General Attorney (Tax) - P&A

Internal Revenue Service; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Chief Counsel, the nation’s largest tax law firm, seeks new law graduates and experienced attorneys to join us in Washington, DC. With roughly 1,700 attorneys, we apply the tax code with fairness and integrity.

To qualify for General Attorney (Tax) - P&A, candidates must meet the education and experience requirements by the closing date, and include clear descriptions of relevant experience.

Qualifications

• Must have a law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from ABA-accredited school.
• Active bar membership in good standing in a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.
• GS-12 requires 1 year of general professional legal experience; GS-13 requires 1 year general professional legal experience plus 1 year of professional legal tax experience; GS-14 requires 1 year general professional legal experience plus 2 years of professional legal tax experience.
• An LL.M. in Tax/Public/Administrative/Regulation or Bankruptcy may substitute for one year of general legal experience.

Skills

Legal reasoning

Attention to detail

Education

J.D./LL.B. from ABA-accredited law school

Bar admission in State/DC/PR

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.

In order to qualify for this position of General Attorney (Tax) - P&A 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.

Basic Requirements for General Attorney (Tax) - P&A

• 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-12 Experience Requirements

• 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise

GS-13 Experience Requirements

• 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
• 1 year of professional legal tax experience

GS-14 Experience Requirements

• 1 year of general professional legal experience from any area of expertise; plus
• 2 years of professional legal tax experience

Professional Legal Tax Experience is defined as one or more of the following: Experience with Tax Practice and Procedure issues at the state or federal level; tax controversy (administrative practice); preparing responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and/or handling litigation related to FOIA requests; research and analysis of legal issues relating to complex areas of law (e.g., corporate law, business structuring/planning, securities law, international law, intellectual property); litigation of cases involving tax issues or other complex areas of law (e.g., corporate law, business structuring/planning, securities law, international law, intellectual property). 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 for the grade you are applying to. 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, Public Law / Administrative Law / Regulation, or Bankruptcy Law / Insolvency Law) 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.