General Attorney (Tax) (Special Counsel)

Full Job Description

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 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 years of professional legal tax experience Professional Legal Tax Experience is defined as: (1) A thorough and comprehensive professional knowledge and understanding of Federal tax statutes and regulations pertaining 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; and (2) a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of litigation strategies and procedures, including the ability to apply sound judgment in developing and accessing settlement options/interests.

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). 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).

Major 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) (Special Counsel), you will: Provides extensive legal analysis and research on sensitive tax matters arising out of cases or programs in the client Divisions.

Performs extensive legal research and analysis on select tax matters as assigned by the Headquarters Executives.

As assigned, responds to inquiries from TIGTA, GAO, OMB, CBO, Treasury, the White House, and Congressional members.

Acts as a legal advisor and consultant to the Headquarters Executives on complex, important, and sensitive litigation strategies, transactions and/or technical L&A issues.

Oversees legal work of attorneys assigned to the L&A Division Counsel headquarters function.

Participates with the Headquarters Executives in assisting the client Divisions with the development of strategies, plans, and designs for a comprehensive and customer-oriented tax administration program that meets the needs of IRS LB&I and SB/SE taxpayers and practitioners and promotes the goals of the client Divisions.

This is not an all-inclusive list.