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UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

GENERAL ATTORNEY (TRADEMARK LAW) 

Position Grade: Level GS-15

Location: Alexandria, VA

Tele-work opportunity: 16 telework hours biweekly

Reporting Relationship: Deputy General Counsel for IP Law and Solicitor

Website: https://www.uspto.gov/about-us 

Recruitment Contact: Ann Dinshaw on behalf of USPTO: Ann.Dinshaw@kornferry.com

Office of the General Counsel, Office of the Solicitor

The Office of the Solicitor serves as litigation counsel to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on intellectual property law matters. The Office of the Solicitor also works in collaboration with the Department of Commerce on interagency intellectual property law matters.   

The Solicitor's Office's primary responsibilities include: 

• Providing legal advice on intellectual property matters 
• Representing the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO before the federal courts 
• Defending decisions of the Director, Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)  before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and federal district courts 
• Coordinating with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice on interagency intellectual property law matters and cases 
• Assisting the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline 
• Prosecuting attorneys and agents who practice before the agency for alleged ethical violations 
• Defending USPTO employees at deposition 
• Providing training to various employees on a variety of intellectual property related subjects 

General Attorney Role Overview
The General Attorney will have opportunities to brief and argue cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as manage and participate in litigation in other federal courts. The incumbent of this General Attorney position performs professional legal work requiring a high degree of legal endeavor and balancing of conflicting interests in the areas of patents, trademarks and copyrights. 

This General Attorney works under the general supervision of the Solicitor. At this level, the incumbent is the lead attorney on a case or the principal advisor to the agency on a matter.   The incumbent independently conducts the analysis, plans the approach or strategy, develops the completed brief, memorandum, decision, or other work product, and represents the Government at the hearing or trial.  

Major Duties and Responsibilities
The General Attorney duties and responsibilities include: 

• Defending decisions of the Director and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in federal district and appellate courts 
• Preparing and filing amicus briefs on behalf of the Director on issues of importance to the development of trademark law 
• Coordinating with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice to assist the Solicitor General in intellectual property cases before the U.S. Supreme Court 
• Managing all aspects of litigations and appeals, including case strategy, motions practice, oral arguments, written discovery, depositions, and trial 
• Providing legal and policy advice to senior management and other offices within the Agency on trademark, copyright, ethics, and disciplinary, including rulemaking, procedures, and proposed legislation 
• Handling trademark clearance and enforcement matters 
• Assisting the Deputy General Counsel and the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline in prosecuting practitioners charged with misconduct before an Administrative Judge (and, if necessary, defending those decisions in federal court)

Qualifications 

Candidates must possess a minimum of four (4) years of professional law/legal experience, post J.D. Professional Legal/Law Experience is defined as having experience including judicial clerkship(s), in the area of Trademark litigation. Trademark litigation includes federal district court trademark cases, trademark appeals to the U.S. federal courts of appeal, and trial proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Specialized experience for this position includes: 

• Drafting pleadings, briefs, and/or legal opinions, in the area of trademark laws.  
• Conducting legal research and drafting written work product analyzing complex and difficult legal, factual, or policy issues in the area of trademark law. 

Additional Requirements 

• U.S. citizenship 
• Education: A Juris Doctor (J.D.) or Master of Laws (L.L.M.) from an American Bar Association accredited law school and an active member of the Bar in Good Standing of any state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or any Territorial Court under the U.S. Constitution. 

Recruitment Contact on Behalf of USPTO 

Ann Dinshaw 

Korn Ferry Search Lead  

Ann.Dinshaw@KornFerry.com  

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Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in connection with the recruitment process for this position.