Legal Assistant (Office Automation)

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

As a Legal Assistant (OA), you will: perform a variety of clerical, technical, and administrative tasks while providing legal support to attorneys and paralegals. Practice areas may include general litigation, tax litigation, criminal tax, and advisory services performing the following duties:

• Utilize basic office software such as Outlook (including eFax), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Desktop Publishing, Access, SharePoint, and Adobe Acrobat to prepare legal documents and correspondence.
• Prepare and assemble documents, including necessary transmittal forms and envelopes, in accepted office format pursuant to court rules for timely mailing, submission to courts and service of others as appropriate.
• File Chief Counsel court pleadings and follows steps to document that they have been filed or logged with the appropriate recipient. Review outgoing correspondence and documents to ensure proper signature and conformance to style and format requirements and procedural instructions, and necessary attachments and enclosures.
• Review mail related to the assigned functional area and input the appropriate tracking data into case management information system.
• Receive visitors and phone calls. Ascertain nature of requests and directs callers to appropriate staff, or personally provides the information desired when routine or procedural matters of the office are involved.

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.

Additional Information:

• Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• This is a non-bargaining unit position.
• We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.

Salary

• $40,736 - $77,306/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
• Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
• 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.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See "Required Documents" for a list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

• Career Transition Assistance Program
• Current Chief Counsel Employee
• Current IRS Employee

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 Legal Assistant (OA), you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

Typing Requirement: This position requires a typing proficiency of at least 40 word per minute (WPM) based on a 5-minute sample with 3 or fewer errors. Applicants may meet this requirement by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years.

For GS-05:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: 1) performing administrative and clerical processes to include preparing and/or reviewing documents with legal implications (e.g., court documents, real estate documents, contracts, insurance or benefits claims, mortgage or loan applications, tax forms, or other types of legal documents); 2) maintaining file systems; and obtaining needed information from files or general reference sources. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04).

OR

Education Substitution: You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: Four years of education above the high school level obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: You may qualify by a combination of experience and education: Options for qualifying based on a combination are identified in the online questions.

NOTE: If qualifying for the GS-05 grade level based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application package.

For GS-06:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: 1) preparing, receiving, reviewing, and/or verifying legal documents; 2) maintaining legal office records and systems; and 3) locating and compiling data or information from legal files and other data sources. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05)

For GS-07:
Specialized Experience: Your resume must detail at least one year of specialized experience which includes: 1) analyzing & reviewing information and preparing a variety of legal documents; 2) reviewing documents for regulatory requirements and inputting into case tracking systems; 3) using automated software to produce legal related reports, documents, correspondence or related materials; and 4) assisting with trial preparation needs. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-06).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone for the GS-06 and GS-07 grade levels--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

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-06: 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-05).

Time in Grade Requirement for GS-07: 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-06).

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 Other Information Conditions of Employment Continued: Subject to a 1-year probationary period (unless already completed). All newly appointed employees to the competitive service are subject to a probationary 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 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 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. 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. Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel. 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. For more information about individual rights, Noncriminal Justice Applicant's Privacy Rights - FBI, FD-258 Privacy Act Statement - FBI, and SEAD-3-Reporting-U.pdf (dni.gov). Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire 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.) Please limit your resume to two-pages. Applicants with resumes exceeding two-pages will be removed from consideration. 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.

Current and Former Federal Employees - Documentation Relating to Your Federal Employment - Submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. (The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2".)- Indicate on your application the highest permanent grade you have held; if this grade is different from your current grade, submit a copy of an additional SF-50 showing this grade.- 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.

Current Chief Counsel Employees on an Excepted Service Veteran's Recruitment Appointment (VRA) or Schedule A (Employee with Disability) Appointment - If you are eligible in this category, you are required to submit an SF-50 showing current Chief Counsel Excepted Service VRA or Schedule A (Employee with Disability) Appointment (block 24 must be a "1" or "2" AND block 34 must be a"2.").

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Documentation - If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee, click CTAP/ICTAP for eligibility and a detailed list of required documents.

Veterans' Preference Documentation - If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing actual or expected dates of service 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.

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.

If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here. (https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire)

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date (05/13/2026) of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

1. Click the Apply Online button.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
8. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.