former Federal employees, your status eligibility and highest permanent grade/step/salary held in the Federal service will be validated with a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action".

3. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) documentation (if applicable): Applicants will be asked to submit: (1) A copy of your specific RIF notice, written notice of your expected separation or other documentation of priority consideration status; (2) A copy of your latest SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location; (3) A copy of your last performance appraisal; and (4) Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.

You can choose ONE of the following methods to submit Supporting Documents: 1) You can upload your documents when you register or update your information on the Department of Commerce application site which you access through the USAJobs site. OR 2) You can fax your documents to 571-258-4254 using the system generated fax cover sheet.

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.