Paralegal specialist

Kickstart your career at an agency that celebrates, supports and thrives on building the bridge that ensures intellectual property (IP) rights are accessible to everyone.

Our Supervisory Paralegals are able to assist in making meaningful change by supervising the group of paralegal specialists and other legal support staff that provide legal support to Administrative Patent Judges (APJs), patent attorneys of the Board, other Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) staff and the general public.

Kickstart your career at an agency that celebrates, supports and thrives on building the bridge that ensures intellectual property (IP) rights are accessible to everyone.

Our Supervisory Paralegals are able to assist in making meaningful change by supervising the group of paralegal specialists and other legal support staff that provide legal support to Administrative Patent Judges (APJs), patent attorneys of the Board, other Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) staff and the general public.

Duties

The physical worksite for this position is located in Alexandria, Virginia.

Check all associated application documentation thoroughly before clicking on the apply button at the bottom of this description.

TELEWORK : This position is eligible for maximum telework eligible per agency and business unit discretion / policy.

REMOTE WORK : Remote work will be considered.

Prior to the start date, you may be given the opportunity to elect to work from the Alexandria headquarters, from an alternate / home location within the United States (defined as the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico), or a combination of headquarters and alternate location.

Your salary / pay will be based on your selected worksite geographical location. The nature and scope of telework opportunities will be subject to the unit's telework policy and any applicable bargaining unit agreements.

This position is located in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Branch, Board Operations Division, Office of the Under Secretary for Intellectual Property.

This role is the ideal next career step for you if :

• You're proficient in assigning and managing the daily work assignments for paralegal specialist and supporting staff assigned to the group, as well as to other group members in the absence of their direct supervisor.
• You have a keen eye in analyzing complex legal issues, and conducting extensive and thorough legal research on particular legal issues and making substantive, legally supportable, recommendations to Administrative Patent Judges (APJs) based on knowledge, experience and research findings.
• You're proficient in developing performance standards, conveying expectations to subordinates, providing feedback on strengths and weakness, and evaluating work performance.
• You're able to effectively communicate, both orally or in writing, with senior organizational leadership and various other internal and external stakeholders on issues forming public perception of the Board.

Salary

$99,200 - $128,956 / year

Conditions of Employment

• Applications will only be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
• Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related competencies.
• You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
• You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.
• Time-in-grade / band requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
• Suitable for Federal Employment.

Qualifications You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification requirements (including specialized experience and / or educational requirements) for the advertised position.

You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing date of the job announcement. OPM Qualifications Standards are available at Paralegal Specialist .

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 11.

• Specialized experience for this position includes : Experience in conducting legal research utilizing legal research systems, such as WESTLAW, or LEXIS, and other automation support systems;
• andExperience in planning work to be accomplished by subordinates, evaluating team's performance and providing immediate feedback (both formally and informally);

andExperience in presenting ideas and information, both orally and in writing, to all levels of audience.

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.

Education There is no education substitution at this grade level. Other Information

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System.

If you are exempt from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for more information.

This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.

If selected for this position, you may be required to complete the Fair Credit Act Memo, which gives consent so that one or more consumer credit reports may be obtained for employment purposes.

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of "moderate."

Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please visit the Department of Homeland Security Website .

Supervisory Probationary Period- If selected, you may be required to complete an initial one-year supervisory probationary period.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

CTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100.

Information about CTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Career Transition Resources website at : OPM CTAP / ICTAP .

CTAP documentation requirements are listed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement.

All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO at http : / / www.uspto.gov / accommodation .

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.

If you believe that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged discriminatory act.

Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.

gov ) or phone (571-272-8292).

Required Documents

A complete application consists of :

1. A resume or any other written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications; optional cover letter : Your resume should indicate your citizenship and should list your educational and work experience including titles, salary, employment dates, duties, experience and how it relates to the specialized experience in the job announcement.

2. Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - For current and / or former Federal employees, your status eligibility and highest permanent grade / step / salary held in the Federal service will be validated with a copy of your most recent SF-50 , "Notification of Personnel Action" so that we may verify your time-in-grade.

Supporting Documents :

1. Performance Appraisal - Recent performance appraisal with supervisor's signature showing the official final rating of record, and copy of incentive award(s).

In cases where the performance appraisal is incomplete or unavailable, applicants may provide explanation of the reasons.

• 2. CTAP applicants MUST submit the following documents : 1. A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a directed geographic relocation outside of the local commuting area;
• a Certificate of Expected Separation (CES); or certification that you are in a surplus organization or occupation (this could be a position abolishment letter, a notice of eligibility for discontinued service retirement, or similar notice);
• 2. A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action", noting current position, grade / band level, and duty location;

3. A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and 4. Any documentation from your bureau / operating unit that shows your current promotion potential.

1) You can upload your documents when you register or update your information on the Dept. of Commerce site which you access through the USAJobs site.

Your application and all required documents must be received by 11 : 59 pm ET on the closing date of this job announcement.

NOTE : The preceding documents requirement are based on job requirements and individual applicant eligibility. Not all documents are applicable to all applicants;

if you are unsure which documents apply to you, contact the HR Specialist listed on this announcement.

How to Apply

You MUST apply online. If you experience difficulties with the application process or do not have access to a computer, please contact the HR Specialist listed as the point of contact before the closing date of this job announcement.

If you are a new user to the USAJobs Site and have never registered for an account; you will first need to create an account profile with your basic contact information and a resume to begin applying.

You must be a registered USAJobs user AND you must be signed-in to your account in order to apply for this position. For help setting up an account or for general help using USAJobs, go to USAJobs Help Page .

Once you have gathered all of the required information and are ready to begin the application process, click the "APPLY" button at the right side of the page.

You will then be directed away from USAJobs to the Department of Commerce application site for USPTO. You must click "Submit" at the end of the application process to send your application for consideration.

To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at http : / / www.usajobs.gov / and click on "Applications.

Click on the position title, then select "Update Application."

If you experience any difficulties with the application site, OPM has a Help feature on each page. Use this option when you need assistance.

All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJobs "Saved Documents" feature.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is defined as information that can be traced back to a specific individual and potentially compromise their security or privacy.

Examples of PII include : date of birth, Social Security Number, and place of birth.

Please ensure that you have removed all Personally Identifiable Information from all documents prior to submitting or uploading your applications material.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

Learn more about federal benefits .

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.

Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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Last updated : 2024-07-25

Salary : $99,200 - $128,956