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General Attorney (Tax) - Honors Attorney Program (2024)

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Office of Chief Counsel
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, is looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our team and gain valuable experience in a legal environment. Our mission is to serve America's taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS. It is a great place to work with an excellent benefits package and family-friendly atmosphere.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
07/17/2023 to 09/08/2023
Salary
$69,107 to - $133,236 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Birmingham, AL
Phoenix, AZ
Laguna Niguel, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CCKC-23-12039059-HON-ATTY
Control number
737358300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

For more information, see "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

Duties

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The IRS Office of Chief Counsel's Honors Program is a highly competitive program available to graduating or recently graduated Law students who have been admitted to a State Bar. The program offers entry level positions that provide the opportunity to acquire significant training and experience in tax law. The positions are open to individuals each year who have superior academic qualifications or relevant experience to the work of the Office of Chief Counsel.

  • Appointments will be made to a General Attorney (Tax) at the GS-11/12 with promotion potential to the GS-14.
  • In some circumstances, qualifications may be reviewed before start date for possible appointment to a higher grade.
  • Participants must be admitted and in Good Standing with a State Bar.
As an Attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel you will work for one of several major Counsel organizations, based on your particular interest, qualifications, and the staffing needs of the Office. Whether you are in a field office or National Office position, you will receive substantial training and responsibility. The following link describes our legal divisions Legal Divisions | IRS Careers

We are recruiting for both our National Office and our Field Office Divisions throughout the country. Current Openings are detailed below:

National Office
We are recruiting for our National Office Divisions located in Washington, D.C. which include Corporate (CORP), Financial Institutions & Products (FIP), Income Tax & Accounting (ITA), International (INTL), Passthroughs & Special Industries (PSI), Procedure & Administration (P&A), Criminal Tax (CT), Employee Benefits, Exempt Orgs, Employment Taxes (EEE)

Field Office Divisions
We are currently recruiting for our Division Counsel (Small Business/Self Employed) in the following cities: Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Birmingham, AL: Boston, MA; Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Farmers Branch (Dallas), TX; Denver, CO: Detroit, MI; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Greensboro, NC; Hartford, CT; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN: Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO; Laguna Niguel, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Louisville, KY: Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI: Nashville, TN; Newark, NJ; New Orleans, LA; New York (Manhattan), NY; Oklahoma City, OK; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ: Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; St. Paul, MN; Thousand Oaks, CA; Washington, DC; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

We are currently recruiting for our Division Counsel (Large Business & International) in the following cities: Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI: Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Hartford, CT; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Laguna Niguel, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI; Newark, NJ; New York (Manhattan), NY; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Paul, MN; Washington, DC; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

We are currently recruiting for our Office of the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Criminal Tax) in the following cities: Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; Los Angeles, CA; Newark, NJ; Richmond, VA; San Diego, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; St. Paul, MN; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC.

We are currently recruiting for our Office of the Division Counsel (Tax Exempt & Government Entities) in the following cities: Baltimore, MD; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Greensboro, NC; Hartford, CT; Jacksonville, FL; Laguna Niguel, CA; Los Angeles, CA; New York (Manhattan) NY; Seattle, WA; Thousand Oaks, CA; Washington, DC; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

Target Start Date: August - September 2024

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Refer to "Additional Information"
  • Click "Print Preview" to review the entire announcement before applying.
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

Qualifications

Who May Apply:

Recent Law School Graduates who are eligible for participation in the IRS Chief Counsel Honors Program AND who have been admitted to a State Bar

  • Recent Law School Graduates from an ABA accredited law school who within 9 months of graduating law school began participating in eligibility preserving activities.
    • The following are eligibility preserving activities: Judicial clerkships, tax or accounting related graduate programs (including Tax LL.M. program, or qualifying legal fellowships. See "Education"section for specific requirements.
Applicants Not Admitted to a State Bar:
Applicants who have not been accepted into a State Bar are not eligible to apply to the Honors General Attorney (Tax) Program and must apply to the following Honors Program (Law Clerk) announcement for consideration:
pending.

To qualify for this position of Honors General Attorney (Tax) you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

Basic Requirements for Honors General Attorney (Tax):

  • Possess at least the first professional law degree (J.D.) from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association; AND
  • Applicants must be an active member in good standing of the bar of a State, U.S. Commonwealth, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;

To qualify for the General Attorney (Tax) at the GS-11 grade level, you must be a J.D. graduate AND meet one of the following by the closing date of the announcement:

  • A class ranking in the top 25% of J.D. program OR
  • A J.D. cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher OR
  • If the school does not have class rank or GPA, a minimum LSAT of 160 is required
    • Note, if you are using your class rank to qualify, you must submit documentation within your application to prove your class rank.

To qualify for the General Attorney (Tax) at the GS-12 grade level, you must be a LL.M. candidate/graduate AND meet one of the following by the closing date of the announcement:

  • A class ranking in the top 25% of J.D. program AND/OR a J.D. cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher.
  • A class ranking in the top 25% of your class in the LL.M. program AND/OR a LL.M. cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher.
  • If neither J.D. nor LL.M. program has class rank or GPA, a minimum LSAT of 160 is required.
    • Note, if you are using your class rank to qualify, you must submit documentation within your application to prove your class rank.
Attributes of an Ideal Candidate are:
  • Special high-level recognition for academic excellence in law school, such as selection to Order of the Coif or receipt of the American Jurisprudence Award in related courses; or top grades in tax or related course work (e.g., "A" grades in tax courses);
  • Evidence of background or experience in the position to be filled, such as taking relevant law school classes (e.g., tax law, bankruptcy/debtor creditor law, administrative law) or relevant legal or tax experience (e.g., tax legal experience) or relevant tax volunteer experience (e.g., VITA, Tax Clinic);
  • Work or achievement in the law school's law review or other recognized law journal;
  • Winning a moot court or mock trial competition or membership on a moot court or mock trial team

Education

All applicants must be attending or graduated from an ABA-accredited law school.

A college or university degree generally must be from an accredited (or pre-accredited) college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools which meet these criteria, please refer to Department of Education Accreditation page.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. If you are qualifying based on foreign education, you must submit proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Eligibility Preserving Activities are defined as:
Full-time activities starting after law school graduation that can preserve a law school graduate's eligibility for the Honors Program. The following are eligibility preserving activities: judicial clerkships, tax or accounting-related graduate programs(including Tax LL.M. programs) or qualifying legal fellowships. Qualifying legal fellowships must have a formal sponsor(e.g., a public service organization, a foundation, a bar association, a corporation, a law school, etc.), an established legal mission (e.g., purpose, type of work), and be publicly advertised as a fellowship at the time the candidate applied to the fellowship.

  • Breaks between consecutive eligibility preserving activities cannot exceed 120 days.
  • Participation in the eligibility preserving activity must be active through at least December 1 of the program year (may run later).
  • Law school graduates who received their J.D. prior to October 1, 2020 are ineligible.

Additional information

  • We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
  • Hiring managers take into consideration applicant preferred division and desired location. Applicants who are selected for hire, will be provided one offer based on the ultimate needs of the organization to fill open positions.
  • Relocation expenses are not authorized.
  • This is abargaining unit position.
  • We offer opportunities for telework.
  • We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
  • The salary range listed includes locality. Exact salary will be determined at time of selection based on location.
Conditions of Employment Continued:
  • Subject to a 1-year trial period (unless already completed).
  • Subject to a Tenure Commitment of up to 3 years
  • Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
  • If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
  • Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
  • Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
  • Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
  • Undergo an income tax verification.
  • The employment of any candidate, including a current employee or a new hire, selected for this position may be conditional upon classification and/or audit of federal tax returns. This audit may include up to 2 years of returns.
  • This position requires that the successful candidate undergo personnel vetting, which includes a background investigation and enrollment upon onboarding into "Continuous Vetting." Enrollment in Continuous Vetting will result in automated record checks being conducted throughout one's employment with Treasury. The successful candidate will also be enrolled into FBI's Rap Back service, which will allow Treasury to receive notification from the FBI of criminal matters (e.g., arrests, charges, convictions) involving enrolled individuals in near real-time.

    There are three key documents that contain important information about your rights and obligations. Please read and retain these documents:
  • Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights, for those who undergo an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history record check for personnel vetting, which includes Rap Back,
  • FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI (this is the same statement used when your fingerprints are submitted as part of your background investigation), and
  • SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov), (applicable to those who hold a sensitive position or have eligibility for access to classified information)

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will be considered based on their overall background as it relates to the position to be filled. Interviews may be held at the option of the office. All application materials and interviews, if conducted, will be used in the final evaluation and selection process.

Referral: Professional Order will be used to refer and select eligible candidates. Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference eligibles will be listed at the top of the certificate in alphabetical order and considered before non-preference eligibles. All other candidates will be listed in alphabetical order. If you are among the top qualified candidates, you may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview, such as travel to and from the interview site.

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