Are you a motivated technical and legal expert and ready to showcase your skill set as you elevate in your career?
Are you looking to work with a diverse team of highly skilled attorneys?
If so, then look no further because this opportunity is waiting just for you! The USPTO is seeking a highly-motivated legal professional to join a dynamic and collaborative team in the Office of Policy and International Affairs and we're excited to meet you!
Summary
Are you a motivated technical and legal expert and ready to showcase your skill set as you elevate in your career?
Are you looking to work with a diverse team of highly skilled attorneys?
If so, then look no further because this opportunity is waiting just for you! The USPTO is seeking a highly-motivated legal professional to join a dynamic and collaborative team in the Office of Policy and International Affairs and we're excited to meet you!
As the Senior Level (Copyright) Attorney you will have the exciting opportunity to serve as a recognized copyright law and policy expert within the USPTO. This Senior Level Attorney position is located in the Office of Policy and International Affairs. In this significant role, you will lead the activities and initiatives of OPIA's Copyright team, provide expert advisory legal and technical opinions, and conduct policy studies on a wide range of complex copyright and related matters. Also, in this capacity you will have opportunities to review legislative proposals that have significant impacts on a variety of creative and entertainment industries, and to advise other departments and agencies of the United States Government on copyright policy matters.
This rewarding opportunity is ideal for you if:
You're committed to providing expert legal advice to senior USPTO, Department of Commerce, and Administration officials on domestic intellectual property policy with an emphasis on complex copyright policy and protection matters, and participating in interagency collaborative working groups;
You have a desire to serve as an expert on aspects of the creative, entertainment, and commercial information industries as they pertain to copyright policy and protection matters;
You have the ambition and ability to showcase your critical thinking skills when reviewing and advising on domestic legislation, on substantive copyright law and on administrative matters;
You're an effective writer and presenter;
You're excited at the prospect of working collaboratively with high-profile private sector groups, trade and bar associations, and others with an interest in copyright matters;
You have a strong interest and impulse to contribute in executive planning sessions and panels that establish policies and goals for the USPTO;
You have the desire and energy to assign work based on your careful assessments of team members' legal and technical skill levels, and you're committed to providing them with your input and expert advice;
You're dedicated to collaborating efficiently and effectively, while managing OPIA's diverse copyright team, which encompasses a wide range of initiatives;
You're motivated and eager to develop team action plans; manage work plans; set priorities and deadlines; assign work; provide advice on both substantive and administrative matters; evaluate performance; interview candidates for vacancies and recommend appointments, promotions, or reassignments; resolve complaints; effect minor disciplinary measures; and identify ways to improve the quality of the team's work.
Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov) Suitable for Federal employment.
If selected, you may be required to complete a two-year trial period.
Financial Disclosure Report (OGE-278) will be required upon appointment.
Qualifications
To meet the minimum requirements for this position, the candidate must demonstrate their experience in the narrative responses to the Professional Technical Qualifications. This specialized experience should also be reflected within the resume. This experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show that the candidate possesses the required professional/technical qualifications set forth below.
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.
Applicants are required to input narrative responses to the Professional/Technical Qualifications (PTQs) in the text boxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) that must be adhered to. Do not write "see resume". Uploaded documents addressing the PTQs will not be accepted.
For the following five PTQs, you are required to submit a narrative response addressing your specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that demonstrate your possession of these qualifications.
Professional Technical Qualifications:
Describe your expertise related to copyright law.
Describe your experience with the U.S. legislative process.
Describe your experience providing expert legal advice regarding copyright law and policy, including writing and reviewing complex legal documents.
Describe your demonstrated experience to effectively communicate with high-ranking officials both within and outside the federal government, including Members of Congress, international organizations, and stakeholders regarding highly complex and sensitive issues pertaining to domestic copyright law and policy.
Describe your experience in leadership positions and with managing resources in a technical, legal, or government organization.
Education
The candidate must have a law degree from an accredited law school program and must be a member of a bar in good standing, in the United States or a Territory of the United States.
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.
This is a Non Bargaining Unit position.
This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "high".
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.
Probationary Period: If selected, you may be required to serve a two-year 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.
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.
USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at http://www.uspto.gov/accommodation.
The Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended, requires senior officials in the executive, legislative and judicial branches to file public reports of their finances as well as other interests outside the Government. If selected for this position you will be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278). The OGE 278 is available to the public. The primary purpose of disclosure is to assist agencies in identifying potential conflicts of interest between a filer's official duties and the filer's private financial interests and affiliations.
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).
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.
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.
To be considered for this position, you must (1) demonstrate in your application package that you meet the experience as defined under the "Qualifications" section, (2) answer the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs), (3) submit a detailed resume that supports your answers to the PTQs and specialized experience.
Your responses to the PTQs and resume will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and/or a subject matter expert. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or for changing your scored responses to questions you've answered, which may affect your overall final score.
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).
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.
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.
A complete application consists of the following Supporting Documents:
A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications:
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 PTQs in the job announcement. Please Note: Responses to PTQ job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.
Narrative responses to the PTQs: Do not write "see resume". Applicants are required to input narrative responses in the textboxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) and must be adhered to. Uploading documents addressing the PTQs will not be accepted.
Transcript (s): You must submit copies of your law school transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable, however, if selected you will be required to furnish official transcripts.
Bar Membership Documentation: You must submit documentation 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.
Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50): Please submit a current SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee, that indicates federal status, grade, tenure, and type of service. Please redact your social security number and date of birth.
Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable: Attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the USPTO considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor consideration in the hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.
NOTE: Submit only the documents requested. Additional documents will not be reviewed by the rating panel.
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.
Your application and all required documentation must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date of this job announcement. Review your resume and responses carefully. Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your rating. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.
******If you are currently, or have been within the last five years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information in your application.
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.
EXRD - Office of Policy and International Affairs
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
US
Next steps
Candidates are evaluated by an executive rating panel based on the degree to which they meet the PTQs, and which considers the applicant's education, work-related experience, training, awards, and professional recognition, as set forth in the materials submitted by the candidates and placed in one of the pre-defined quality categories. These categories are "Highly Qualified", "Well Qualified" and "Qualified." Candidates placed in the "highest quality category" will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.
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.
The four points of notification are:
You will receive notification through USAJobs at each of the following points during the application process: (1) application received, (2) applicant assessed for qualifications, (3) applicant referred or not referred, and (4) applicant selected or not selected.
You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging in to 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 two weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
A complete application consists of the following Supporting Documents:
A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications:
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 PTQs in the job announcement. Please Note: Responses to PTQ job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your resume may result in adjustments to your rating.
Narrative responses to the PTQs: Do not write "see resume". Applicants are required to input narrative responses in the textboxes as prompted by USAJobs. Each PTQ has a 10,000-character limit (to include spaces) and must be adhered to. Uploading documents addressing the PTQs will not be accepted.
Transcript (s): You must submit copies of your law school transcripts for verification of the education requirements. Unofficial copies are acceptable, however, if selected you will be required to furnish official transcripts.
Bar Membership Documentation: You must submit documentation 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.
Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50): Please submit a current SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee, that indicates federal status, grade, tenure, and type of service. Please redact your social security number and date of birth.
Veterans' Preference Documentation, if applicable: Attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the USPTO considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor consideration in the hiring process. If you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other supporting documentation.
NOTE: Submit only the documents requested. Additional documents will not be reviewed by the rating panel.
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.
Your application and all required documentation must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date of this job announcement. Review your resume and responses carefully. Responses to job questions that are not fully supported by the information in your application package may result in adjustments to your rating. A Human Resources Representative will validate the qualifications of those candidates eligible to be referred to the hiring official.
******If you are currently, or have been within the last five years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information in your application.
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.
EXRD - Office of Policy and International Affairs
Office of Human Resources
Mail Stop 171
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
US
Next steps
Candidates are evaluated by an executive rating panel based on the degree to which they meet the PTQs, and which considers the applicant's education, work-related experience, training, awards, and professional recognition, as set forth in the materials submitted by the candidates and placed in one of the pre-defined quality categories. These categories are "Highly Qualified", "Well Qualified" and "Qualified." Candidates placed in the "highest quality category" will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.
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.
The four points of notification are:
You will receive notification through USAJobs at each of the following points during the application process: (1) application received, (2) applicant assessed for qualifications, (3) applicant referred or not referred, and (4) applicant selected or not selected.
You can check the status of your application by accessing the USAJOBS website at http://usajobs.gov/ and clicking on "Track Your Online Application." You may also sign up to receive automatic emails anytime the status of your application has changed by logging in to 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 two weeks after the closing date of this job announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
