General Attorney (Trademark Law)

USPTO; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, VA seeks a Lead Attorney to defend decisions of the Director and TTAB in federal courts, manage all aspects of trademark litigation, and provide legal and policy advice across the Agency. You will brief and argue cases before the federal courts and collaborate with senior officials on strategic IP matters. Requirements include a J.D.

or LL.M. from an ABA-accredited law school and active Bar membership.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience in trademark litigation and federal court proceedings.
• Experience drafting pleadings, briefs, and legal opinions in trademark law.
• Active bar membership and ability to practice in a U.S. jurisdiction.

Responsibilities

• Defend decisions of the Director and TTAB in federal courts.
• Prepare and file amicus briefs on trademark law issues.
• Coordinate with Commerce and Justice departments on IP cases.
• Manage all aspects of litigations and appeals, incl. strategy and discovery.

Skills

Trademark litigation

Legal writing

Legal research

Oral advocacy

Policy analysis

Education

J.D. or LL.M. from ABA-accredited law school

Job description

Looking for the next step in your legal career? Join us at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)—America's Innovation Agency! The Office of the Solicitor acts as litigation counsel for the USPTO on intellectual property law matters and also works in collaboration with the Department of Commerce on interagency intellectual property law matters. The incumbent will have opportunities to brief and argue cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as manage and participate in litigation in other federal courts. The work is challenging, and the atmosphere is professional and collegial.

Duties

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.

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. 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.

Education

You must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or Master of Laws (L.L.M) degree from an American Bar Association accredited law school and 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.

If this position requires proof of higher education, or you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. Please refer to General Schedule Qualification Policies for more information. You are not required to submit official documents at this time; copies are sufficient.

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 can perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. 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.

Conditions of employment

Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals and your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies. If selected, you will be required to pass a background investigation.

The full list of conditions and qualifications can be found on the USAJOBS posting.

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 sexual orientation), national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, retaliation for engaging in protected activity, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.