PATENT ATTORNEY

⁠​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌⁠There is an anticipated vacancy for the position of Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney, in the Office of Naval Research, located at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Headquarters in Washington, DC

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 registered to practice and to prosecute patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The successful candidate must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college of university in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, immunology, cell biology, medical or biomedical physics, biomedical engineering, or biochemistry, or a related field. An advanced degree ( at least at the Master's degree level) in a biological, biochemical, chemical, biomedical, or fioengineering field of study from an accredited college or university or at least two years of experience as a research scientistic desired. but not mandatory. The Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC) invites qualified attorneys to apply for the position of Intellectual Property (IP) Attorney, Office of Naval Research. The position is located at/in the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Headquarters in Washington, DC.

ONR is an Echelon I command that has been a pioneer in the public support of science and technology (S&T) research that benefits both the naval services and the nation. NRL is an Echelon II command that is part of ONR. NRL is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological development and prototyping, and employs over 2000 scientists and engineers. The NRL Office of Counsel includes 18 attorneys and 5 professional staff with a diverse legal practice.

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.

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.


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.