The Tax Division is looking for Trial Attorney(s) to join the Civil Trial Section, Southwestern Region. Our attorneys have a passion for litigation; a deep interest in public service; and the ability to work both collaboratively and independently. Familiarity with tax law and the use of technology in organizing, developing, and presenting a case at trial is helpful, but not required. Attorneys in the Civil Trial Section Southwestern Region handle matters generally in Texas and New Mexico.
The Tax Division is looking for Trial Attorney(s) to join the Civil Trial Section, Southwestern Region. Our attorneys have a passion for litigation; a deep interest in public service; and the ability to work both collaboratively and independently. Familiarity with tax law and the use of technology in organizing, developing, and presenting a case at trial is helpful, but not required. Attorneys in the Civil Trial Section Southwestern Region handle matters generally in Texas and New Mexico.
Trial Attorneys in the Civil Trial Sections are the front-line litigators for the United States for tax disputes in federal district and bankruptcy courts and the Court of Federal Claims. These cases arise all over the United States, and, under normal conditions, significant travel is required of our attorneys for depositions, hearings, and trials. Most Trial Attorneys are responsible for a range of cases, including matters they handle alone and others where they work as a member of a litigation team. In either situation, our attorneys have front-line responsibility for taking and defending depositions, writing and arguing motions, working with fact and expert witnesses, and trying cases.
Because we handle most litigation outside of the Tax Court involving the Internal Revenue Service, our attorneys handle cases that touch all aspects of the American economy and involve litigants ranging from individuals and small businesses up to and including the largest corporations. Trial Attorneys defend the United States in tax refund actions and bring affirmative suits to collect tax cases that can involve complex commercial transactions or require proof that the taxpayer made a fraudulent transfer of property. Our attorneys defend suits testing the constitutional validity of aspects of the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations. They obtain injunctions against those who try to bilk the Treasury out of money by selling fraudulent tax shelter schemes or by preparing fraudulent tax returns for customers in order to fulfill a promise of a large refund. Our attorneys represent the United States in bankruptcy, receivership, and probate proceedings. And they handle many other miscellaneous matters touching on tax, like enforcing civil penalties for failure to timely report foreign financial accounts; defending IRS employees in Bivens suits; enforcing IRS administrative summonses; or protecting the United States' immunity from local taxes.
COVID-19 STATEMENT
As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination. Selectees entering on board after November 22, 2021 must submit proof of vaccination before appointment or onboarding with the Tax Division. The Tax Division will provide additional information to the selectee regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how the selectee can request of the agency a legally required exception from this requirement.
Our civil trial attorneys must be able to work independently to develop their cases factually and legally. They must be willing to work collaboratively with the Internal Revenue Service, internal supervisors and peers to present those cases in the most effective manner. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, are essential.
Applicants must have:
This is an attorney position. Applicants must have a Juris Doctorate degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and must be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia. Active bar membership (of any jurisdiction) is required.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants will be evaluated based on a comparison of the position requirements against the quality and extent of experience or related education as reflected in their application materials.
Applicants are encouraged to ensure their materials clearly demonstrate their knowledge of subject matter pertinent to the position and the technical skills necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position.
Applications must include:
We place a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspective and encourage applications from all interested eligible candidates, including attorneys of all ages from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, all sexual orientations and gender identities, political affiliations, marital or parental status, religious backgrounds, with or without disabilities, and with or without military service.
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this announcement. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Please follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify the Tax Division if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which the Tax Division is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which the Tax Division is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
The Tax Division is also advertising for trial attorneys for the Washington D.C. Civil Trial and Criminal Enforcement Sections. Individuals interested in applying to work in Washington D.C. for the Tax Division must submit an application to those announcements.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Romaine Chase at Romaine.E.Chase@usdoj.gov to obtain an alternative application.
You must ensure your application is received by 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. Failure to submit a complete application package (a cover letter, resume, applicable transcripts, references and completed assessment questionnaire) by the deadline may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. It is your responsibility to ensure your application with the appropriate documentation is received on or prior to the closing date.
If you submit more than one application, the last application to be received will be the one considered.
Once your application package is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications. Highly qualified candidates will be considered for interviews. You will receive written notification that your application was received and you will be notified of the outcome of the selection.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
