Hybrid Counsel for Policy and International Affairs chez Legislative Branch

Counsel for Policy and International Affairs

Department: Legislative Branch

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $120579 - $185234 Per Year

Job Summary: Copyright is a form of legal protection provided by the laws of the United States (Title 17, U. S. Code) to authors of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other works. The Attorney-Advisor (International) serves as a counsel for the Office of Policy and International Affairs (PIA) in the U.S. Copyright Office. This position is located in the Office of Policy and International Affairs in the U.S. Copyright Office.

Major Duties:

• THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS POSTING. APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AND REVIEWED ON A ROLLING BASIS. Applicants may submit or update their application before the closing date. Applicants will be referred after the first cutoff date, and subsequent referrals will be made at the manager’s request. The announcement may close earlier or at the request of the selecting official or after the job is filled. The first cutoff for receipt of applications under this announcement will be 11:59 p.m. EST on July 11, 2025 The United States Copyright Office, located within the Library of Congress and under the direction of the Register of Copyrights, administers the Copyright Act; advises Congress and government agencies on legal and policy matters; provides international representation on copyright issues; administers the national copyright registration system; provides collections materials to the Library through voluntary registration and mandatory deposit programs; records documents relating to copyright chain of title; administers statutory license provisions of the law, including collecting and distributing royalties; maintains the world’s largest database of copyright public records; and provides information and reference services to the public. The Office of Policy and International Affairs has certain responsibilities for administering the copyright law with special emphasis on policy, legislative, and international matters. This Office assists the Register of Copyrights with the development and presentation of Copyright Office positions and proposals, and shares with the Office of General Counsel responsibility for working with Congress and its committees on matters of domestic legislation. In addition, the Office of Policy and International Affairs has primary responsibility for international aspects of copyright law and policy. While performing daily activities, the incumbent is responsible for ensuring proper handling and security of all Library and Copyright Office materials. Performs probing, innovative, accurate, and fully documented legal research and written analyses on questions involving complex and unusual issues that must be resolved in order to prepare in-depth analyses, arguments, briefs and analytical documents on various specialized areas of U.S., foreign, and international copyright law and jurisprudence. Conducts research on emerging, difficult and substantive legal problems and prepares findings on issues in the field of copyright or intellectual property. Presents information and balanced analyses on complex copyright and intellectual property questions to the Associate Register for Policy and International Affairs. Briefs the Register of Copyrights, Associate Register and other senior level staff on various aspects of domestic and international issues and legislation under consideration. Works with appropriate staff to develop and recommend strategies to examine and improve services to copyright constituencies and to secure congressional understanding and support for legislation related to the mission of the Office. Prepares authoritative reports, legal arguments, legislative positions, and other analytical documents about changes in copyright policy or practice and which include various domestic or international copyright issues and justify recommendations or conclusions on significant legal issues of national or international significance. Prepares new public or internal procedures, guidelines, and other written products because of changes in domestic, foreign or international law. Such reports contribute significantly to the understanding of the nature of legal problems affecting the Office on both the domestic and international fronts and provide an authoritative basis for consideration of legislative proposals. Drafts complex amendments to statutes, regulations, policies and practices. Drafts position papers, talking points, testimony, memoranda comparisons of laws and bills and other written products characterized by substantial breadth and depth, and which cover pertinent factors and relationships. Such written products are appropriate for use by the Librarian of Congress, Register of Copyrights, Associate Register, members of Congressional Committees, executive branch officials and government delegations. Performs various other duties as assigned. The selected candidate will have to be able to obtain and maintain a Secret Security clearance. The position description number for this position are 179621 and 179623. The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area. The incumbent of this position will work a flextime work schedule. This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position. Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.

Qualifications: Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision. Ability to Write/Communicate in Writing. ** Ability to Conduct Legal Research and Analysis of Domestic and International Property Matters.** Knowledge of Domestic and International Copyright and Intellectual Property Matters.** Ability to Convey Legal Analysis and Information Orally Through Briefings, Consultations, and Other Presentations. Ability to Meet and Deal with Others. Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

How to Apply: Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position. You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps. Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume on USAJOBS. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress. Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your USAJOBS resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account and submit your resume. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements. Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. Step 5: Hiring Management offers three options that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement. (1) You may select a document that you have already uploaded to USAJOBS for a previous announcement. (2) You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer or in your USAJOBS profile before uploading them. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date. Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement. If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact [email protected] , no later than 4:30pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

Application Deadline: 2026-06-12