The NRL Office of Counsel is a field office within the ONR Office of Counsel and part of the Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC). ONR reports to the Secretary of the Navy through the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. Led by the Chief of Naval Research, its senior leadership oversees a portfolio of investments ranging from immediate, quick-turnaround technologies to long term basic research. The ONR Office of Counsel has 42 attorneys located at the Arlington, VA Headquarters and in a field office located in Washington, DC.
The NRL Office of Counsel is led by a Counsel, Deputy Counsel, and Associate Counsel for Intellectual Property, and has a staff of twenty-one attorneys and nine professional staff. The NRL Office of Counsel has a varied workload covering the full range of DON OGC practice, with emphasis on IP law, federal acquisition law, technology transfer, civilian personnel law (CPL), related litigation, ethics and standards of conduct, fiscal law, environmental law, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act (PA).
The successful candidate will be expected to provide NRL clients a full range of IP legal services, including drafting and prosecuting patent applications, reviewing research publications for potentially patentable and/or trade secret material, reviewing agreements containing IP provisions, and counseling on contract and technology transfer IP matters such as rights in inventions, patents, trade secrets, technical data rights, and computer software. The successful candidate will also work with inventors to identify patentable technology and useful trademarks, develop invention disclosures, and to draft high quality patent applications. On a more limited basis, incumbents may identify trademarks for protection, provide litigation support for patent infringement claims, and resolve patent and copyright administrative claims.
NRL compensation falls under a Personnel Management Demonstration Project. The Project uses Career Levels (aka pay bands) for pay setting. This position has a full performance level in the GS-15 range of the NO-V pay band, and will be filled at the NO-IV (GS-13 equivalent) or NO-V (GS-14 or GS-15 equivalent) level depending on the qualifications of the successful applicant. To be eligible for selection at the NO-IV level (GS-13 equivalent), the applicant must have in excess of two years of recent and relevant professional legal experience. To be eligible for selection at the NO-V level (GS-14 equivalent), the applicant must have at least three-and-one-half years of recent and relevant professional legal experience. To be eligible for selection at the NO-V level (GS-15 equivalent), the applicant must have at least five-and-one-half years of recent and relevant professional legal experience.
Applicants will be evaluated on: (1) the depth, breadth, and quality of experience in IP law, with an emphasis on supporting technical areas related to NRL's research; (2) their corresponding recent and relevant experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications; (3) research, analytical, writing, and oral communication skills; (4) interpersonal skills, including the ability to develop strong attorney-client relationships; and (5) the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.
The successful applicant must have graduated with a J.D. or LL.M. from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, be an active member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, or the District of Columbia, and be admitted to practice before a state or federal court. Applicants must also be registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
