Attorney - Adviser - Special Counsel to the Chief Counsel

This is a reimbursable detail opportunity open to current GS-0905-14 Attorneys employed with the Department of Energy or Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Detail will be for 120 days, but renewable as needed. To learn more about IRS Chief Counsel, click the links below: IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site Meet Our People Learn about our Legal Divisions

Duties

This position is located in the Front Office of the Office of Chief Counsel. The incumbent serves as an advisor to the Chief Counsel on a broad array of activities designed to fulfill Counsel's responsibilities of preparing, reviewing, and assisting in the preparation of regulations and proposed legislation, and also providing legal support on the most difficult, important and complex matters to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In this capacity, the incumbent serves as a liaison with Treasury Division Commissioners, heads of other programs, and other governmental agencies.

As Attorney Advisor - Special Counsel to the Chief Counsel, you will:

• As directed by the Chief Counsel, consider legal, policy, technical, legislative or litigation matters having broad ramifications or particular importance and renders decisions thereon, generally without review.
• Act as personal, legal, and technical advisor to the Chief Counsel on the most difficult, important, and complex legal matters raised to the Chief Counsel. He or she serves as an expert in the area assigned. (E.g., Energy, Energy Markets, Energy Policy)
• Perform detailed research on complicated legal problems and prepares recommendations as to the position to be taken by the office.
• Prepare or review proposed memoranda and letters for signature of various Chief Counsel management officials on various legal matters for the submission to a variety of internal and external clients.
• Act as principal attorney in charge of recommending the policies and developing the procedures and regulations implementing new or amended legislation for the assigned area (E.g., Energy, Energy Markets, Energy Policy).
• Lead special projects and handle high visibility assignments of an extremely complex level.
• Determine the correctness of legal positions in responding to e-discovery and other electronic requests, including applying privileges, IRC section 6103 and 6110, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions, U.S. Tax Court Rules, Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and other procedural provisions.
• Researches and determines the correctness of legal positions related to the litigation discovery process. Drafts legal documents required in connection with e-discovery and electronic litigation support such as declarations, memoranda, motions, and other documents.
• Perform document review in electronic discovery systems (e.g., Relativity, Everlaw, Nextpoint).

This is not an all-inclusive list.

Salary

• $124,531 - $195,200/year

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

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements detailed below by the closing date of this announcement. 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 Attorney - Advisor (Tax) - Special Counsel to the Chief Counsel, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

• Current Permanent GS-14 General Attorney
• Desired Experience:
  • General professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus experience in energy law and document review.

Professional Legal Experience is defined as: Broad experience with matters regarding energy law, policy, and/or energy markets; Experience reviewing documents in electronic discovery systems (e.g. Relativity, Everlaw, or Nextpoint); and Experience performing significant volume of document review for privilege, FOIA, and/or relevance.

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov) Other 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 non-bargaining unit position.
• We offer opportunities for telework.
• We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
• Under a detail assignment, there is no change to the selectee's pay. The positions will be filled at the employee's current grade level.
• IRS Chief Counsel does not offer any additional benefits beyond that which the Federal employee is already receiving.
• This vacancy may be filled in any Office of Chief Counsel office nationwide. Chief Counsel locations include:
  • Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Birmingham, AL; Boston, MA; Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; East Hartford, CT; Farmers Branch (Dallas), TX; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Greensboro, NC; Honolulu, HI; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO; Lake Forest, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Louisville, KY; Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; New York (Manhattan), NY; Newark, NJ; Oklahoma City, OK; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Richmond, VA; Tampa, FL; Sacramento, CA; Saint Louis, MO; Saint Paul, MN; Saint Petersburg (Tampa), FL; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; Thousand Oaks, CA; Washington, DC; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

Conditions of Employment Continued:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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)

Required Documents

A complete application includes 1. A resume, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).

All applicants are required to submit a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. (Cover letters are optional.) To receive full credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest that you preview the online questions, as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Please view resume tips.

In addition, applicants are required to submit:

1. An unofficial or official transcript(s) for your J.D. degree or LL.M. degree (an official transcript is required if you are selected)
2. A copy of your most recent, signed, completed annual performance appraisal which includes the final rating. If it is not dated within the last 12 months or if you have not received a performance appraisal, please explain why in your application
3. Most recent non-award SF-50

Education Documentation: 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. See "Education" for more details.

Certificate of Good Standing: A certified original copy of your certificate of good standing from your State Bar will be required if you are selected.

How to Apply

The following instructions outline our application process. You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 04/15/2025 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00-4:30 ET, Monday - Friday). To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12718547

If you require a reasonable accommodation for a disability or medical condition during any part of the application and hiring process, please contact Kimberly Johnson, Reasonable Accommodation Coordinator, HR Labor & Employee Relations Division, by phone at 469-801-1728 or by email at Kimberly.F.Johnson@irscounsel.treas.gov. The IRS - Office of Chief Counsel provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. You must contact us by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the announcement's closing date to request accommodation. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

To begin, click Apply to access the online 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.

• Follow the prompts to select your resume 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.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
• 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 must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
• It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
• Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.