Honors Attorney Program (Law Clerk) (2023)

National Office
National Office Divisions located in Washington, D.C. include Corporate (CORP), Financial Institutions & Products (FIP), Income Tax & Accounting (ITA), International (INTL), Passthroughs & Special Industries (PSI), Procedure & Administration (P&A), Criminal Tax (CT), Employee Benefits, Exempt Orgs, Employment Taxes (EEE).

Field Office Divisions
Division Counsel (Small Business/Self Employed): Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Farmers Branch (Dallas), TX; Detroit, MI; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Greensboro, NC; Hartford, CT; Houston, TX; Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO; Laguna Niguel, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Nashville, TN; Newark, NJ; New Orleans, LA; New York (Manhattan), NY; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Richmond, VA; Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Thousand Oaks, CA; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

Division Counsel (Large Business & International): Boston, MA; Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Farmers Branch (Dallas), TX; Hartford, CT; Houston, TX; Laguna Niguel, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, WI; Newark, NJ; New York (Manhattan), NY; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Seattle, WA; Washington, DC; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

Office of the Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Criminal Tax): Boston, MA; Buffalo NY; Chicago, IL; IN; Hartford, CT; Houston, TX: Newark, NJ; New York (Manhattan) NY; Philadelphia, PA; Salt Lake City, UT; St. Louis, MO; St. Paul, MN; Pittsburgh, PA; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

Office of the Division Counsel (Tax Exempt & Government Entities): Chicago, IL; Farmers Branch (Dallas), TX; Laguna Niguel, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Thousand Oaks, CA; Westbury (Long Island), NY.

Target Start Date: Fall 2023

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:
Who May Apply:
Law School Students and Recent Law School Graduates who are eligible for participation in the IRS Chief Counsel Honors Program (LL.M.)

• Students pursuing a Tax LL.M. who will graduate from an ABA accredited law school by theGraduation Requirement Date: Between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023OR
• Recent Tax LL.M. Graduates from an ABA accredited law school who within 9 months of graduating law school began participating in eligibility preserving activities.
• The following are eligibility preserving activities: Judicial clerkships, tax or accounting related graduate programs (including Tax LL.M. program, or qualifying legal fellowships. See "Additional Information" section for specific requirements.

Applicants Admitted to a State Bar:
Applicants who have already been accepted into the State Bar are not eligible to apply to the Honors Program (Law Clerk) announcement and must apply to the Honors General Attorney (Tax) for consideration: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/714105300.

To qualify for this position of Honors Program Law Clerk you must meet the qualification requirements listed below by the closing of this announcement:

Basic Requirements for Honors Program Law Clerk:
Must attend a law school accredited by the American Bar Association
To qualify for the Law Clerk at the GS-12 grade level, you must be a LL.M. candidate/graduate AND meet one of the following by the closing date of the announcement:

• A class ranking in the top 25% of J.D. program AND/OR a J.D. cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher.
• A class ranking in the top 25% of your class in the LL.M. program AND/OR a LL.M. cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher.
• If neither J.D. nor LL.M. program has class rank or GPA, a minimum LSAT of 160 is required.

Attributes of an Ideal Candidate are as follows:

• Special high-level recognition for academic excellence in law school, such as selection to Order of the Coif or receipt of the American Jurisprudence Award in related courses; or top grades in tax or related course work (e.g., "A" grades in tax courses);
• Evidence of background or experience in the position to be filled, such as taking relevant law school classes (e.g., tax law, bankruptcy/debtor creditor law, administrative law) or relevant legal or tax experience (e.g., tax legal experience) or relevant tax volunteer experience (e.g., VITA, Tax Clinic);
• Work or achievement in the law school's law review or other recognized law journal;
• Winning a moot court or mock trial competition or membership on a moot court or mock trial team

Education:
All applicants must be attending or graduated from an ABA-accredited law school.

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.

Additional Information:

• We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
• Hiring managers take into consideration applicant preferred division and desired location. Applicants who are selected for hire, will be provided one offer based on the ultimate needs of the organization to fill open positions.
• Relocation expenses are not authorized.
• This is a bargaining unit position.
• We offer opportunities for telework.
• We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.
• The salary range listed includes locality. Exact salary will be determined at time of selection based on location.

Conditions of Employment Continued:

• Subject to a 1-year trial period. 
• If converted to entry-level attorney, subject to a Tenure Commitment of up to 3 years
• Must successfully complete a background investigation.
• 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.

Eligibility Preserving Activities are defined as:
Full-time activities starting after law school graduation that can preserve a law school graduate's eligibility for the Honors Program. The following are eligibility preserving activities: judicial clerkships, tax or accounting-related graduate programs(including Tax LL.M. programs) or qualifying legal fellowships. Qualifying legal fellowships must have a formal sponsor(e.g., a public service organization, a foundation, a bar association, a corporation, a law school, etc.), an established legal mission (e.g., purpose, type of work), and be publicly advertised as a fellowship at the time the candidate applied to the fellowship.

• Breaks between consecutive eligibility preserving activities cannot exceed 120 days.
• Participation in the eligibility preserving activity must be active through at least December 1 of the program year (may run later).
• Law school graduates who received their J.D. prior to October 1, 2019 are ineligible.

Benefits:
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will be considered based on their overall background as it relates to the position to be filled. Interviews may be held at the option of the office. All application materials and interviews, if conducted, will be used in the final evaluation and selection process.

Referral: Professional Order will be used to refer and select eligible candidates. Veterans' preference is applied after applicants are assessed. Preference eligibles will be listed at the top of the certificate in alphabetical order and considered before non-preference eligibles. All other candidates will be listed in alphabetical order. If you are among the top qualified candidates, you may be required to participate in a selection interview. We will not reimburse costs related to the interview, such as travel to and from the interview site.

Required Documents:
A complete application includes:

• A resume
• Vacancy question responses
• An official or unofficial transcript from your law school (an official copy will be required if you are selected)
• An unedited writing sample (5-10 pages in length)
• Supporting documentation as applicable

Education Documentaion: If you are using your GPA, class ranking or LSAT Scores to qualify, you must include supporting documentation that confirms your GPA & Class Rank (for example, a transcript, test scores, etc.).

Resume: 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.) 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.

Veterans' Preference Documentation: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to law clerk/attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Office of Chief Counsel considers veterans' preference eligibility as a position factor in law clerk/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.

Please ensure your application includes supporting qualification documentation for this position, failure to do so may result in an "incomplete application" determination.

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 04/07/2023 and/or cut-off dates in this announcement. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00am-4:00pm. ET, Monday - Friday). To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11874573

• 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. 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.

Agency contact information

Kelley Campbell
Phone
469-801-1593

Fax
855-562-3827

Email
Kelley.C.Campbell@irscounsel.treas.gov

Address

Office of Chief Counsel, IRS
Staffing and Classification Branch
1111 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20224
US

Next Steps:
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Kindly refer to the following link for a detailed description of the job - https://www.usajobs.gov/job/714105200