Summary 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. Responsibilities As a Chief Counsel attorney, the incumbent is assigned to a group providing legal counsel to Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) and other Counsel and IRS activities, which are responsible for serving specific groups of taxpayers. Chief Counsel attorneys represent the government in Tax Court and provide advice to IRS field staff on issues in which Service position is established. Attorneys in the SB/SE organization specialize in tax litigations in the U.S. Tax Court, primarily involving tax issues impacting individuals, including individual international tax issues, partnerships, S corporations, LLCs, LLPs, estate and gift, and whistleblower awards. As a General Attorney (Tax), you will: Receive assignments of the most difficult and complex types of work in one or more of the following functions within the office depending upon the specialty of tax to which assigned - Tax Litigation or General Litigation. Tax Litigation: You will be assigned cases docketed in the United States Tax Court. Duties may include preparation of answers to petitions, replies, motions and any other documents germane to proper handling of the case. Ascertain the legal correctness of the position(s) determined in the statutory notice of deficiency as well as preparation for the case for trial and settlement. Provide legal advice and assistance to the IRS, Independent Offices Appeals and other Division Counsel concerning issues within their area of topical jurisdiction. Research, analyze facts, and write legal opinions in response to questions. For District Court and Claims Court: Review pleadings and files and prepare defense letters to the Department of Justice, Tax Division setting out the Commissioner's position on defense of a suit involving merits of the tax, etc., including in appropriate cases, discussing the propriety of jurisdiction, any suggested motions that may be appropriate, the particular defense that is recommended and whether or not the case is one that the Department of Justice may settle without further coordination. General Litigation: Furnish advice and opinions to the IRS, the Department of Justice, etc., in any matter (court and non-court) incident to the assessment and collection of taxes. Advise field administrative officers, handle the legal work, and assist the Department of Justice and United States Attorneys in cases involving tax matters. Recommend which suits should be brought or interventions or counterclaims filed by the Government in connection with the collection of internal revenue taxes or the recovery of erroneous refunds thereof and the basis for defense of tax litigation suits against the United States. This is not an all-inclusive list. If selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform the duties of the position and will receive training to help you grow in the position. This is an open-continuous/standing register announcement that is open 02/22/2024 to 09/30/2024. Applicants will be referred to the selecting officials and referral lists issued as vacancies occur. Cutoff for receipt of applications will be midnight EST on the date a vacancy has been determined. Applications received after that date may be considered on future referral lists. Notifications will be sent to applicants when application has been referred or not referred. The announcement may close prior to 09/30/2024 if management has succeeded in filling all vacancies and has no further use for a standing register. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications 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 General Attorney (Tax) you must meet the qualification requirements listed below at the time of referral or by the closing of this announcement, whichever is first: Basic Requirements for General Attorney (Tax): 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-12 Experience Requirements: 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise. GS-13 Experience Requirements: 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus 1 year of professional legal tax experience. GS-14 Experience Requirements: 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus 2 years of professional legal tax experience. Professional Legal Tax Experience is defined as professional legal experience in federal or state tax controversy, complex litigation, or federal tax consulting. 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 for the grade(s) you are applying to. Note: Only experience gained after Bar Admission may be credited as Professional Legal Experience. Education Substitution: An LL.M. degree in the field of this position (i.e. 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. Education 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. Additional Information We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. Relocation expenses are not authorized. This is a bargaining unit position. We offer opportunities for telework. We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules. The salary range indicated in this announcement covers multiple locality areas. Your salary will be adjusted based on the post of duty for which you are selected. It is anticipated the St. Petersburg office will transition to permanent space in Tampa in early FY25. Any selectees for St. Petersburg will be required to report to Tampa once the office is opened. 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).