Paralegal Specialist

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center seeks a Paralegal Specialist to support its intellectual property team, including patent docket management, and to assist attorneys in ethics, employment, contracts, and related matters.

The role involves independent work across subject areas and litigation support as needed. Ideal candidates will have doctoral or equivalent qualifications and experience in law-related fields, with the ability to handle diverse legal tasks and coordinate with internal

Qualifications

• Specialized experience is required and is typically in or related to this line of work.
• Experience statements copied from other references are not acceptable and may disqualify you.

Responsibilities

• Manage the patent docket and provide patent-related paralegal support to attorneys.
• Provide litigation support and assist in other practice areas such as ethics, employment, contracts, and agreements.
• Work independently to support the intellectual property team and the enterprise legal organization.

Skills

Patent paralegal

Legal research

Case management

Administrative support

Education

PhD or equivalent

Graduate study toward PhD

LL.M., if related

Job description

As a Paralegal Specialist with the Marshall Space Flight Center's Office of the General Counsel, you will provide support as patent paralegal to the intellectual property team at MSFC and the enterprise legal organization. You will also provide paralegal support to attorneys in other practice areas such as ethics, employment, contracts, and agreements. You'll work independently to manage the patent docket, provide litigation support, and work other actions across subject matter areas.

Specialized experience is experience that has equipped you with the particular ability, skill, and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position and is typically in or related to this line of work.

To qualify for GS-11, you must have:

a) One year of directly related specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level:

• Supporting attorneys with a range of administrative, procedural, and case-management tasks across various areas of law, which may include matters related to domestic patent prosecution;
• Monitoring cases, files, and procedural requirements to ensure submissions are accurate, complete, and timely, while maintaining records with relevant authorities, such as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO);
• Using knowledge of commercial legal research tools to conduct legal research, compile relevant information, and provide attorneys with materials for review and decision-making across several areas of law.

b) Completed all requirements for a doctoral degree (i.e., Ph.D. or equivalent) in an appropriate field

c) Completed 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree in an appropriate field

d) LL.M., if related

e) Have an equivalent combination of experience and graduate study as discussed in a), b), c) and d) above

Your resume must include a clear and detailed narrative description, in your own words, of how you meet the required specialized experience. Experience statements copied from a position description, vacancy announcement or other reference material constitutes plagiarism and may result in disqualification and losing consideration for the job.

If you are applying at the GS-11 level and are a current federal employee, you must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible for this position. To be eligible, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks in a position no more than 2 grades lower than the advertised position. (Please submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. If your eligibility for both merit promotion and/or time-in-grade cannot be determined, your application will be rated ineligible.)

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across NASA within the local commuting area(s) of the location(s) identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) within NASA. CTAP/ICTAP will be cleared for any additional selection from this announcement.

Note: Time-in-grade requirements also apply to applicants who have held a non-temporary, competitive service GS position in the past year.

Probationary Period

You may be required to serve a one-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. If selected, the requirement to serve such period will be determined by Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 11.

In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.