Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Trademark) - Managing Attorney

This position is located in the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks, Trademark Examining Operation (TMEO). The Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Trademark) - Managing Attorney serves in one of the law offices and has the full range of supervisory responsibility for a staff of 20 to 30 Attorney Advisors, and a Supervisory Senior Attorney.

To meet minimum eligibility requirements for this position, applicants must possess at least a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree or a Juris Doctor J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.

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 http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp 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.

NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria,Virginia.This position is telework eligible per agency and business unit discretion/policy.

As a Supervisory Attorney Advisor (Trademark) - Managing Attorney, you are responsible for:

• Managing all aspects of the trademark examining law office which includes establishing operating guidelines to implement policies and procedures, methods and other work-related changes in the law office;
• Providing advice, counsel, or instruction to individual employees on the most difficult professional and legal questions as well as administrative matters;
• Planning work to be done by the unit in the development of new, and maintenance of existing office goals and for setting priorities and preparing schedules for completion of work;
• Examining the most complex applications for trademarks that involve new or novel questions of law, great economic impact. and distinguished legal adversaries;
• Participating in legal policy development and recommending actions to improve operations to meet Agency goals; and
• Developing and implementing training programs for new attorneys.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not issued qualification standards for attorney positions. However, the USPTO sets minimum qualifications for attorney positions and sets forth these qualifications in each vacancy announcement. You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement.

Specialized Experienceis 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 the next lower grade level in the federal service. For this position, the next lower grade level is a GS-14.

To qualify for this position at the GS-15 level, you must possess at least one (1) year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level AND four (4) years of the Professional Legal/Law Experience.

Specialized experience is defined as experience working with Trademark statutes, case law, rules of practice regarding Trademark operational requirements, practices, procedures, pre-examination, publication and issue, the intent-to-use, and post registration; knowledge of USPTO and Trademark program goals, objectives, business priorities and public policy issues; experience applying legal, factual and marketplace issues related to the prosecution of trademark and service mark applications to a variety of International classes; and experience supervising or managing a legal staff or the ability to supervise or manage a subordinate staff to effectively lead, motivate, evaluate, and set goals and objectives; and skill in both oral and written communication.

AND

Professional Legal/Law Experience is defined as having experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled in the area of trademark law. This experience is characterized by breadth and depth of experience in rendering professional legal advice and services with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters falling within the purview of a Federal government agency, private sector, law firm, or other organization; preparing interpretative and administrative orders, rules, or regulations to give effect to the provisions of governing statutes or other requirements of law; drafting, negotiating, or examining contracts or other legal documents; drafting, preparing formal comments, or making substantive recommendations regarding proposed legislation; editing and preparing for publication statutes enacted by Congress and opinions or decisions of a court, commission, or board; drafting and reviewing decisions for consideration and adoption by an organization or official; conducting investigations to obtain facts; determines questions of law; studies, analyzes and evaluates legal precedents, to present findings. Legal work is described as extremely complex and difficult and requires a high order of original and creative legal endeavor in balancing conflicting interests; has broad or wide-scope impact on an economy, industry, private or public interests; and may involve directly or indirectly very large sums of money. Work may also involve acting as principal attorney in charge of the preparation and presentation of cases; recommending policies and developing procedures and regulations to implement new or amended legislation; and acting as legal, general or senior counsel to a major firm or organization.

The incumbent must possess the following supervisory competencies to be successful in this position:

Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, and cost effective results. Determines objectives, sets priorities, and delegates work. Accepts responsibility for mistakes. Complies with established control systems and rules.
Customer Service: Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement.
Decisiveness: Makes well-informed, effective, and timely decisions, even when data are limited or solutions produce unpleasant consequences; perceives the impact and implications of decisions.
Flexibility: Is open to change and new information; rapidly adapts to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles.
Integrity/Honesty: Behaves in an honest, fair, and ethical manner. Shows consistency in words and actions. Models high standards of ethics. Interpersonal Skills: Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Considers and responds appropriately to the needs and feelings of different people in different situations.
Oral Communication: Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.
Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations.
Resilience: Deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity. Recovers quickly from setbacks.
Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

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.