ATTORNEY-ADVISOR (CONTRACT)

About the role

The primary purpose of this position is to provide members of the Secretariat, Air Staff, Assistant Secretary (Acquisition), PEOs and field level offices with actionable, candid, and independent legal advice and counsel, effective advocacy, and creative problem solving, on all matters pertaining to government procurement law (acquisition planning, source selection, and contract administration issues).

What you will do

• Responsible for carrying out matters pertaining primarily to trademark law, with a particular focus on trademark prosecution, licensing, and branding with skill at defending Air Force interests in these areas.
• Responsible for representing the Department of the Air Force before the United States Patent and Trademark Office concerning Trademark matters.
• Responsible for drafting and negotiating a wide variety of agreements including those relating to marketing, merchandising, and content licensing concerning the use of Air Force trademarks.
• Responsible for drafting and negotiating trademark license agreements between the Air Force and commercial vendors.
• Responsible for assessing, investigating, and developing strategies for cease and desist letters, domain name proceedings, online marketplace takedowns, opposition and cancellation proceedings (both offensive and defensive) before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), and other trademark enforcement activities.
• Acts as a trademark subject matter expert for pre-litigation enforcement matters for the Department of the Air Force.
• As assigned and without direct supervision, accomplishes specialized projects, which require an exceptionally high level of legal training and experience.
• Such projects may involve participation in Air Force or inter-Air Force working groups and may require field trips to military installations and other locations.
• Represents the office of the General Counsel and/or the Air Force in conferences with senior representatives of DoD and other defense agencies and military departments, other government agencies, and private industry on matters of interest to the Air Force.
• Prepares and presents speeches in various AF operating offices and legal educational seminars.

Education

Must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and be currently licensed as an attorney, in active (or equivalent) status and in good standing, with the bar of a U.S. state, territory, or commonwealth.

The attorney must maintain such bar membership in at least one jurisdiction during the entire course of employment with the Air Force.

How you will be evaluated

Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The resume/documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job. Applications who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.

Documents you must provide

• The following documents are required and must be provided with your application.
• Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration.
• Other documents may be required based on the eligibility/eligibilities you are claiming.
• Click here to view the AF Civilian Employment Eligibility Guide and the required documents you must submit to substantiate the eligibilities you are claiming.
• Online Application: Questionnaire Resume: Your resume may NOT exceed two pages, and the font size should not be smaller than 10 pts.
• You will not be considered for this vacancy if your resume is illegible/unreadable.
• Additional information on resume requirements can be located under "How To Apply".
• License: At the time of application, you must provide proof, dated within four months of application, of "active" status with a bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia.
• On-line information is allowed as long as it shows that you are in "active" status.
• ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS: The VOW Act requires federal agencies to treat an eligible active duty service member as a veteran, disabled veteran, and preference eligible (as applicable) when applying for civil service positions before the effective release or discharge date.
• Appointment of military members before the release or discharge date is permissible if the member is on terminal leave.
• At the time the active duty member applies for a civil position, he or she must submit a "certification" memo in lieu of a DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
• The certification memo must originate from the member's military service branch on official letterhead and contain the following: Name/Rank/Grade of Service Member Branch of Armed Forces Dates of Active Service (Start and End Date(s) Expected Date of Discharge/Release from Active Duty Terminal leave start date (if applicable) Expected character of service/discharge (honorable/general) and type of separation (i.e. separation or retirement) Must be certified within 120 days of anticipated discharge Signature by, or by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, unit commander, or higher headquarters commander NOTE: The VOW Act provides tentative preference.
• If appointed, a DD Form 214 must be submitted upon receipt.
• NOTICE OF VETERANS' PREFERENCE: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Defense considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor for attorney hiring.
• Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation to their submissions.
• Although the point-preference system is not used, applicants eligible to claim Veterans Preference must submit VOW certification memo or copy of the official DD Form 214, which must include the character of service, and a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed.
• (SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preference and the required supporting documents, is available from the Office of Personnel Management Website at ***) NOTE: Applicants for attorney appointments do not require veterans' preference in order to be eligible for consideration.

What to expect next

Once your application package is received an acknowledgement email will be sent. After a review of your complete application is made you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application.

Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility and qualifications for consideration. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.

To check the status of your application or return to a previous or incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account, select My Applications, and click on the more information link under the application status for this position. If you do not provide an email address, you are responsible for checking status updates and notifications in USAJOBS.

Hard copy notifications will not be sent to you.

Additional information

This is an acquisition demonstration project position NH-04 equivalent to a GS-14 to GS-15. Employed Annuitants (Reemployed Annuitants): Applicants in receipt of an annuity based on civilian employment in the Federal Service are subject to the DoD Policy on The Employment of Annuitants. Click here for more information.

Writing Example: Prior to receiving an offer, you will be asked to provide a writing sample demonstrating your legal analytical skills. 120-Day Register: This announcement may result in a 120-day register that may be used to fill like vacancies for 120 days after the closing date. Applicants may be referred for consideration as vacancies occur.

Direct Deposit: All federal employees are required to have direct deposit. Incentives: Recruitment and/or retention incentives may or may not be used. Disabled veteran leave is available to a Federal employee hired on/after 5 Nov 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more.

For more information, click here. If you have questions regarding this announcement and have hearing or speech difficulties click here.