General Attorney (Tax) - Special Counsel - National Taxpayer Advocate

The Special Counsel serves as legal staff official and confidential advisor to the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Program). The Office of the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (NTA Program) is responsible for managing, directing and providing legal advice for programs and services related to the mission of the Office of the National Taxpayer Advocate, known as the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) (see Internal Revenue Code section 7803(c)). The Special Counsel assists the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel in providing optimal legal support to the NTA and TAS.

As aGeneral Attorney (Tax) - Special Counsel - National Taxpayer Advocate, you will:

• Coordinate and monitor activities of Counsel's field and National Office functions to ensure responses are timely, of high quality, and responsive to the needs of the NTA and TAS. Provides recommendations to the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel, as needed, to improve operations and affect better service.
• Assist the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel in the review and prioritization of NTA requests requiring resolution at the National Office level. Identifies legal issues involved and responds directly or directs to appropriate Counsel offices for handling. Work with staff(s) as needed, to formulate/polish final product.
• Serve as point of contact for questions/issues relating to Counsel's role in providing legal support to the NTA and TAS. Provide legal advice to assist IRS staff in formulating assistance requests.
• Provide legal assistance to the NTA and TAS headquarters employees in the review and resolution of taxpayer questions and complaints involving taxpayer rights, complex legal matters, and/or issues of extreme sensitivity.
• Prepare position papers and briefing memorandum on substantive policy and procedural issues for the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel, and/or the Chief Counsel/Deputy Chief Counsel.

• Refer to "Additional Information"
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• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National

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 General Attorney (Tax) Special Counsel you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

Basic Requirements for General Attorney (Tax) Special Counsel:

• 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: Providing legal advice and counsel on complex tax matters; preparing or reviewing legal analyses, memoranda, or other written legal products; advising management on legal or policy matters; coordinating with attorneys, executives, or other stakeholders to resolve legal or programmatic issues; and representing an organization in discussions involving legal, policy, or procedural matters. Experience advocating for taxpayer rights or improving tax administration to resolve systemic tax issues is desirable, but not required.

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 (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.

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).