General Attorney (Trademark Law)

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. Position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion.

This position is located in the Office of General the Counsel, Office of the Solicitor. As a Lead Attorney on a particular case or policy matter, this rewarding opportunity is the ideal next career step for you if: You are eager to defend decisions of the Director and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in federal district and appellate courts.

You thrive in preparing and filing amicus briefs on behalf of the Director on issues of importance to the development of trademark law. You are committed to coordinating with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice to assist the Solicitor General in intellectual property cases before the United States Supreme Court.

You're excited about managing all aspects of litigations and appeals, including case strategy, motions practice, oral arguments, written discovery, depositions, and trial.

You thrive providing legal and policy advice to senior management and other offices within the Agency on trademark, copyright, ethics and disciplinary matters, including rulemaking, procedures, and proposed legislation. You are confident handling trademark clearance and enforcement matters.

You are eager to assist the Deputy General Counsel and the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline in prosecuting practitioners charged with misconduct before an Administrative Judge (and, if necessary, defending those decisions in federal court).

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be serving in a position in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service. You will obtain competitive status after two years of service in this position [if applicable]. Your employment in this position will be at-will.

Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) appeals of adverse actions concerning performance, discipline, and other matters arising under chapters 23, 43, and 75 of title 5, U.S.C will not be available to an individual serving in this position.

Prohibitions on prohibited personnel practices will be enforced by the Office of General Counsel [or agency equivalent position] and not the Office of Special Counsel.

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.

OPM Qualifications Standards are available at OPM Website. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped applicants with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform 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 one full year (52 weeks) at the next lower grade level in the federal service. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-14.

Qualified applicants should possess both specialized experience and professional/legal experience as listed below: Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience drafting pleadings, briefs, and/or legal opinions in the area of trademark law; and Experience conducting legal research and drafting written work product analyzing complex and difficult legal, factual, or policy issues in the area of trademark law.

AND Applicants must possess a minimum of four (4) years of professional law/legal experience, post J.D. as described below: Professional Legal/Law Experience is defined as having experience including judicial clerkship(s), in the area of Trademark litigation.

Trademark litigation includes federal district court trademark cases, trademark appeals to the U.S. federal courts of appeal, and trial proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

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.