Law Intern - Student Trainee

Law Intern - Student Trainee

Department: Department of Commerce

Location(s): Alexandria, Virginia

Salary Range: $46610 - $75059 Per Year

Job Summary: Imagine a transformative summer experience working as an intern as part of the USPTO Law Internship Program where you will be starting your career working side by side with intellectual property (IP) and administrative law leaders. Here we celebrate, support, and thrive by supporting the IP economy through collaboration and expertise. Join us as part of a team that makes meaningful changes with a global impact across the IP community.

Major Duties:

• The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia. Presence at the Alexandria, VA campus is required for this role, as it includes on site functions that must be performed in person. These positions are located in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and may be assigned to any USPTO business unit requiring the services of a paid intern under a formal program designed to provide planned work experience and related study at an accredited college or university. The USPTO fosters innovation, competitiveness, and job growth in the United States by conducting high-quality, timely patent and trademark examination and review proceedings to produce stable, reliable, and predictable intellectual property (IP) rights; guiding IP policy and improving IP rights protection; and delivering IP information and education across America and worldwide. Two distinct business lines, Patents and Trademarks, administer the patent and trademark laws that provide protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and brands and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the United States through the preservation, classification, and dissemination of patent and trademark information. In addition to the Patents and Trademarks business units, the USPTO organization includes several other supporting business areas, including, the Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Office of the Chief Communications Officer, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Office of Policy and International Affairs, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). This exciting internship opportunity will start early June and will not exceed 90 days. Interns are asked to commit to work a full-time schedule during the duration of their appointment. Interns will be provided with a laptop, Lexis/Nexis training, and other legal training as needed. As part of the USPTO Law Internship Program, you will receive practical, hands-on experience by engaging in a variety of engaging and challenging activities. This exciting opportunity is ideal for you! If selected, you will support USPTO legal matters across practice areas by: Conducting legal research and analyzing statutes, regulations, case law, and agency precedent for attorney review. Assisting with case preparation by organizing files and dockets, drafting memoranda, correspondence, and sections of briefs, and preparing exhibits. Supporting legal proceedings and meetings by drafting talking points, assembling and annotating materials, coordinating logistics, and taking notes as directed. Collaborating with attorneys, paralegals, examiners, and administrative staff to gather information, clarify issues, and advance casework. Observing administrative and judicial proceedings regarding the USPTO's work. Adhering to USPTO procedures and professional ethics by maintaining confidentiality, following record-keeping and citation standards, and escalating conflicts or ethical concerns to supervisors. Ensuring quality and timeliness by proofreading, verifying citations, meeting deadlines, and seeking supervisory guidance when needed. You'll get to choose from one of the Organizational Offices below where you can best showcase your skills and make an immediate impact. The Office of the Under Secretary (OUS) Office of the Commissioner for Patents Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks (Trademarks) Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Office of General Counsel (OGC)

Qualifications: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has not issued qualification standards for this position. USPTO sets minimum qualifications for the position and sets forth these qualifications in each vacancy announcement. To be eligible for this position, you must: (1) be a U.S. Citizen or National; (2) be currently enrolled in law school as a 1st, 2nd or 3rd year law student with at least a 2.75 grade point average; (3) be in good academic standing; If selected, the above qualifications must be maintained throughout the period of employment. One full academic year of undergraduate; graduate; vocational; trades; or technical is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university or school to represent 1 year of full-time study. All education beyond high school must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 2 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-20