Senior Counsel for Patent and Trademark Disciplinary Matters

Senior Counsel for Patent and Trademark Disciplinary Matters

Department: Department of Commerce

Location(s): Alexandria, Virginia

Salary Range: $150160 - $207500 Per Year

Job Summary: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is seeking a Senior Counsel who will perform a variety of complex and sensitive assignments relating to patent and trademark disciplinary matters that affect the livelihood of patent attorneys and agents throughout the United States and abroad. This position will serve as the technical expert on disciplinary matters and renders legal and policy advice through the General Counsel to the Under Secretary and Director of the USPTO.

Major Duties:

• As the Senior Counsel for Patent and Trademark Disciplinary Matters, you will use your knowledge of and experience with investigating grievances related to attorney and agent misconduct to determine what disciplinary proceedings are appropriate, and suspending or excluding from practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) any practitioner found to be culpable of misconduct by violating USPTO Rules. Additional duties and responsibilities of the Senior Counsel for Patent and Trademark Disciplinary Matters include, but are not limited to the following: Meeting with senior agency officials in connection with recommended decisions and responses to USPTO and the Office of Enrollment and Disciplinary (OED) policies. Overseeing the operations of the investigation, preparation, argument, and general conduct of the full range of highly technical and highly controversial disciplinary cases involving scientific, engineering, ethical and legal consideration. Contribute to USPTO's overall effort to increase compliance with U.S. patent and trademark law and regulations and thereby improve the accuracy of patent and trademark submissions to the USPTO. Representing the USPTO and OED before various committees and public and private sector groups. Coordinating and assigning cases for investigation. Safeguarding the integrity of the patent and trademark information.

Qualifications: To meet the minimum requirements for a Senior Level position, candidates must be a recognized subject matter expert with directly related experience. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at the GS-15 or equivalent level in the federal service or its equivalent in the private sector. Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the Professional Technical Qualifications (PTQs) for this position in their two-page resume and this experience must have been at a sufficiently high level of difficulty to clearly show the candidate possesses the required subject matter expertise and technical qualifications set forth below. 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. To be considered, the resume must not exceed two pages. Written narratives for the Professional Technical Qualifications are not required. Candidates must demonstrate their experience meets the Professional Technical Qualifications for this position in their two-page resume. PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (PTQS): Knowledge of litigating and advising on highly controversial disciplinary cases involving misconduct by practitioners. Knowledge of the rule making process, including knowledge of the statutes and regulations governing the rule making process. There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the PTQs.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete this application and submit any required documents specified in the Required Documents section and submit by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select and upload your résumé and/or other required documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the "Include Personal Information" section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered and uploaded, (i.e., resume and other required documents) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Human Resources will not modify or change any part of your application. Application packages will NOT be accepted via mail. Due to security processes, mail delivery takes approximately 2-3 weeks to process at which time the vacancy announcement will be closed, and no further consideration will be given to additional application packages.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-13