The U.S. International Trade Commission employs lawyers who are interested in careers in international trade. The Commission’s Office of General Counsel provides opportunities to attorneys in import injury (antidumping/countervailing duties), safeguards (sections 201) and unfair import (section 337) law. Explore the opportunities below and find the best match for your interests and expertise.

The General Counsel serves as the USITC’s chief legal advisor. The General Counsel and the attorney-advisors in the office provide legal advice and support to the Commissioners and USITC staff on Commission investigations involving import injury (AD/CVD), safeguards (section 201), and unfair imports (Section 337), and prepare briefs and represent the USITC before the U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and USMCA binational panels, for import injury appeals, and before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, for Section 337 appeals. For more information about the Office of the General Counsel, please visit https://www.usitc.gov/offices/gc.

The Office of General Counsel is looking for attorneys interested in supporting the Commission’s work in these fast-moving trade remedy investigations. Specifically, the office is looking for: Attorney-Advisor (Trade Remedies) GS-0905-11/12/13/14/15 and Attorney-Advisor: Unfair Imports (Section 337) Investigations GS-0905-14/15.

This is an opportunity to grow as a legal professional and build deep subject-matter expertise. Every investigation is different — and each one offers the chance to learn, strategize, and contribute to decisions that matter.

Opportunities:

Attorney-Advisor (Trade Remedies) GS-0905-11/12/13/14/15:

The salary range for the Attorney-Advisor: (Trade Remedies), GS-11/12/13/14/15 ($85,447-$197,200 per year) with promotion potential to GS-15.

As a Trade Remedies Attorney-Advisor, you will:

• Provide legal advice in AD/CVD and safeguard investigations, helping the Commission apply statutory and regulatory requirements to voluminous factual records.
• Work with an investigative team to ensure that administrative records and staff reports contain all the information necessary for the Commission to make its determinations.
• Draft high-quality memoranda advising the Commission on legal issues and party arguments in AD/CVD and safeguard investigations and work with Commissioners to draft opinions explaining determinations.
• Develop expertise in interpreting the Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930, Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, and related case law.
• Draft response briefs and deliver oral arguments in defense of Commission determinations before the U.S. Court of International Trade and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as USMCA binational panels.
• Practice at the cutting edge of trade remedies law.

This is substantive, challenging work with genuine public impact. At the USITC, you’ll join a dedicated team of attorneys who collaborate, mentor, and take pride in delivering work of exceptional quality. You’ll broaden your expertise across international trade law, administrative law, statutory interpretation, economics, and litigation, while contributing to a mission that directly supports American industries and workers.

Attorney-Advisor Unfair Imports (Section 337) Investigations GS-0905-14/15:

The salary range for the Attorney-Advisor: Unfair Imports (Section 337), GS-14/15 ($143,913-$197,200) with promotion potential to GS-15.

In the Section 337 Attorney Advisor role, you will:

• Provide expert legal analysis and advice in investigations that involve allegations that are primarily directed to intellectual property infringement, including patent and trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation, false advertising, and other unfair acts in import trade.
• Prepare high quality memoranda, draft opinions, and analytical documents that need minimal revision.
• Develop and shape agency decision making on complex intellectual property and trade issues.
• Participate in the development of procedures and regulations implementing new or revised legislation and that improve the Section 337 process.
• Defend Commission determinations before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and federal District Courts, including the preparation of briefs and delivering oral argument as needed.
• Conduct deep analysis of legal and factual records to craft litigation strategies that protect the Commission’s interests.

In the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. International Trade Commission, you’ll join a team of highly skilled attorneys devoted to excellence, integrity, and impact. You’ll broaden your expertise across intellectual property, administrative law, litigation, and international trade — all while contributing to a mission that protects American innovation and ensures fair competition.

This is challenging work with national significance — and a rare opportunity to do it in a supportive, collaborative, and intellectually rich environment.

Qualifications:

To be hired as an Attorney Advisor, you must: (1) possess at least a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree or a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND (2) currently be a member in good standing of the Bar of a state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirements above, applicants must have the specialized experience listed below which provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position.

Attorney-Advisor (Trade Remedies) GS-0905-11/12/13/14/15:

To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must have at least one (1) year of experience which provided the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. This experience consists of the following:

Superior achievement in legal education as evidenced by: (a) academic standing in the upper-third of law school graduating class; (b) work or significant involvement on law review or international journal; (c) election to the order of the COIF or equivalent honors for academic excellence; (d)significant involvement in advanced moot court competition; (e) judicial clerkship; (f) a graduate legal degree (LLM); or, (g) other equivalent evidence of clearly superior achievement, OR

General experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law, OR

One (1) year of specialized experience, which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; conducting legal research and preparing legal documents; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; writing complex documents such as legal memoranda, opinions, and briefs (writing sample may be required during the second level review); making oral presentations, communicating legal research results, and defending legal positions; and experience providing legal guidance to attorneys and other professionals related to the USITC.

To qualify at the GS-12 level, you must have at least two (2) years of experience which consists of the following:

Two (2) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC; OR

One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND one (1)year of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.

To qualify at the GS-13 level, applicants must have at least three (3) years of experience which consists of the following:

Three (3) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC; OR

One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND two (2) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.

To qualify at the GS-14 level, applicants must have at least four (4) years of experience which consists of the following:

Four (4) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC, OR

One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND three (3) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.

To qualify at the GS-15 level, applicants must have at least five (5) years of experience which consists of the following:

Five (5) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC; OR

One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND four (4) years of specialized experience which is defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: appellate litigation; antidumping, countervailing duty and/or safeguard law; judicial clerkship; federal administrative law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's trade remedy investigations.

Attorney-Advisor Unfair Imports (Section 337) Investigations GS-0905-14/15:

To qualify at the GS-14 level, applicants must have at least four (4) years of experience which consists of the following:

One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law AND three (3) years of specialized experience defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: federal district court and appellate litigation, section 337, intellectual property law, including patent law and trademark law, federal administrative practice law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's unfair import (section 337) practice.

To qualify at the GS-15 level, applicants must have at least five (5) years of experience which includes the following:

One (1) year of general experience which is defined as professional legal experience of a broad, general nature, not requiring specialization or expertise in a specific area or type of law demonstrates the engagement of general law practices; or experience and knowledge of legal theories, or principles, methodologies, and practices of the application of legal skills in a field closely related to the duties to be filled AND at least four (4) years of specific experience defined as professional legal experience in areas such as: federal district court and appellate litigation, section 337, intellectual property law, including patent law and trademark law, federal administrative practice law; and/or experience interpreting statutes, regulations, court decisions and agency determinations related to the USITC's unfair import (section 337) practice.

Any information claimed on your resume and in application materials, such as education, credentials, employment history, etc., will be verified as part of the security clearance process.

Additional Information:

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer rights to permanent Civil Service status.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a two-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

The Attorney Advisor position is telework-eligible and not remote, as determined by the agency policy.

Relocation expenses are not authorized for this position.

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted by email to: attorney.employment@usitc.gov. Please include “Attorney Advisor” in the subject line.

To receive consideration, applicants must submit the following:

Resume: Your resume should not exceed 2 pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. If your resume goes beyond two pages, we will only consider the first two pages for the required experience as outlined in the specialized experience.

Cover Letter: Your cover letter should highlight relevant experience and address the mandatory and preferred qualifications from the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement.

Writing Sample: Writing sample is not required, however, you may be asked to provide one if selected for an interview. The writing sample should not exceed 20 pages.

If selected, The Office of Human Resources will request an official/sealed college transcript(s) that will be required to verify education prior to employment. If you are made an offer, you must submit a Certificate of Good Standing dated within 30 days of the offer. Documentation must show that you are a member of the Bar of a state, territory or commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.