Closing Date: 26th September, 2025
Description:
Summary:Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, seeks enthusiastic individuals to serve taxpayers fairly and with integrity by providing correct and impartial interpretation of the internal revenue laws and the highest quality legal advice and representation for the IRS.
To learn more, click the links below:
IRS Office of Chief Counsel Careers Site (https://www.jobs.irs.gov/counsel)
Meet Our People (https://www.jobs.irs.gov/resources/meet-our-attorneys)
Learn about our Legal Divisions (https://www.jobs.irs.gov/resources/legal-divisions)
Duties:
Meet Our People (https://www.jobs.irs.gov/resources/meet-our-attorneys)
Learn about our Legal Divisions (https://www.jobs.irs.gov/resources/legal-divisions)
Duties:
The General Attorney (Tax) - Special Counsel serves as staff official and advisor to the Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax & Accounting). The Special Counsel assists the Associate in the formulation of policies and programs for the operation of the Office and handles special assignments of a case or project nature. The Special Counsel represents the Associate in the regulations and revenue ruling process, and both the Associate and Deputy Associate Chief Counsel(s) on a variety of legal, technical, and tax litigation matters involving recognition and timing of income and deductions by individuals and corporations, sales and exchanges, capital gains and losses, accounting methods and periods, installment sales, long term contracts, inventories and alternative minimum tax.
As a General Attorney (Tax) - Special Counsel, you will:
This is not an all-inclusive list.
Requirements:
Conditions of Employment:
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) - Special Counsel, you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:
Basic Requirements for General Attorney (Tax) - Special Counsel::
GS-15 Experience Requirements:
Professional Legal Tax Experience is defined as experience with transaction planning or tax controversy work experience with cases involving realization and recognition of items of income; deductions, losses, credits, or adjustments to gross income; timing and income tax accounting. 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 (tax, GLS-related, orP&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.
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. (https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home)
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) (https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/)
As a General Attorney (Tax) - Special Counsel, you will:
- Consider legal cases or problems having broad ramifications and renders decisions thereon without review, except at the discretion of the incumbent or as otherwise specifically directed.
- Act as personal legal and technical consultant to the Associate on the most difficult, important, and complex professional legal matters arising in the administration of the Internal Revenue laws.
- Perform exhaustive and detail research on complicated legal problems and prepare recommendations as to the position to be taken by the Associate Chief Counsel's Office and sign for the Associate within his/her delegated scope of authority.
- Review and advise on the impact of proposed legislation and participates in the development and coordination of legislative proposals.
- Serve as a personal representative of the Associate Chief Counsel on professional legal matters and contribute to the policies and precedents guiding the conduct of legal activities of the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department.
- Act in an advisory capacity to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, and other top Service and Treasury officials, advising them of possible courses of action and the consequences of controversial, complex, or unique problems.
Requirements:
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) - 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;
- 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
- 3 years of professional legal tax experience
Education Substitution: An LL.M. degree in the field of the position (tax, GLS-related, orP&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.
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. (https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home)
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) (https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/)
