Patent Attorney Legal & Paralegal - Washington, DC at Geebo

Patent Attorney

Company Name:
Department Of Agriculture
US Citizens and Nationals; no prior Federal experience is required. Permanent Full-Time USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. Our vision is to expand economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production sustainability that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve and conserve our Nation's natural resources through restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands. The incumbent serves as a Patent Attorney in the Division and as such provides a wide range of intellectual property legal services in connection with Department research activities and other operations, including representing the Department before the Patent and Trademark Office, and carries out such other duties as may be assigned by the Assistant General Counsel. US Citizenship is required. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. A 1-year probationary period is required. Public Financial Disclosure Required (OGE Form 450) USCITIZEN SSR PROBATION As a Patent Attorney, you will be responsible for the following:
Review Patent cases for the agency and responsible for providing rendering opinions on validity and infringement of patents, negotiation of patent licenses, settlement of patent claims, negotiation of intellectual property clauses in contracts, providing professional legal advice to contracting officers and other procurement personnel on intellectual property matters. Prepare, review, and prosecuting patent and trademark applications.
Prepare and prosecute patent applications, whether inventions are sufficiently described and meet the patentability requirement of utility, novelty, and no obviousness; inventor ship when multiple persons are working together; a Government employee-inventor's rights when there is a question whether the invention official duties or with a Government contribution; in patent interferences, dates of conception and reduction to practice, and the time when diligence commenced; in regard to the adoption of a word, phrase, or symbol to identify a Department service, whether there has been use as a trademark, whether the use conflict with the trademark right of others, and whether the requirements for trademark registration have been met; compliance with the intellectual property aspects of the Bayh-Dole Act and the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 in Department contracts, grants, agreements, and licenses, the Department's rights in works of authorship under contracts, grants, agreements, and licenses; patent and copy right infringement under 28 U.S.C 1498; and compliance with the intellectual property provisions of international agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The incumbent reviews investigative reports, prepares complaints and other pleadings in administrative proceedings ; prepares exhibits and interviews witnesses in the preparation for trial of such matters; participates in prehearing conferences ; examines and cross examines witnesses; argues motion in the course of such proceedings; prepares briefs in support of the Government 's case; prepares and participates in the oral arguments of such matters; prepares complaints and other pleadings in civil or criminal courts actions, confers with officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with such proceedings, and renders such assistance as may be requested by DOJ in regard to such matters; prepares legal memoranda and replies to legal questions formally presented by the administrative officials; drafts or reviews proposed regulations ; reviews certain agency reports and documents; conducts all legal research related to the above matters; and acts as a legal advisor to high-level administrative officials of the Department.
The incumbent is in daily contact with, provides advice to, or consults with personnel and ranking administrative official of the Department including inventors, patent advisors, technology transfer personnel, attorneys in other Divisions of the office and heads of programs. The incumbent is also has contact with Patent and Trademark Office Officials, officials of other government agencies, representatives of private sector entities, and opposing attorneys and patent agents. The incumbent serves as a representative of the Office of the General Counsel and the Department in trying cases before courts or administrative bodies.
These duties are described at the FPL GS-14, the GS-13 is developmental leading to such performance.
Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
REQUIREMENTS:
If you are newly hired, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS E-VERIFY system. Federal law requires the use of E-VERIFY to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. Under this system, the new hire is required to.
Selectee must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. If selected you may be subject to a National Agency Check and Inquiry (NACI) and a credit report inquiry.
May be subject to satisfactory completion of one year probationary or trial period.
Attorney positions are in the excepted service, not the competitive civil service. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service.
However, if you are eligible for veterans' preference in hiring, you are encouraged to include that information in your application along with the supporting documentation, e.g., SF-15, DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, Proof of Bar Membership or other supporting documentation.
You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the education, experience, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:
Knowledge of legal matters associated with patent prosecution, examination, litigation, and administration, and trademark registration.
Knowledge of Patent Trial and Appeal Board jurisdiction, rules, and procedures, trademark registration procedures, and copyright principles.
Skill in preparing well-written, persuasive, and accurate documents for a variety of audiences, fully supported by appropriate facts and analysis.
Ability to communicate technical requirements orally.
We will review your application, including the online Occupational Questionnaire, to ensure you meet the job requirements and assess your ability to perform this job. Before any certificate can be issued to the selecting official, the resume and supporting documents are reviewed by an HR Specialist to ensure that (a) minimum qualification requirements are met and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions.
Your answers will be verified against information provided in your online resume and application. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.
Note : If, after reviewing your resume and / or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score can / will be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you.
To view the application form, visit: Applicants are required to be a member of the United States Patent and Trademark Bar. Applicants should have demonstrated experience in patent prosecution, excellent writing skills, and an exceptional academic record. Demonstrated experience in the related areas of intellectual property law of copyright, trademark, and data rights is highly desirable.
Requirement:
Education: An applicant must have successfully completed a full course of study in a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and have the first professional law degree (LLB or JD).
Bar Membership:
Applicants are required to be a member of the United States Patent and Trademark Bar. Applicant must currently be a member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory of the United States, District of Columbia, or Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
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.
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin.
The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not have one) at . It is recommended that as part of your profile you set up automatic email notification to be informed when the status of your application changes. If you choose not to set up this automatic notification, then you will have to log into your USAJOBS account to check on the status of your application.
Step 2: Create a resume with USAJOBS or upload a resume into your USAJOBS account. Customize your resume to ensure it documents duties and accomplishments you have gained that are directly related to this position in order to verify that qualifications are met. Your resume must support your responses to the online questionnaire (you may preview the online questionnaire by clicking on the link at the end of the How You Will Be Evaluated section of the job announcement).
Step 3: Click Apply Online and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire and attach any additional documents that may be required.
You can update your application or documents anytime while the announcement is open. Log into your USAJOBS account and click on Application Status. Click on the position title, and then select Update Application to continue.
NOTE: Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Once in the Agency's staffing system you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX).
You must submit a complete Application Package, prior to 11:59, ET, on the closing date of this announcement. The following documents must be submitted for your application package to be considered complete. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents are received within the required timeframes. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, system failure or downtime, etc. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes the following information: 1) job information for which you are applying; 2) personal information; 3) education; 4) work experience including the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment; and title, series and grade if applicable; 5) supervisors phone number and e-mail address for each work period listed and whether or not we may contact them for reference checks; and, 6) other qualifications.

College/Law Transcripts if education is required for meeting basic qualifications and/or you are substituting education for specialized experience and/or if you are using education to meet the criteria for the quality category. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if selected, an official college transcript will be required prior to entering on duty.

Bar Membership: Proof of Bar Membership

DD-214 (Member 4 Copy) if claiming Veterans' Preference . Veterans claiming 10 point preference must also submit a VA Letter and an SF-15 Application for 10-point Veteran Preference. Current Active Duty members must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions dated within the last 120 days.

Other required documents may include:
CTAP/ICTAP Required Documentation Reduction-In-Force: Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; AND most recent performance evaluation; AND SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from.
Worker's Compensation Separation: Agency certification of inability to place employee AND Notification of Separation OR Separation SF-50.
Disability Annuity Termination: Notification from OPM of disability annuity termination AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
Military Reserve or National Guard Technician Special Disability Retirement Annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456: Certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard Bureau AND Separation SF-50 of the last position held.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded resumes must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). If you set up your USAJOBS account to send automatic email notifications, you will receive an email acknowledging: 1) the submission of your online Occupational Questionnaire and resume was successful, 2) if you were referred to the selecting official for consideration, and 3) if you were selected or not selected. If you choose not to set up automatic email notifications, you must check your USAJOBS account for the latest status of your application. Your application may be reviewed to verify that you meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements for the position prior to issuing lists to a selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Normally, a final job offer to the selected candidate is made within 30-60 days after the issuance of the certificate. The Federal Government offers a comprehensive benefits package. Explore the major benefits offered to most Federal employees at: /
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc) should contact: USDA's TARGET Center at (voice and TDD).
If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied nor guaranteed.
Relocation expenses are not authorized.
This is a bargaining unit designated position.
It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. See more information at:Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.

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