General Attorney (Tax)

With nearly 1,700 attorneys, IRS Chief Counsel is the largest tax law firm nationwide. Our attorneys are among top tax law practitioners and some of the very best legal minds found anywhere. Together with the IRS, we serve the public by applying the tax code with fairness and integrity. After pausing hiring in 2025, we now seek new law graduates and experienced attorneys to join us. Click to learn more: IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site Meet Our People Learn about our Legal Divisions

Duties

The Office of Division Counsel (Litigation & Advisory) (L&A) provides legal services for the Internal Revenue Service Large Business and International (LB&I) and Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Divisions on tax matters, legal issues, regulations, and needs relevant to individuals filing Schedules C, E, F, and Form 2106, subchapter C corporations, subchapter S corporations, partnerships, estates, and trusts. The Office of Division Counsel L&A is a nationwide organization headquartered in Washington, DC, divided into seven geographic areas and one nationwide strategic advisory function. Each Area is responsible for legal work within a defined geographic group. We work with complicated issues of tax law and accounting principles in the context of an expanding global environment. L&A employs over 960 attorneys and paralegals nationwide, who provide a full range of legal services on all issues, including advising LB&I and SB/SE compliance agents, handling litigation in the U.S. Tax Court and referring and recommending litigation to the Department of Justice.

As a General Attorney (Tax), you will:

• Provide full range of legal services on all domestic and international tax issues.
• Prepare answers to petitions, replies, motions, and other documents relevant to Tax Court, District Court, or Court of Federal Claims cases.
• Research, analyze facts, and write legal opinions in response to questions from the IRS, Independent Offices Appeals, other Division Counsel offices, and DOJ concerning issues within their area of topical jurisdiction.
• Provide legal advice and recommendations to IRS agents.
• Represent the IRS in U.S. Tax Court.

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.

Salary

• $74,678 - $197,200/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 General Attorney (Tax) you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

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-11 Experience Requirements:

• 1 year of professional legal experience; or
• An LL.M. degree; or
• Possess an LL.B. or J.D. degree plus superior law student work or activities.

Superior law student work or activities is defined as:

• Academic standing in the upper third of the law school graduating class;
• Work or achievement of significance on law reviews or journals;
• Special high-level honors for academic excellence in law school ( e.g., election to the Order of the Coif, winning of a moot court competition, or membership on the moot court team that represents the attorney's law school in competition with other law schools);
• Full-time or continuous participation in a legal aid program (as opposed to one-time, intermittent, or casual participation);
• Significant summer law office clerk experience; or
• Other evidence of clearly superior accomplishment or achievement.

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 one or more of the following: Tax litigation (please specify type of tax litigation: trial or pre-trial; federal or state court(s) (Tax Court, District Court, etc.)), tax controversy (Administrative practice), tax consulting/advisory, transactional tax work involving corporations or partnerships, or transfer pricing experience. 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 the position (Tax Law/Taxation) 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: 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. 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. Conditions of Employment Continued: Subject to a 1-year trial period. All newly appointed employees to the competitive (or excepted) service are subject to a probationary (or trial) period. During this time, your performance, conduct, and suitability for continued employment will be evaluated. You will not automatically convert to permanent status at the end of the probationary (or trial) period. Your supervisor must affirmatively determine that continued employment is in the best interest of the Federal service. If no certification is made before the probationary (or trial) period ends, your appointment will be terminated. You are encouraged to actively engage with your supervisor, seek feedback, and understand role expectations. Additional guidance and support will be provided during onboarding. 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) Required Documents

A complete application includes items described below. 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).

1. RESUME - All applicants are required to submit a resume (max of 2 pages in length) either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their own choosing. Please limit your resume to two-pages. Applicants with resumes exceeding two-pages will be removed from consideration. Resumes MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position (ex. MM/YY - MM/YY), whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to detail the position series and grade level. The resume should detail relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience. Please view resume tips.

Note: Resume must be presented in a font size and font style that is legible, no less than 10-point size with no less than half an inch margin all around.

2. VACANCY QUESTION/ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES:Responses are automatically submitted through USA Jobs when you apply to this vacancy.

3. ADDITIONAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:Applicants are required to submit the following supporting documentation if applicable:

• An unofficial or official transcript(s) for your J.D. degree or LL.M. degree (an official transcript is required if you are selected) Transcripts must detail degree awarded/conferred including date.
• Proof of Active Bar Admission
• A memorandum of interest summarizing your interest in the position.

Current Chief Counsel Employees are also required to submit:

• 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

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.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Office of Chief Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. Ten-point preference eligibles must also submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15, along with the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. For more information on veterans' preference, view FedsHireVets.

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 05/19/2026 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:30am-5:00pm. ET, Monday - Friday). To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12869694

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 503-265-3841 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. Please limit your resume to two-pages. Applicants with resumes exceeding two-pages will be removed from consideration. 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.