Attorney Advisor (Section 337)

About the role

The U.S. International Trade Commission is an independent Federal agency that provides the President and Congress with high-quality analysis and technical support on international trade, tariff and competitiveness issues; investigates and makes determinations in proceedings involving imports claimed to injure a domestic industry or violate U.S. intellectual property rights; and maintains the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.

What you will do

• The Office of Commissioner Peter-Anthony Pappas seeks a candidate who is thorough and detail-oriented, with experience in patents and the other substantive areas of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S. § 1337).
• The candidate would possess superior writing, communication, and organizational skills, and the ability to handle large volumes of information with attention to detail, and with minimal supervision.
• As an Attorney Advisor (337) you will: Provide analysis and advice related to investigations pertaining to intellectual property rights and unfair methods of competition brought under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930; Prepare the Commissioner for hearings, briefings, votes, and other proceedings through concise written and oral briefings, questions, and recommendations; Draft and review Commission opinions, memoranda, statements, questions, and other legal documents; Review briefs, patents, decisions, hearing transcripts and other investigation-related documents and evidence in assigned cases under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
• Preferred Experience: Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
• Please provide your USPTO registration number in your resume.
• Experience with litigation matters under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
• NOTE: THIS POSITION WILL BE FILLED USING THE SCHEDULE C HIRING AUTHORITY.
• AGENCIES MAY SEPARATE SCHEDULE C APPOINTEES AT ANY TIME IF THE CONFIDENTIAL OR POLICY-DETERMINING RELATIONSHIP ENDS BETWEEN THE INCUMBENT AND THEIR SUPERVISOR.
• SCHEDULE C APPOINTEES ARE NOT COVERED BY STATUTORY REMOVAL PROCEDURES AND GENERALLY HAVE NO RIGHTS TO APPEAL REMOVAL ACTIONS TO THE MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD.

Education

Education Requirement: All applicants must possess a first professional law degree: J.D. or LL.B from an American Bar Association Law School, or equivalent training. Equivalent training is training permitted in some states in lieu of attendance at a law school. To be acceptable, this training must be of the kind and nature required by the state in which the bar exam is taken.

A copy of your transcript(s) is required to show proof that you meet this requirement. Please see the Required Documents section of the announcement for more specific information. Submit a copy of your transcript(s) or list of courses with credit hours, major(s) and grade-point average or class ranking.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Click on the link for a list of accredited organizations recognized as specializing in interpretation of foreign education credentials: ***

How you will be evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: LEGAL KNOWLEDGE LEGAL ANALYSIS AND REVIEW ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION BASIS OF RATING: You resume will be evaluated by a Subject Matter Expert Panel (SME).Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant work experience(s) and education (if applicable) as it relates to this job opportunity.

In order to fully evaluate your application and receive proper credit, your resume should include: (1) paid and non-paid experience, job title, dates held (month and year for qualifying purposes to receive credit), number of hours worked per week, and salary (2) knowledge of the subject matter and technical skills pertinent to this position; (3) specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work; and (4) names and phone numbers of your current and/or previous supervisor(s).

Your resume and supporting documentation should contain sufficient information for us to make a valid determination that you fully meet the qualification requirements for this vacancy. We do not make inferences and can only consider the information that you provide to us. Insufficient resumes and application packages will result in loss of consideration.

Your experience and education is also evaluated using an assessment questionnaire, which is available at the following link: ***

Documents you must provide

• Your resume may be in any written format you choose.
• To be sufficient, it should contain the required information as specified in the How You Will Be Evaluated section.
• Insufficient resumes, or resumes that contain inappropriate information, such as privacy information or photographs, will result in an ineligible rating.
• Self-Assessment Questionnaire: You must submit a completed job-specific self-assessment questionnaire through your Application Manager account.
• Proof of Bar Membership: You must provide documentation that you are a member of the Bar of a state, territory or commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia.
• If you are made an offer, you must submit a Certificate of Good Standing dated within 30 days of the offer.
• Transcripts: You must submit a copy of your transcript(s), as specified under the Education section of this announcement.
• Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application purposes, provided they show your classes, grades, dates of attendance and award of any degree.
• If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.
• Writing Sample: You must submit a legal writing sample that is at least 3, and no more than 10, pages in length.
• Excerpts of larger documents are acceptable.
• Samples that have not been edited by others are preferred.
• You must indicate whether the sample(s) is unedited or the degree to which it has been edited by others.
• You must also make appropriate redactions.
• SF-50: If you are a current or former federal employee, you must submit a copy of an SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action," which documents your highest permanent grade/step/salary held.
• Performance Appraisal: If you are a current or former federal employee, you must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal dated within 18 months.
• If you do not have one, you must submit an explanatory statement.
• Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney positions, which are in the excepted service; however, the Commission considers veterans' preference eligibility a positive factor in the hiring of all positions.
• Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include such information in their cover letter, or resume, and submit supporting documents (e.g. DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active duty) as part of their application package.
• Although the point preference system is not used as in the competitive service, applicants eligible to claim a 10-point preference must submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15), and documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed, as listed on the SF-15.
• Specific information is available on the Office of Personnel Management website at: ***

What to expect next

Once the online questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.

To check the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status, and click on the More Information link under the application status for this position.

You will be notified up to four times during the hiring process: Upon receipt of your application Upon minimum qualifications determination After candidates have been referred to the hiring official Once a selection has been made

Additional information

This is a Schedule C position, which does not afford permanent civil service status. If selected, you will be required to sign a statement that you have been informed of the employment status of this position. 1.

If you are a male applicant who was born after December 31, 1959, you are required to certify that you are registered with the Selective Service or are exempt under Selective Service regulations. For additional information concerning Selective Service requirements, please visit *** 2.

Time period to meet qualifications: All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. 3. Verification of information: Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials and employment history will be verified as part of the security clearance process.

4. Excepted service appointments: This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer rights to permanent Civil Service status.