Trial Attorney (Tax Litigation Branch)

The Civil Division, Tax Litigation Branch, is looking for attorneys to join its Appellate Section. Our attorneys have a passion for appellate advocacy, an interest in public service, and the ability to work collaboratively and independently while handling complex litigation. Well-qualified candidates may be eligible for a signing bonus of up to $25,000, depending on qualifications, education, and other factors. All recipients of a signing bonus are required to fulfill a service obligation.

Duties

Attorneys in the Appellate Section have a significant amount of responsibility and work in a collegial environment with experienced litigators. The work of the Appellate Section attorney includes preparing briefs and presenting oral arguments in the United States Courts of Appeals nationwide, and occasionally in state appellate courts, when an appeal is taken from a decision of a United States district court, the United States Tax Court, the Court of Federal Claims, or a state trial court. Appellate Section attorneys review adverse decisions from these courts and prepare recommendations to the Office of the Solicitor General about whether the government should appeal. Attorneys in the Appellate Section also assist the Office of the Solicitor General in preparing briefs in the United States Supreme Court.

Salary

• $85,447 - $197,200/year

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Must complete a Background Investigation to include drug testing
• All male applicants born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the selective service. If selected, the applicant must sign a statement certifying his registration, or the applicant must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
• May require completion of a 2-year trial period. (Please refer to the trial period statement under Qualifications.)
• May be required to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance with eligibility for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access depending on organizational assignment / duty location.
• It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment.
• Financial Disclosure: If selected, you will be required to disclose financial information in accordance with DOJ and Federal ethics guidelines.

Qualifications

Interested applicants must possess a J.D., or equivalent, degree, be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of any State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and be an active member of the bar in good standing.

• To qualify at the GS-11 grade level, applicants must have up to one (1) year of legal experience.
• To qualify at the GS-12 grade level, applicants must have minimum (1) or more years post-J.D. legal experience
• To qualify at the GS-13 grade level, applicants must possess at least one and one-half (1.5) years of post-J.D. legal experience.
• To qualify at the GS-14 grade level, applicants must possess at least two and one-half (2.5) years of post-J.D. legal experience.
• To qualify at the GS-15 grade level, applicants must possess at least four (4) years of post-J.D. legal experience.

Qualifications must be met by the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Preferred Qualifications
Applicants should have excellent writing, research, negotiation, oral communication, and interpersonal skills; exhibit good judgment; and have litigation experience. A background in tax law is helpful, but not required. Judicial clerkship experience and appellate litigation experience are desirable, but not required.

Trial Period Statement
As a condition of employment for accepting this position in accordance with section 11.5 of Executive Order 14284, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see www.ed.gov. OR Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications All documentation must be in English or include an English translation. Other Information The Division plans to onboard new attorneys by September 6, 2026, with recruitment incentives contingent upon the availability of funding. Because the onboarding process can be lengthy and funding is limited, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their completed application as soon as possible for consideration. Applicants approved for a signing bonus must sign a service agreement prior to onboarding, committing to a two (2) year service period. Applicants who are currently employed by the federal government are not eligible for a recruitment incentive. Veteran Preference: If you are entitled to or claim veterans' preference (VP), you should indicate the type of veteran preference (5 or 10 points) you are claiming on your resume. In order to determine your eligibility, you can find additional information at: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/. There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). DOJ EEO Statement/Policy: U.S. Department of Justice Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Issued December 31, 2025 Reasonable Accommodation Statement: Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Schedule A: DOJ welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities and is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department. DOJ also encourages eligible Schedule A applicants to submit their resumes to resume@benderconsult.com, and reference "Federal Career Opportunities" in the subject line. Additional information is found at: www.benderconsult.com. Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs: Unless otherwise required by law, the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits employees of the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal contractor acting on its behalf from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history record, either in writing or orally, before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 days of the date of the alleged non-compliance directly to the hiring office using the contact information listed in the announcement. Required Documents

You must submit the following documents:

• A cover letter not exceeding two single-spaced pages that describes your interest in joining the Tax Litigation Branch and explains how your background and qualifications make you well suited for the position as a trial attorney;
• Resume showing relevant experience (not to exceed 2 pages)
• Writing Sample (not more than 10 pages in length, and written in the past 3 years)
• Transcripts for any graduate degrees, including a J.D., obtained after January 1, 2022;
• A list of three professional references.
• DD-214 and/or veteran documentation, (if applicable)

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application questionnaire and submit your supporting documentation. Your complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 07/10/2026 to receive consideration.
1. Click "Apply Online" to get started.
2. If you're not logged in to your USAJOBS account, you will need to login. If you don't have an account, please create one.
3. You will be prompted to select one of your stored (or uploaded) resumes, and any supporting documents you have uploaded to USAJOBS. If you have not uploaded these documents, you can do so later before submitting your application.
4. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, you will be asked to submit your demographic information (if you have provided this in your profile). Submission is optional and anonymous.
5. You'll be asked to confirm your choices and certify the accuracy of your information before you're able to continue to the Application Manager system. Until you see the blue border and DOJ logo, you are still on USAJOBS. You'll see a folder animation just before you leave USAJOBS.
6. Once you reach DOJ's Application Manager system, you'll be asked to verify the information you transmitted from USAJOBS. You will then respond to the application assessment questionnaires and indicate your eligibility options.
7. After responding to the questionnaires, you will have the opportunity to attach the documents you brought over from USAJOBS *OR* upload documents directly from your computer or device.
8. If you opt to upload a document directly, click the "Upload" button and select the document on your device, then wait for the upload to finish. Repeat as needed. Documents must be less than 3 MB each and should be in a compatible file format.
9. Once all your documents are uploaded, you must assign the uploads to the appropriate document category. You may attach more than one document to each category. Click the drop-down menu for a document category, and select one of the available options in the menu. The document will be listed under this category. You can click the drop-down again to add other documents, as needed. You can have up to 15 document assignments.
10. Once you've uploaded and assigned all your documents to an appropriate document type, you can proceed to the final verification step, and click Submit.
11. If you have correctly submitted your application, you will receive an automated e-mail notification within 30-60 minutes. Be sure to review the announcement fully to make sure that your application contains everything that is required.

If you need help with the application process, please see the USAJOBS Help Site (for everything on the USAJOBS-side), or the Application Manager Help Site (for everything on the DOJ-side).

Regrettably, the Department of Justice cannot assist you with USAJOBS account issues. If you contact us for assistance and the problem is related to your USAJOBS account, we will have to direct you to USAJOBS to remedy the issue.