Trial Attorney (Tax) (Special Trial Attorney)

Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, seeks enthusiastic individuals to serve 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. Please click "Learn more about this agency" to find out more about Chief Counsel's various offices, to view some of the workplace attributes that Chief Counsel's workforce rates most favorably, and to hear from employees themselves. For positions with an education requirement, or if you are qualifying for this position by substituting education or training for experience, submit a copy of your transcripts or equivalent. An official transcript will be required if you are selected.

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. The Strategic Litigation (SL) Division Counsel is a national organization with approximately 90 attorneys and 40 paralegals located in 33 cities nationwide. The SL Division, through its Special Trial Attorneys and paralegals, is responsible for handling the Office of Chief Counsel's most complex, high-profile, and significant cases in the United States Tax Court, which cases often establish national precedent or are otherwise important to tax administration. The SL attorneys and paralegals provide a full range of legal services on all issues, including advising the Internal Revenue Service on its most significant non-docketed cases, handling significant case litigation in the United States Tax Court, and assisting the Department of Justice in the handling of significant cases in both Federal and State Courts.

As a Trial Attorney (Tax) (Special Trial Attorney), you will:

• Serves as principal attorney responsible for the preparation, development and presentation of cases before the United States Tax Court anywhere in the United States. These cases are of the magnitude that they will, in many instances, warrant the assistance of one or more junior attorneys or other specialists and the cases are of such importance that they frequently involve matching professional skills against some of the most distinguished legal talent in the country.
• Participates in all aspects of complex litigation, including discovery, pretrial motions, trial memoranda, briefs, and represents the Commissioner before the United States Tax Court at trials and hearings. Handles all aspects of litigation involving the Office's most complex, important, and novel technical issues.
• Handles strategically significant non-docketed matters, including cases being considered for designation for litigation and other matters where litigation is anticipated. May work with the Department of Justice on significant refund and other litigation matters.
• Identifies and assesses legal strategies and consequences of alternate approaches to make recommendations on behalf of the Office to program executives and managers.
• Assists in the development of trial expertise in junior attorneys, both in formal training sessions and on an individual basis in the course of preparation for and trial of cases.

This is not an all-inclusive list.

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.

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

Basic Requirements for Trial Attorney (Tax) (Special Trial Attorney):

• Possess at least the first professional law degree (LL.B. or 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;

GS-15 Experience Requirements:

• 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
• 3 year(s) of professional legal tax experience

Professional Legal Tax Experience is defined as: 1) Thorough and comprehensive professional knowledge of and understanding of Federal tax statutes and regulations pertaining to Subchapter C corporations, and subchapter S corporations and partnerships; (2) Thorough and comprehensive knowledge of litigation strategies and procedures, including technology used in case work; and 3) The ability to apply sound judgment in developing and assessing settlement options/interests.

At least one year of this experience must be equivalent to the work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-14).

Note: Only experience gained after Bar Admission may be credited as Professional Legal Experience.

Education Substitution: An LL.M. degree in the field of the position (tax, GLS-related, or P&A- FOIA/Disclosure related field) may be substituted for the one year of the general legal experience listed above.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week, on your resume.

Time in Grade Requirement for GS-15: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-14).